LECOM Erie 3rd and 4th year students rotations question

[Slevin]

I'm a current LECOM Erie student c/o 2012 and we are starting to set up rotations and I was wondering if you could answer a few questions for me.

Since you have been though this process and I'm just starting I was wondering if you could answer a few questions for me. I"m just confused about what to do and where to go. I don't really have a preference about location but at the same time I'm not sure if rotating all over the place is the best thing for me.

Well first if you had to do it all over again which would you chose to stay in a location or pick your sequence?

If you decide to do rotations (i.e. floater) all over the place instead of one location how does housing work, I've heard that at some places there is housing provided by the hospital but how much does usually cost or is it free?

Are there any rotations that are top notch and would give me a really good clinical experience, is there a site you would have preferred for IM, surgery, peds, etc?


Is there any other advice I should have about rotations?

Thanks your help means allot to me.

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[eriedoc514]

Slevin,

Ok, here is the deal with roations, at least how I remember it when I had to go through the process. When you pick an area, most try to do it so that they can either be close to home, be close to a significant other, or they just wanna stay put in the Erie area. Me personally, I chose to do most of my rotation locally, and I was in the Erie group.

Unless you enjoy moving around a lot, and have no other ties to one specific area, I would really not endose the "floater."

When you set up your rotations, there is a list, which will have required sites, and not required sites. All of the required positions need to be filled before you can go out and do rotations at a hospital of your choice. Also on this list, there will be notes telling you if there is housing offered by the hospitals, and if there is food included. These are huge considerations especially, when you do not currently have an income. Most of the hospitals in the Erie group do offer housing. This is a free service that hospitals offer to the students. If you have to go to a hospital that does not offer housing, the GME dept, will be able to help you secure housing (most of the time there are interns or residents that will rent out a room, or motels with weekly rates that is pretty cheap, but this is out of your pocket).

The other thing to consider, is what you want to do in life (IM,ER, PEDS, etc) and to start looking into programs now. I would strongly reccommend doing rotations in your chosen specialty at the hospital which you may wanna go to. A little face time, as well as, knowing the program directors will go a long way in a few years.

Last thing that I will touch on is Erie as a rotation area. I had many awesome rotations in the Erie area. The hospitals are used to getting students and are very willing to teach. I highly recommend the area for rotations. IM with Dr. John at Milcreek was one of my best rotations (hours were bad at the time, but well worth it), Also I did surger at Clanion which was a good rotation. Nothing bad to say.

Hopefully, this helps to some degree and as a disclaimer, all of the rotations that you will do in medical school are gonna be what you make of them. Half of the whole education process is self mediated. Good luck in the coming years and enjoy the lifestyle while you have it.

Kevin

 

[LittleE2011]

Hey, I am a 3rd year at LECOM right now, and I picked the "floater" option. I actually think it's sort of a good idea floating around to different hospitals, provided you aren't attached to someone or to an area.

Most hospitals offer housing. The only hospital I rotated at that did not was Southwood Psych in Pittsburgh. I lived with friends who were doing most of their rotations in Pittsburgh and had an apartment. Some of the housing is not all that great, but for the majority of rotations you will be spending a lot of hours at the hospital, so you won't spend a lot of time in the room.

The moving around is a little bit inconvenient, especially if you meet people you really like on your rotation (good residents, interns, attendings). However, I think it is much more beneficial to see how different hospitals operate, and the various differences between the smaller and bigger hospitals. That being said, even if you pick a specific area, you will have the freedom to check out a lot of different situations as well.

As far as my experiences so far (I have only done 3 rotations) here is what I think:

Psych at Southwood Psychiatric in Pittsburgh: EASY!! I have to say, I didn't learn a whole lot. But, if you are looking for a break, and a rotation that offers very short days and a very relaxed atmosphere, this would be the place. This was my first rotation after a vacation month, and although it was a very easy transition, I had to study hard for the shelf because I learned very little at the hospital.

OB/GYN at UPMC Mercy in Pittsburgh: VERY GOOD. You get equal experience in an outpatient clinic, Gyn surgery, and Labor and Delivery.
Almost all of the attendings like to teach, and if you show interest, they will let you do as much as you can! Loved it.

Internal Medicine at Ohio Valley MC in Wheeling, WV. VERY GOOD. The residents I worked with were challenging. There is a decent amount of downtime when the residents are busy with tough cases, but you will need it to read up on the cases you are assigned. The housing wasn't great, but it is attached to the hospital so it is convenient. Food was free. Everyone is extremely friendly, and there are students everywhere so you won't feel alone. They do usually require weekly call, but I didn't mind it because you tend to learn a lot more during call.

I am starting my next 2 IM rotations at Clarion this week. I can let you know more after a few weeks there.

I agree with Kevin, the rotation does depend on how you work with it. I have seen students (from other schools as well as ours) who either don't show interest, or forget their place as a student, piss off the wrong people, and have a horrible experience. I have been able to create contacts at each hospital I have been at, with a show of interest in learning, and a little bit of effort.

Any specific questions, PM me and I will give you my contact info.

Good luck!

 

[pianoman511]

Any recommendations for pediatric rotations or OB/GYN rotations at LECOM Erie ? (Specifically where to do peds and any comments on Clarion OB/GYN)