Need help with 4th year schedule

[DoctorWannaBe]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I'm trying to figure out my schedule for fourth year. 4th year is 42 weeks long, and I have to schedule 30 weeks of electives, which means I have 12 weeks of vacation. 4th year starts on July 2, and we have to take Step 2 CK by November 30. Most electives are 4 weeks long.

1) Is it best to schedule my away electives during the first few blocks of the year (July-September)? How late can I schedule away electives and expect to get a LOR?
2) When should I take Step 2, and if I take a 4 week block off to study, is that long enough?
3) How many weeks vacation should I use for interviews, and which month should I take off for interviews?

Thanks!

 

[BigNavyPedsGuy]

I took Step 2 on July 1. But I had an easy rotation to end my 3rd year. If you can avoid taking a block off to study for Step2, I would. That's one more month you can get at the end of the year. Maybe take radi-holiday that block or something.

You should do away electives toward the first part of the year. Even if you get the letter early, that doesn't mean that they will remember to write it early. You might have to give them friendly reminders. My school sent out dean's letters on Nov 1. I think it's reasonable to have everything (LOR, application stuff) in before that. Also, most folks do a lot of interviewing in Dec-Jan, so it would suck to be on away rotation during that time.


I had a good friend of mine advise to try and frontload my fourth year schedule because at the end of the year I'm going to hate work b/c I've already matched. He was right and I reccomend doing the same.

 

[VincentAdultman]

You can take step 2 later if you did well on step one and aren't going into a specialty that puts emphasis on it. But I would just take it early when all that 3rd year stuff is fresh and then not have to worry about it the rest of the year.

I agree with everythings else.

 

[purplefish]

You can take step 2 later if you did well on step one and aren't going into a specialty that puts emphasis on it. But I would just take it early when all that 3rd year stuff is fresh and then not have to worry about it the rest of the year.

I agree with everythings else.

Which specialties place an emphasis on step 2?

 

[deleted109597]

Which specialties place an emphasis on step 2?

Anymore, most of them. Just because having it is worth more than not having it.
That being said, you can't really study for it. You need to have good clinical sense, which means not taking it after a derm, plastics, or psych rotation (not that those don't have clinical parts, but still).

As for the OP, you can get a LOR in Nov, meaning an away month in Oct if you would like. Best interview months are Dec-Jan.

 

[fantasty]

Do people really take 4 weeks off to study for Step II? Most of the people I know either take 2 weeks (we do have some 2 week rotations to scatter between 3rd and 4th year) or just take it during a light elective rotation.

I guess it might be worth taking 4 weeks if that's also when you'd be off for interviews.

 

[BigNavyPedsGuy]

Most of the program directors I talked to (albeit they're mostly primary care- and one OB) said that as long as you're Step scores go up from 1 to 2 they don't care. Now if you're Step 1 score isn't so great, it would be worthwhile to take the first block off and really try to improve your score. My friend gained 30 points that way. My other friend got a great Step 1 score and didn't take step 2 until Nov - which is late b/c our school's deadline is Dec 1st.

There isn't any one right way to do it.

 

[deleted109597]

I studied for 4 days and took it during my fall break.

 

[babyruth]

I did a lot of away rotations during the beginning of 4th year for that reasons listed above: they get to see you in action before the match.

I took step 2 during my Psych rotation in July because I had a lot of extra time to study (not a heavily intense rotation--got off around 1-3pm each day!). The most I have heard others take off was 1-2 weeks to study.

Good Luck!

 

[mrdowntoearth]

Ok, I have 2 questions.

1. It seems to me from the previous posts that it's a good idea to do away rotations early in the 4th year. Can anybody tell me the reasons behind this? I want to make sure I'm on the same boat. Is it because of the hope of getting good LOR and knowing the people in a place that you might be interested in for matching? Or for other reasons?

2. How much knowledge of interpreting radiologic images tested in Step 2 CK? Any pathology slides at all like Step 1? Radiology is one of my weaknesses and I want to make sure I'm comfortable reading the images before I'm taking Step 2.

Thanks in advance

 

[BigNavyPedsGuy]

Ok, I have 2 questions.

1. It seems to me from the previous posts that it's a good idea to do away rotations early in the 4th year. Can anybody tell me the reasons behind this? I want to make sure I'm on the same boat. Is it because of the hope of getting good LOR and knowing the people in a place that you might be interested in for matching?

Yes

2. How much knowledge of interpreting radiologic images tested in Step 2 CK? Any pathology slides at all like Step 1? Radiology is one of my weaknesses and I want to make sure I'm comfortable reading the images before I'm taking Step 2.

A few Chest X-rays and CTs I never rotated through Radi-holiday and didn't have trouble. I don't think I had a single path slide.

 

[tiredmom]

To OP:
- what are you wanting to go into?
- what rotation are you ending on?

I ended on Family medicine, so I took July off (as reward) and took Step 2 CK half way through my vacation. Do take specialty related courses in the first part of 4th year - to get solid LORs. The peak interview dates differ between specialties - Ob/gyn is mainly Nov/Dec now - several programs don't have January dates. I took the rest of my vacation time to interview and have been off since the first week of November. My spring is going to be a little tougher - but my required selectives are not in my chosen specialty, so I didn't want to be on those rotations with people who are really hard core in those specialties trying for letters (I didn't want to look lazy in comparison because I would be lucky enough to get stuck on rotation with super surgery gunner in the SICU). Plus, if I saved all my vacation till the end - It would be several months since I'd seen a patient when I started intern year.
Decide what things you want out of it - I took a clinical pharm course that was a great review and a light schedule. I also loved my ultrasound class - I think I'm better than most of the interns now at scanning because I've had a formal 4 week course in it.
Good luck!

 

[pillowhead]

I'm trying to figure out my schedule for fourth year. 4th year is 42 weeks long, and I have to schedule 30 weeks of electives, which means I have 12 weeks of vacation. 4th year starts on July 2, and we have to take Step 2 CK by November 30. Most electives are 4 weeks long.

1) Is it best to schedule my away electives during the first few blocks of the year (July-September)? How late can I schedule away electives and expect to get a LOR?
2) When should I take Step 2, and if I take a 4 week block off to study, is that long enough?
3) How many weeks vacation should I use for interviews, and which month should I take off for interviews?

Thanks!

i recommend front loading your 4th year schedule but don't overdo it. 3rd year is tough. make your first couple of months of 4th year really count with good away electives in your field of choice and then relax a little bit with an easy elective or vacation. schedule something real in spring otherwise i think when intern year rolls around, you may feel a little rusty relatively speaking.

 

[OB1🤙]

Agree w/front loading. Get your auditions done early so your letters are in when you submit ERAS. Get your sub-I done early so it's out of the way. Then REEEEEEEEEEELAX, and let the awesomeness of 4th year gloriously wash over you and wallow in its lazy splendor.

God I love 4th year. Waking up at 11AM rocks.

 

[flipgirl12]

If someone wouldn't mind answering: when in your fourth year is the best time to do an international rotation? (I guess from the above posts, not in the beginning, since you aren't get LOR from that? Or is it okay, say, in July?). Also, is it unusual to do more than one international rotation unless you are looking to work abroad?