Hi all! Could anyone tell me how long an away rotation usually lasts, a whole semester? Can you freely choose the specialty that you want to do away rotation in? Is it wise to do away rotation in a specialty at a particular program that you'd like to apply for in the future?
I post my question in the surgerical forum because I'm considering an away rotation in surgery at my 2nd last year in medical school.
Most away rotations in the US are 4 weeks in length, although if you are doing a research project, or have special permission, you
may be able to extend that. You might be able to stay at the same hospital, doing rotations in different departments, for an extended period of time. Some of the German students I met while in medical school, had arranged 16 week rotations at the same hospital.
US elective rotations require that you be in your
final year of medical school, must have completed Core rotations, especially in the field in which you are trying to do an elective (ie, you cannot do a gastroenterology elective without having completed basic Internal medicine rotations at your home school) either have
malpractice/medical defense insurance which covers you in North America (usually provided by your medical school; some US programs will provide it for foreign clerks at a fee) and that you have health insurance with North American coverage.
You can do your rotation in whatever specialty you like with the following caveats:
1) you are not allowed to do "Core" rotations - these would be the basic clinical sciences which US students do during their 3rd year: Surgery, Internal Medicine, Ob-Gyn, Family Practice, etc. However, you could do a subspecialty - ie, gastroenterology for IM, High-risk Maternal fetal Medicine for Ob-Gyn, or anything which is listed as an advanced rotation, final year elective, etc.
2) students matriculated at the program to which you are applying will have first choice of rotations; therefore, more popular ones may be filled by the time it comes to you.
"Audition" rotations - ie, rotations at a program in which you are considering application for residency are a two-edged sword. Do well, and it will help your application. Do poorly, and you have ruined your chances there. Therefore, you should be aware of the following:
1) US medical students have more clinical contact and responsibility than those outside of the country, in general
2) the hours are longer for US medical students than elsewhere, in general
3)expectations may be different, so you must clarify those at the start of your rotations in the US (ie, how many patients are you responsible for rounding on each morning, how do you access the computerized database for patients, etc.)
For students not educated in the US, having US clinical experience and letters of recommendation are key if you plan on applying for a US residency. Therefore, any elective time that you can get here will help you understand the medical system, what is expected of you as a student and potential future resident and of course, get those valuable letters from US faculty.
Hope this helps.
