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I'm sure I'll catch a lot of flack from the more idealistic pie-in-the-sky med students, but hear me out.
If you're applying for a specialty that requires a separate intern year (Derm, Rads, RadOnc, PM&R, Ophtho, etc), give some serious, serious consideration to applying to and highly ranking some relaxing Transitional Year programs. I realize not everyone can snag one of these spots, but you owe it to yourself to try.
I'm 3 months into intern year and while it's been awesome for me, we're all at the point where my friends from medical school who chose the above fields but opted for a "serious preliminary medicine year" for whatever reason are currently kicking themselves and cursing my name. I don't think I have ever heard anyone say "boy I wish I would've picked a prelim medicine year over this cush TY I ended up in" but I can't even begin to count how many people (on here and in real life) say that if they had to do it all over again they would without a doubt apply to and try to match into a cush TY.
Seriously, I know many of you will be applying for residency with delusions of really owning the intern year experience as if you were John Dorian or Samuel Shem. Ready to slog through 52 80+ hour weeks rounding until your mind explodes, because goshdarnit that's what we doctors do! Hell, I almost picked a prelim medicine program (due to location) before wising up . . . even at the "cush" prelim medicine program I had my eye on the interns at that time were warning me to run as far away as I could from any prelim medicine program into the arms of a nice TY. Best advice I ever got, to be honest.
There is no reason to torture yourself if you don't have to. You can still learn a ton and have a (reasonably) fun time while doing it. You can immerse yourself in half a dozen months of electives, which will afford you the ability to simultaneously experience specialties you'll never get to do again and probably plan tons of vacations you otherwise would never have as an intern.
I know ERAS already opened, but it's not too late to add a few TYs to that list of yours. I know there are guys and gals on this forum who will back me up on this. If there are any current prelim medicine interns who disagree with me, I invite them to revisit this thread in another 3 months as well.
If you're applying for a specialty that requires a separate intern year (Derm, Rads, RadOnc, PM&R, Ophtho, etc), give some serious, serious consideration to applying to and highly ranking some relaxing Transitional Year programs. I realize not everyone can snag one of these spots, but you owe it to yourself to try.
I'm 3 months into intern year and while it's been awesome for me, we're all at the point where my friends from medical school who chose the above fields but opted for a "serious preliminary medicine year" for whatever reason are currently kicking themselves and cursing my name. I don't think I have ever heard anyone say "boy I wish I would've picked a prelim medicine year over this cush TY I ended up in" but I can't even begin to count how many people (on here and in real life) say that if they had to do it all over again they would without a doubt apply to and try to match into a cush TY.
Seriously, I know many of you will be applying for residency with delusions of really owning the intern year experience as if you were John Dorian or Samuel Shem. Ready to slog through 52 80+ hour weeks rounding until your mind explodes, because goshdarnit that's what we doctors do! Hell, I almost picked a prelim medicine program (due to location) before wising up . . . even at the "cush" prelim medicine program I had my eye on the interns at that time were warning me to run as far away as I could from any prelim medicine program into the arms of a nice TY. Best advice I ever got, to be honest.
There is no reason to torture yourself if you don't have to. You can still learn a ton and have a (reasonably) fun time while doing it. You can immerse yourself in half a dozen months of electives, which will afford you the ability to simultaneously experience specialties you'll never get to do again and probably plan tons of vacations you otherwise would never have as an intern.
I know ERAS already opened, but it's not too late to add a few TYs to that list of yours. I know there are guys and gals on this forum who will back me up on this. If there are any current prelim medicine interns who disagree with me, I invite them to revisit this thread in another 3 months as well.