Orlando Regional

[EctopicFetus]

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I will be doing a 4th year rotation there. I am wondering if anyone can provide any insight for me. I would appreciate it.

What are the pitfalls? Who is someone I should try to get a letter from? How is the work environment?

Thanks,
Ectopic

 

[southerndoc]

I interviewed at ORMC. They seem to have a well established program. Two of their residents are from my medical school and they have nothing but high remarks for the program. It's basically unopposed in the hospital because the ED overpowers all the other departments.

 

[bcrosspac]

I used to work as a PA in cardiothoracic surgery there. A great hospital. However, when I tried to contact them as a fourth year DO medical student to rotate in the ED as an elective, NO RESPONSE TO SEVERAL EMAILS, LETTERS, or CALLS. They are very DO unfriendly!! I have heard this story from other DO applicants as well.

 

[captbadass]

great hospital. a rotation there would be cool. however, orlando is run by a nazi named sheriff kevin beary. be careful when you go out on the town there. you look the wrong way at an orange county deputy and he'll shoot you with a taser gun. orlando sucks as a city.

 

[EctopicFetus]

Ill do my best to avoid the taser. I should be fine out there as I have some friends who live around the town. My bigger concerns are related to who some of the bigger names are there so I can get a great LOR. Anyone know of any attendings I should avoid? Thanks a lot..

Ectopic

 

[hyperbaric]

I used to work as a PA in cardiothoracic surgery there. A great hospital. However, when I tried to contact them as a fourth year DO medical student to rotate in the ED as an elective, NO RESPONSE TO SEVERAL EMAILS, LETTERS, or CALLS. They are very DO unfriendly!! I have heard this story from other DO applicants as well.

Are the other Florida EM progams DO unfriendly as well??

 

[EctopicFetus]

Any other advice? Also, this will be my 1st rotation of 4th yr. Anyone wanna offer up some free advice? Also at what point should I ask for my LORs? Week 2? after i work a couple of shifts with someone? Should the LOR be from the PD?

 

[Hercules]

Any other advice? Also, this will be my 1st rotation of 4th yr. Anyone wanna offer up some free advice? Also at what point should I ask for my LORs? Week 2? after i work a couple of shifts with someone? Should the LOR be from the PD?

If you're doing an away rotation, most programs will assume you need a LOR. There are several ways to go about getting that LOR. One way is to politely ask to have several of your shifts scheduled with one of the attendings that you want a letter from. Let them know up front that you are interested in getting a LOR from them and hope they will feel comfortable writing it for you at the end of the rotation. Another way is to wait to get your schedule and just see who you work and get along with before asking for a LOR.

 

[DrQuinn]

Are the other Florida EM progams DO unfriendly as well??

Nope. USF (where I go) has DOs, as does UF. I cannot personally vouch for Orlando being DO unfriendly, as I didn't apply there, but there is most definately a rumor about it.

Q

 

[anonymousEM]

We are DO friendly at UF-Jacksonville. Every class has at least one I think. As for ORMC I've never been there but I have worked with their recent graduates. I'd say try to get a letter from Dr. Beary or anyone high up in the residency supervision. Remember EM is a young field and people who know people are the ones whose recs will carry the most weight, certainly not the first year attending--no matter how well you get along. On the SLOR there is a spot for how many recs you've filled out and if you're "top 10% of 1" doesn't carry a whole lot of weight.

 

[MS05']

Any other advice? Also, this will be my 1st rotation of 4th yr. Anyone wanna offer up some free advice? Also at what point should I ask for my LORs? Week 2? after i work a couple of shifts with someone? Should the LOR be from the PD?

Did an away rotation at Orlando and it's a phenomenal program. The ED is really busy, you won't get a chance to sit during a shift. The residents are very very very very happy there and it reflects in their work ethic. All the attendings I met were very approachable, nice and went out of their way to make the students feel welcome and as part of the team. Though it's a community hospital, things there are really academic, great teaching and journal clubs.

And as an above poster mentioned, the EM residents are probably the most competitive residents in the hospital and the ED is a freakin machine so all the service there bow down to the ED. It's not unusual to have 4 medicine teams there, all four of them working on an admission, for most if not all of the night.

Surgery there is busy too, lots of trauma, apparently Orlando has the largest population of homeless (can't imagine why with the weather the way it is) and they frequently seem to get hit by cars.

Drs. Falk and O'Brien come to mind in regards to being the big shot there and would great to get LOR from. Also, Dr. Tessar is well known and so is Dr. Rothrock (he wrote the Tarascon manuals)!

Hope this helps!