M3 scheduling question/issue

[mrbreakfast]

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Hi, M3 currently on third clinical rotation. Thus far pretty undecided, decently strong applicant but not sure what I want to do. Interested in surgical subspecialties, DR/IR, recently got interested in ophtho, willing to at least try the required stuff I haven't rotated in yet (e.g. rest of OBGYN, neuro, psych). Big hold-up for me is that I'm not sure if I'll actually like surgery or not.

My question: we get one elective, which for me turns out to be in June, and which I have to pick this week. I don't have surgery until Feb-Apr, where I may/may not get to try one surgical subspecialty. My school starts M4 elective registration in April, and my understanding is that aways start scheduling before that. Thus, to me it looks like I'll have to choose a number of M4 electives/start scheduling aways before I've actually tried any of the stuff in which I'm really interested.

Every faculty member I've previously talked to in those fields has stressed the importance of multiple early aways in that field. I'm worried my elective is too late to have any actual impact on my specialty choice, and that I may end up having to register for aways in a field I haven't tried yet, or just eliminate specialties that otherwise sound interesting to me.

Am I completely wrong about this? It's stressing me out, and every M4 I know already knew what they wanted to do by winter of M3. Anything I can do?

 

[mk04447]

Same spot as you, but ask. See what's available and take the one you're most interested in. Isn't this our time to make these decisions?

 

[road2residency]

Same spot as you, but ask. See what's available and take the one you're most interested in. Isn't this our time to make these decisions?

I agree with this. While an elective in third year cant hurt you, most of your audition rotations will be in 4th year. Work on getting good LORs (and making a decision of what you want to do) now and schedule your 4th year once you have a better idea of what you want to do.

You want to identify the programs you would like to apply to for residency and do an audition rotation there preferably prior to September of 4th year when programs start to look at applications.