M-4 rotations

[bigfrank]

Hi, I will be scheduling my M-4 rotations soon and I have the opportunity to make it a ridiculously easy year and do some easy rotations or some more difficult ICU ones. I have no interest in ICU medicine and will likely be applying to radiology.

That said, does the choice of 4th year rotations matter? I'm doing 2+ radiology rotations for sure, but I was just curious if taking easy rotations would affect residency chances in any way. (I will "Honor" at least 4 of my 6 M-3 rotations.)

Thanks.

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[yaah]

The first couple matter - if you haven't done a rotation in the field you are applying to this is definitely the time to do AT LEAST one, if not more. Rotations done after october or so may not be graded in time for the transcript that will be sent to ERAS with your deans letter (november 1 I believe).

An "easy" rotation is kind of hard to interpret. There really aren't any rotations that people would automatically assume are easy except perhaps independent study months. A lot of people do path or radiology electives for an easy month, but for people interested in applying to the field or for those who just want to learn a lot, they certainly don't have to be easy.

If you do a tough rotation early on like ICU and your grades are much worse than in your prior clerkships, this could matter (and likewise if you honor this where you didn't before). 4th year grades are generally easier to attain though. I honored everything I did until my last 2 months (including my sub I) and I worked harder during 3rd year. There is more leeway, I guess.

If you don't want to do an ICU month, then don't do one. If you're doing radiology though, you are going to have to do a prelim year and an ICU month is likely going to be educational. It's only a month, after all.

 

[b&ierstiefel]

wow that was deep.

 

[fourthyearmed]

As a current 4th year who did not schedule an easy 4th year I have several thoughts on the matter. After doing my required sub-I at my home school, I then did 2 away sub-I's and an away elective. Now back at my own school again, I am taking courses that fit the requirements for graduation but unlike some of my classmates, I chose them by how interested I was in the rotation not by how easy the rotation is. It's kind of hard listening to classmates talk about how they worked all of 2 days or even 2 hours last week! That being said, I feel like I'm learning a lot and I'm still not working as hard as I was during 3rd year. I think it's up to you though. What may be an easy rotation at one school may not be at another and the Program Directors may not know which is which. At my school Radiology is one of the easiest courses but this may not be so at your school.

 

[yaah]

wow that was deep.

Not all of us can do independent studies in pharmacology during our 4th year.

 

[bigfrank]

Not all of us can do independent studies in pharmacology during our 4th year.

Yea, that's what I'm going for.

Seriously, yaah, thank you for taking the time to write.

 

[b&ierstiefel]

Not all of us can do independent studies in pharmacology during our 4th year.

I have no idea what you're talking about.

Anyways to offer constructive advice, instead of farting around, I would say do the 4th year rotations that are of interest to you (and those which are required). For instance, I'm interested in path so my 4th year consisted of 2 subI months (required) and then 2 pathology months (one research and one clinical). The 2 pathology months further solidified my interest in the field (and got me a few letters too ). Independent studies in pharmacology? What are you smoking yaah (and can I have some)? Who said I was gonna become a pharmacologist?

If you want to go into a specialty field and you haven't done a rotation in it yet, I suggest you do it very early in the 4th year (i.e., July or August). That way you can ask for letters and maximize the chance that they will be uploaded onto ERAS on time.

Plan some fluff rotations for one or two of the heavy interview months (November-January). After that do rotations that you think will be helpful for your intern/transitional or categorical year.

Some people have posited that it is a good idea to do your Sub-I's late in the year because then the thinking/skills learned during those months will be fresh in your mind when you do your intern year.

In general, you will be working less harder in 4th year and it will be easier to get honors during that year. A big part of it is because you've been through the grueling 3rd year of med school and you're more accustomed with how the thinking in medicine works and with how things run in the hospital. You've gotten past the growing pains and are better adjusted. You've honed your note-writing and presentations skills. The pressures placed on 3rd year students to "function at the level of interns" (what a load of crap that is!) is no longer there. It's senior year...life is good...try to enjoy it the best you can!

 

[b&ierstiefel]

If you do a tough rotation early on like ICU and your grades are much worse than in your prior clerkships, this could matter (and likewise if you honor this where you didn't before).

I don't see how this is the case. Residencies won't be seeing my 4th year grades for it to matter for making their ROLs. For me this is a bummer cuz by some miracle, I actually honored my subI months and I never got a single honors during 3rd year .

 

[yaah]

I don't see how this is the case. Residencies won't be seeing my 4th year grades for it to matter for making their ROLs. For me this is a bummer cuz by some miracle, I actually honored my subI months and I never got a single honors during 3rd year .

You're going into path though. Clinicians like to see good clinical grades, and if they don't, they like to see grades improving. Thus, if you do an ICU month and get a mediocre grade this might be something they pay attention to.

They may not see your 4th year grades, but some med schools send them out - mine for example - my transcript that went to ERAS had my august, september, and october grades on it.

Fine, maybe you didn't take the pharmacology study. But I think you tried to!

 

[b&ierstiefel]

They may not see your 4th year grades, but some med schools send them out - mine for example - my transcript that went to ERAS had my august, september, and october grades on it.

Fine, maybe you didn't take the pharmacology study. But I think you tried to!

The transcript/deans letter that gets sent out by our institution only includes comments/grades from 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year (no 4th year grades for us).

I never heard of pharm study yaah.