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lottery for 3rd year clinical rotation site - need advice
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Usually people don't want to rotate at non-Uni hospitals if they have a choice. Even if you aren't assigned there I'm sure you could find someone in your class who would be happy to trade with you.
Also some schools don't care about "partners" if it's not a fiance or spouse.
Also some schools don't care about "partners" if it's not a fiance or spouse.
Could she just tell the school he is her fiance then or is that taboo?
Never a good idea to lie to your administrators even if it seems completely untraceable or unlikely to bite you.
We have a few satellite rotation sites at my school as well and very few people actually want to rotate there. Switching from a spot at the Uni hospital into a spot at a satellite location is never a problem here.
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you'd probably see more interesting things and have access to the latest equipment at the university hospital. probably would get to do more at the satellite hospital
nothing says "I'm a poser" like spending most of your day writing student notes in a crappy EMR
nothing says "I'm a poser" like spending most of your day writing student notes in a crappy EMR
satellite may be a misnomer, as it is also a 'level 1 trauma' center and a teaching hospital. people who select this hospital tend to choose it due to their preference for its (favorable) location, so trading w/ another student for their spot would not be likely. side note - also, we would get engaged, but what's the point of getting married or engaged if you'll be living apart for 3 years, when an assumption of marriage or even engagement is that you'll be living together. just would find it unfair for the school to expect me to be married or engaged if i can't even live w/ my partner for several years.
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I'd caution against an 'emotional well-being' argument since that's perilously close to 'mental health problems'. I suppose if you're very careful to spin only the positive aspects of the proximity rather than the negative consequences of the separation -- but not the world's strongest argument.
Do you have a preliminary choice of specialty where the urban hospital will be a far better training site? Or more directly, in what professional capacity is the satellite hospital a far better training location than your home hospital?
Do you have a preliminary choice of specialty where the urban hospital will be a far better training site? Or more directly, in what professional capacity is the satellite hospital a far better training location than your home hospital?
Fair enough, but it would also be unfair for you to expect the school to put your individual well-being above the individual well-being of another student who has a more "official" commitment or reason for needing/wanting the satellite spot.
You could certainly say that you would like to be closer to your SO, but don't make it seem like your performance would benefit greatly from it (because that implies negative things about your performance/ability if you don't get that site). Best thing to do (or at least what I would do) is contact the person that makes the decisions and see what their take on it is. Also start talking to your classmates to see if any of them wants the non-satellite site. That way you can make an agreement with them to switch (before someone else does).
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I don't see why you can't just tell the school that you would prefer to be at the satellite hospital since it would allow you to be closer to your significant other. Is this not a compelling reason? What other reasons are your classmates really going to have? There should be no need to define the relationship to your school so whether you are married/engaged shouldn't matter. Just tell them being at this site will allow you to be closer to your significant other, who is an important part of your support system.
Just FYI I wouldn't play the wellness/stress card as I don't think you want your school doubting if you have emotional maturity to handle third year, etc.
Just FYI I wouldn't play the wellness/stress card as I don't think you want your school doubting if you have emotional maturity to handle third year, etc.
I think the issue is that the satellite site is preferred by more students than they can accommodate and it's not unlikely that many want the site for a personal reason (family, SO, etc). OP might need one small thing that makes their needs more important than a classmate's so ensure they get the spot.
thanks for the responses, all. i met with an administrator in dean's office who informed me that past valid reasons have included moving closer to care for aging parents or living closer to a spouse (since the satellite site is quite close to a big city). however the committee has not provided the student body a clear or formal message on what constitutes a valid extenuating circumstance. the school urges us to write down whatever we think is appropriate - and two of the deans apparently have given other of my friends contradictory advice. regardless, why would i get married or engaged to my partner who lives so far away, and also the subtleties of the relationship title seem absurd to me (e.g. saying long term partner vs fiance), as my partner and i do want to be married but don't feel the title is necessary or justified when there is such a large distance between us. we are still no less invested in one another. just not sure what is a polite way of letting the deans know this!
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why not? I bet the non-uni places are way more chill usually
Well at least here and for a few other schools I know about the non-uni places are a 30-40 minute commute and don't always have SOM faculty that can write letters.
I think it is important to understand that titles matter to people. Marriage and engagement have a universal recognition of commitment to a greater extent than "long term partner". Now whether this is right or wrong is irrelevant to your present situation. Medical school administrators are not going to know the ins and outs of anybody's relationships beyond the given title. This is why I suggested that you just say the two of you are engaged. The difference in title might not mean much to the two of you, but it seems to mean something to the people who are determining your fate.
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Maybe I am naive or just go to school with reasonable administrators but I disagree. I find it highly unlikely that they are going to rank the value of students reasons based on whether you are married or not. Obviously the OP shouldn't downplay his/her relationship but I think simply stating they wish to be closer to their significant other would be a compelling personal reason. I don't think they are going to sit there and wonder if significant other is as significant as a fiance, husband, or w/e. Now whether this can secure the OP a spot at the hospital they want to go is going to depend on how many other students have compelling reasons to be there and what those reasons are.
Yeah this is fair. I just imagine there are very few legitimate reasons the administration would entertain for someone needing to be in the city. I don't think playing the adjustment/stress card is smart.
Disagree. Don't lie. Perfectly fine to say that you are planning on getting engaged soon and would like to be closer, however. Also I agree with the above poster who suggested finding a legit academic reason for wanting to be at one place vs. the other. Committees eat that "stuff" up.
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Regardless of whether its fair or not, most people (including school faculty) would view having a fiancé/spouse as more of a serious commitment than a long term partner (which could mean a variety of different things). A majority of med students are in a "serious" or "long term" relationship during med school so I wouldn't expect that argument to carry much weight.
You could say your future fiancé or spouse in your statement (agree with the above poster) or explain how the satellite location would provide a better clinical experience for your future career goals, or both.
You could say your future fiancé or spouse in your statement (agree with the above poster) or explain how the satellite location would provide a better clinical experience for your future career goals, or both.
Agree 100%.
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If you two plan to get married someday, then I believe that qualifies as actually being engaged. After all, what is being engaged? -- Planning to get married. Do you need a date? - - No. Doesn't sound like much (if any) of a stretch. And for older folks, there's a big difference between 'longterm partner' and 'fiance/ee'
