PM&R elective during intern year

[ForHumors]

Hey all, I'm picking my electives for intern year. Can I get some perspectives on if it would be worthwhile to get a PM&R elective in? Alternatively, I could do an ID or a Cards consults elective instead.

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[DrSatan]

I'm sure PM&R would be easy af. Cards may be useful but probably busy. ID is useful for your intern year, maybe less so afterwards. Do what you're interested in or do what's easy.

 

[JBM16BYU]

As someone in PM&R, I'll tell you it depends on what you're interested in, the rotation setting, and each particular preceptor.

Outpatient PM&R: more general musculoskeletal medicine, potentially lots of back and neck pain, EMG/NCS, sports, peripheral joint injections, possible pain/spinal injections. Depending on the outpatient PM&R clinic, might see some neurorehab with TBI/SCI patients, botulinum toxin injections, baclofen pump refills.

Inpatient PM&R: Likely see lot's of strokes, post-ortho patients, maybe some traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, neuromuscular disease rehab (AIDP, CIDP, Myasthenia Gravis, etc.), maybe debility.

If these sound interesting or beneficial at all, I'd recommend doing a PM&R rotation.

 

[Thama]

If you have the chance to do a PMR elective (instead of a less relevant elective like onc or renal, etc) then do it. You are going to be discharging patients to rehab throughout residency, referring patients to therapy if you practice in almost any outpatient specialty, and may work even more closely with rehab medicine in various subspecialties.