MS 3's NEED ADVICE

[tcat]

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From looking at the tracks given, and the advice I've heard to have the rotations in fields you are more interested in placed in the latter half of your 3rd year how did you decide which one was best for you???

I'm not sure what I might want to do my residency in... how did you guys come to your individual decisions ????

 

[fourthyearmed]

At my school we don't get a choice about the order of our rotations but it didn't really matter. I really didn't know what I wanted to do but thought I'd probably end up doing IM. My first rotation was Pediatrics and I loved it. Ruled out OB, FP, Surgery, and Psych as I did them. Considered Neuro for about a week. Didn't have IM until very last so I couldn't make up my mind for sure until I had done it. Discovered I liked Peds better than IM so I went with Peds. So therefore my advice is - it doesn't matter what order you do things in really. Some people say not to do something you're interested in first because you don't know enough yet to shine but I disagree. If that's where it fits best in your schedule, do it. They know you're just starting out and will cut you some slack. In fact you might look better than if you wait until the end because then they might expect too much of you. Plus I was way more enthusiastic about things at the first of the year. By the end of 3rd year I was tired and could care less about studying. Also don't put something you think you might want to do very last because then it's hard to start making plans for 4th year (like scheduling externships) when you don't know what field you're doing yet.

 

[lowbudget]

Ah yes, the time-honored track selection question. Bottom line: It don't matter. Seriously.

Every rotation is new and while there may be overlaps (OB/Pedi, IM/Surg, Pedi/IM, Psych/Neuro, FP/Everything), each rotation is different and requires different knowledge base/skill set. I agree, the further along your 3rd year, the higher the expectations. At the same time, you're more comfortable with the way things work the further along and have less self-esteem issues.

In terms of looking good and getting good grades, the most important thing in 3rd year is to put forth your best effort in your work, your reading, and your relationships with people (patients, residents, students, attending) because people will expect you to be as smart/good as a 3rd year student at that point in time. Realize that your 3rd year grades are based on your book knowledge, clinical skills, and your personal/work skills.

If you have a rotation in a field that you're interested in but it falls early in your 3rd year schedule, you can always use the 1st 3-5 rotations of the 4th year to go back and make an impression, get some letters, etc. Otherwise you can use your last rotations of your 3rd year to pick up letters.