M3 Clerkships in Different Cities

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PneumoniaIsComing

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I'm currently an MS2 and am trying to plan ahead for third year. We have the option of doing one, several, or even all core clerkships in other cities around the state. My question is: from a residency application perspective, would it make me more competitive if I completed my clerkships in different cities as opposed to all in one city?

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I'm currently an MS2 and am trying to plan ahead for third year. We have the option of doing one, several, or even all core clerkships in other cities around the state. My question is: from a residency application perspective, would it make me more competitive if I completed my clerkships in different cities as opposed to all in one city?

Thanks!
No one cares how many cities you were in, the only possible benefit is if those sites have residencies and you moght get to almost treat that ms3 rotation like an audition to make some connections
 
Seems like doing so would make your living situation complicated - a new apartment every couple of months? Seems like it would be a hassle to constantly be searching for a new place to live, that is unless your school provides housing at these other locations.
 
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Seems like doing so would make your living situation complicated - a new apartment every couple of months? Seems like it would be a hassle to constantly be searching for a new place to live, that is unless your school provides housing at these other locations.

Isn't this actually a pretty common situation? I've just heard of people crashing with others or finding an Airbnb
 
Isn't this actually a pretty common situation? I've just heard of people crashing with others or finding an Airbnb

I don't think its all that common? Pretty sure (with very few exceptions) all of my friends who went to medical school in NYC, for example, did all of their rotations within the five boroughs (with some having at one point or another take the train over to NJ). I didn't attend medical school in NYC but I lived in the same apartment for my first three years of medical school and did all of my rotations across the street from that apartment...maybe more can comment on if this is the norm or distinct from the norm...
 
certain specialties (like EM) when you apply 4th year, like you to have done a subI away and get an LOR there, just because yes, it can look good to leave your familiar environment and go somewhere new and still excel. Because basically that's what every med student does when they start residency (the proportion of student that stay "at home" is tiny). Seeing proof of this is more or less important depending on the field.

General wisdom is that it's safer to stay home, not deal with a new specialty AND site AND EHR (sometimes) and possibly have your grade suffer because it's harder to shine. OTOH, there are benefits to not just your application but to your education.

Depending on the details of your sitch, it could be a boon, it could be a bust. You have to sort of weigh what you're trying to accomplish going away, and how do-able it is, and the odds of harming you.

All else equal, if you don't think grades will suffer, I think going away is overall a good thing, and *possibly* helps your app. It might not matter to some, but provided it doesn't hurt your grades, all it could do is help at the places that look for this sort of thing, and help your ed.

My school was set up with sites off the main campus, plus housing, or a short drive, and it was awesome. A lot of the time I got a better education going into the community or to another site. They were used to taking our students.

I also did an away 4th year as it was expected for my field, and another one as it was helpful for another.
 
i did my first clinical rotation of 3rd year in another city (my school provided free housing) and had a great time. I didn't want to match there for residency so it didn't "help" in any objective way.
 
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my school had optional smaller community and rural rotations for core MS3 rotations. I did three of them it they were great. One on one with the attendings, nice hospitals, same didactics via video conference, and free housing from the university. I would ask around your peer group about how supportive your school is. I wouldn't do it if you wanted to match into that specialty (need a professor level LOR), if the preceptors weren't good, or if the logistical support wasn't up to par.

. My question is: from a residency application perspective, would it make me more competitive if I completed my clerkships in different cities as opposed to all in one city?

Once again, I don't think it would matter one bit unless you want to go into that specialty or a related one .
 
I also did this in medical school and enjoyed the experience. I think it's worthwhile to see how medicine is practiced outside of academia. The fact that we were given unlimited free food at these non-local sites was also a nice perk. You will eventually get tired of jumping from one place to another, so I would not recommend spending the entire year doing it.

To answer your question about residency applications: No, it won't make you more competitive.
 
I bounced around a bit during M3 and enjoyed it. Sure, living out of a suitcase can be a pain, but it's interesting to see how different institutions function and ultimately, it helped me understand the type of setting I want for future training and practice. But as mentioned above, it doesn't do anything for your residency app aside from possible networking, etc. No one cares about a well-traveled med student.
 
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