need help with 3rd year schedule

[AbujaMan]

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So my school doesnt have too many options but I'll try to make my issue as clear as possible:

I want to go into ENT (I know i might change my mind but right now i wanna work in that direction) We have to do the usual rotations as everyone. the way my school sets it up is kind of limiting.

for reasons I cant really get into, I basically have these options:
-Surgery the very first rotation of 3rd year
-Surgery the very last rotation of 3rd year (ending late june/early july)
-Surgery starting in november, after medicine, but in order to do that I have to push neurology into 4th year and 4th year neuro is offered for the month of october or november(kinda interferes with my away elective plans)
-Surgery in January, but before medicine(I wouldve taken psych, peds, and obgyn and possibly neuro beforehand) - the fourth years in my school really push the importance of doing medicine before surgery if you want to honors, though of course there are people who honors either way

Also, this may have some impact- half of the surgery rotation can be done in ENT.

any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Joel

 

[PTPoeny]

The advice I have gotten repeatedly is not to take the rotation that I think I am interested in first or last.

So... do you care more about the away rotation in fourth year or taking medicine before surgery?

 

[joanofarc0907]

Take it either Nov or Jan. I took mine in Jan (after medicine) and it was fine for things, but if you feel like you HAVE to have medicine first do Nov. 1st or last won't kill you, but last is too late and 1st you still have the medicine dilemma

 

[turkeyjerky]

either option 3 or 4; prolly doesn't matter. I guess 3 would be better--I wouldn't worry about neuro interfering w/ aways, as oct (and definitely november) is getting a little late for away rotations. Oth, I think the whole "medicine before surgery" is overhyped

 

[PistolPete]

Taking surgery last isn't ideal but wouldn't be all that bad. If you're pretty sure you want to do ENT, or at least some type of surgery, then this could work out well, as you will be at the top of your game and able to impress attendings and score good letters.

Of course if you end up hating surgery, and by then you may have already set up multiple aways/auditions, so that may be an issue.

Go with your gut.

 

[MilkmanAl]

I would do surgery first. I was at least mildly interested in surgery and did enjoy the rotation, but it would just be beyond brutal to finish up third year with those hours. Get it out of the way. If you end up liking it, you have the whole rest of the year to develop a relationship with the ENT people as your schedule permits.

 

[OCallag]

I would do surgery first. I was at least mildly interested in surgery and did enjoy the rotation, but it would just be beyond brutal to finish up third year with those hours. Get it out of the way. If you end up liking it, you have the whole rest of the year to develop a relationship with the ENT people as your schedule permits.

Agreed. Third year is a grind and by the end you start getting burned out. Surgery itself was a sprint to a finish (considering the insane hours, sometimes unpleasant people, etc.), so I couldn't imagine doing it at the end, especially if I wasn't 100% sure it was what I wanted to do.

 

[gman33]

Doing stuff you are interested in somewhere in the middle can work as well. You know enough not to look dumb, but it's still early enough that you can switch gears if it turns out you don't like the field.

I did a rotation in the middle in a field which I thought i was going to go into. Turned out that I hated it.

Glad I didn't wait until too late.
You could do it first, but you don't really know what you are doing at that point. Not that it really matters.