Hey I have a question about how I should organize my out of town electives. I currently go to a medical school in the Midwest and would like to go back to California for internal medicine residency. I have three months off where I can do some out of town rotations ( May, June, July) but I don't know if I should do two out of town rotations or just one. I also don't know if I should do a sub I or just some random specialty, maybe cards.
I was actually hoping to do my out of town at UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center, and would like to go there for residency as it is close to my home town.
I don't come from a big name institution, but I got honors on almost all my rotations and 248 on my step 1. I don't have ANY research but I am working on starting something in February.
What should I do to better my chances of getting into a place like UCLA, do I have a good chance of matching/getting an interview as I am now.
If by "go back to california" you mean UCSF, Stanford, or UCSD, then you better to an away rotation at each one. They are hard enough to get into, and you are already at a disadvantage not being "pedigree."
If, however, by "go back to california" you mean any california school, No Cal, So Cal, or that giant gap of Cal-In-Between, then, as you are applying to internal medicine, it is not necessary. The chances that you (a) do well in a system you dont know,
AND (b) make a good enough impression to matter,
AND (c) make that impression to someone who actually matters is
incredibly low. Instead, you are likely to stumble onto a rotation, unfamiliar with logistics and the computer system where you appear inefficient and clumsy rather than bright and brilliant (that you actually are). The chance of making an ass of yourself is high, whereas the chance of really making an impact on programs as large as IM is low.
BUT, if you are going to pedigree programs, you must do an away. And for each pedigree you apply to, you must do an away there. High-end programs (like Stanford or UCSF) I look at like high-end residency choices. I think of them like Optho or Derm, because they are so difficult to achieve, everyone knows about them, and likely, many more people than they could possibly interview will apply.
OR You could be tricksy. If you knew you REALLY wanted to do medicine at UCSF, you could do an ER rotation there. For a month. Do the ER work. Do well. Learn the computer, learn the system. Meet medicine residents. Do a scouting mission. It just so happens that the NEXT month will be the medicine rotation. Now you know people. Now you know the system. Now you do a stellar job, don't stumble over yourself because of logistics or a computer system, and you make it a point to talk to the Program Director. This is
costly in time, and therefore, can only be used if you want
that one program, rather than
any program.
Finally (especially true now that Im on the other side), the whole paradigm is different. I med school, it was
80% you selling yourself and 20% the school selling itself on you. We were all happy just to get in, right? But now, its more like
80% of the residency selling itself and 20% you selling you. You want to
pick the right team rather than pick the right name. So apply broadly, be yourself (unless you are horrendously awkward or a douchebag, then fake it), and you will go to where you are supposed to go.
Hope this helps!
SUMMARY TIME!
1. Aways in medicine are usually not necessary, and may be more potentially harmful than beneficial
2. If you do an away do it at a place that you want to be geographically, for a reason other than residency
3. If you must do an away (as in pedigrees), try to scheme the system to let you figure out the computers, the layout, and meet some people before you come rolling in on the service you actually want to be on
4. Residency applications are about finding the right place, not getting the name brand you thought you wanted at 22 years old.
