Medicine Sub-I for a grade or letter?

[medrocks47]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I start 4th year early (around April/May) so I have a LOT of time to do stuff - planning to do 1-2 months rads research, 1 month IR rotation, and either 1 month DR or EM Sub-I.

So my situation:
I signed up for a medicine Sub-I in June but honestly.. I hate rounding and I really don't want to do it unless it's vital to my rads app; I'd much rather spend a month with radiologists in DR or the Emergency Department.

So my question:
I signed up for the med Sub-I solely to "get good LORs" and possibly make up for my MS3 medicine grade (I got a HP in medicine in MS3... and I got mainly HP in my MS3 grades so I thought an H in a sub-I would seem significant - however just found out the site my sub-i is at doesn't give much Honors). To preface, I am currently getting a very good LOR from one of my MS3 medicine attendings. I'm going to try an get a LOR from a surgery attending but it's hit or miss with surgeons right? lol. So the one bonus from doing a Med Sub-I is I could potentially have 2 med LORs lined up.

What would you guys do? Do the Med Sub-I? Or do research/IR/something else.

 

[deleted379552]

I didn't do a SubI until after applications went out (i.e. November). It didn't affect my application at all. No one asked about it or cared about it. Most applicants use their SubI to get letters, but if you already know people who can write you good letters, I wouldn't bother.

Do radiology electives (IR or DR) early to show interest and commitment.

 

[redoitall]

Do radiology electives (IR or DR) early to show interest and commitment.

What he says! Totally agree.
Don't shoot yourself in the foot. The Sub-I in Medicine will serve no purpose for you. Do Rad related stuff, try to network at your institution and perhaps an away at a place you'd really want to go to. You will have much more to gain this way.
Cheers

 

[medrocks47]

Glad I asked you guys! Everyone at my school who's doing rads is doing a medicine Sub-I and is telling me I HAVE to do one.. definitely won't be doing one now

 

[shishka32]

Wow I am actually surprised by this. Multiple radiology residents and faculty at my school have said medicine sub-I is pseudo-mandatory not only for a clinical letter but also PGY-1 programs. Good to know.

 

[AxiomaticTruth]

Wow I am actually surprised by this. Multiple radiology residents and faculty at my school have said medicine sub-I is pseudo-mandatory not only for a clinical letter but also PGY-1 programs. Good to know.

Would a surgery sub-I instead be ok you think?

 

[redoitall]

Wow I am actually surprised by this. Multiple radiology residents and faculty at my school have said medicine sub-I is pseudo-mandatory not only for a clinical letter but also PGY-1 programs. Good to know.

Don't ask faculty, don't ask residents, don't ask students. Ask PDs. I don't have a sub-i letter, many of my classmates who go into rads don't have one. We all have close to 20 invites. There are specialties where a Sub-I letter is important (IM, Peds, OBGYN, Surgery...), but rad is not one. At least in my experience (and I am freshly done with my interviews).
I would use the time to do rad rotations, even an away at a place you would like to go. A solid rad letter is much more important than the Sub-I letter. Some of the prelim I interviewed at simply said that I needed to do a sub-i before starting. Plus my school asked us to be kind and leave early spots to students wanting to go to one of the above specialties mentioned, i.e. don't take a ped sub-i in Sept if you don't want to do peds.
Besides, if you screw up your sub-i you are going to hinder your chances, so I really don't see the upside at all. Sure a good letter will help, but it won't help more than a good rad letter (or IR letter if you go into that).

This mention of a sub-i being mandatory for rad would be the first time I heard/read that when it pertains to Rads. Maybe school specific...

 

[shishka32]

Don't ask faculty, don't ask residents, don't ask students. Ask PDs. I don't have a sub-i letter, many of my classmates who go into rads don't have one. We all have close to 20 invites. There are specialties where a Sub-I letter is important (IM, Peds, OBGYN, Surgery...), but rad is not one. At least in my experience (and I am freshly done with my interviews).
I would use the time to do rad rotations, even an away at a place you would like to go. A solid rad letter is much more important than the Sub-I letter. Some of the prelim I interviewed at simply said that I needed to do a sub-i before starting. Plus my school asked us to be kind and leave early spots to students wanting to go to one of the above specialties mentioned, i.e. don't take a ped sub-i in Sept if you don't want to do peds.
Besides, if you screw up your sub-i you are going to hinder your chances, so I really don't see the upside at all. Sure a good letter will help, but it won't help more than a good rad letter (or IR letter if you go into that).

This mention of a sub-i being mandatory for rad would be the first time I heard/read that when it pertains to Rads. Maybe school specific...

Our school requires a sub-I and if you want to do rads, it has to be medicine. Further, the only way to get a departmental/chair medicine letter (which they claim programs want to see, even if they don't we can't argue it) is to do the sub-I before ERAS opens. I wish my school handled this differently.

 

[redoitall]

Our school requires a sub-I and if you want to do rads, it has to be medicine. Further, the only way to get a departmental/chair medicine letter (which they claim programs want to see, even if they don't we can't argue it) is to do the sub-I before ERAS opens. I wish my school handled this differently.

Well that's no luck then. The only requirement my school has is to do a sub-i to graduate. Mine will take place as my last rotation, in April... At that point, I should know (if and) where I match, so the sub-i grade is irrelevant (as long as you pass). A required sub-i prior to applying puts a lot of pressure on all the students of the school. I wonder how they handle the influx of students that time of the year.

 

[2018Duke]

.

 

[CorneliaSt]

Do prelim/TY programs want to see a sub-I letter and/or grade? Or do they not care?

It's tough to know for sure, but I think having a good Sub-I letter can be advantageous especially at the more competitive TYs.

 

[weasel23]

so what is the consensus on LORs needed for DR? I've heard 2 non-rads and 1 rads, is that enough?

 

[Rippy087]

so what is the consensus on LORs needed for DR? I've heard 2 non-rads and 1 rads, is that enough?

I applied DR only and had 2 DR and 1 surgery (from sicu sub-i) letter. Thought it might be risky, but I had a great response. Interviewers kept talking about how great my letters were.

 

[weasel23]

I applied DR only and had 2 DR and 1 surgery (from sicu sub-i) letter. Thought it might be risky, but I had a great response. Interviewers kept talking about how great my letters were.

risky in what way? by not having a 4th letter or a medicine letter?

 

[MadRadLad]

so what is the consensus on LORs needed for DR? I've heard 2 non-rads and 1 rads, is that enough?

To piggyback, does it matter what the non-rads letters are from? For example, if I have some letters from neuro or FM or psych would that still be okay if they are good letters? I am hoping to get a sub-I letter as well, but I just wonder how much weight some of those other ones may hold.

 

[OrangeJuice1111]

To piggyback, does it matter what the non-rads letters are from? For example, if I have some letters from neuro or FM or psych would that still be okay if they are good letters? I am hoping to get a sub-I letter as well, but I just wonder how much weight some of those other ones may hold.

Talking out of my ass, but I've always believed that the content of a letter is way more important than who wrote it (within reason).

 

[Rippy087]

risky in what way? by not having a 4th letter or a medicine letter?

Risky by having 2 rads letters. And by not having any medicine letters. Most people told me to only use 1 rads letter.

 

[weasel23]

Risky by having 2 rads letters. And by not having any medicine letters. Most people told me to only use 1 rads letter.

ok, thanks for the response!

 

[IRorBustguy]

ok, thanks for the response!

I think IR may be different than regular Rads letter because you are actually doing stuff and being active on IR (or at least you can be).