Question about dilemma

[kakashi1992]

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I have a question for you all about a dilemma that I am facing.

As background: I took a year off of school (2020-2021 academic year) because of a worsening of the illness which took me out of school previously when I was doing ObGyn rotation, which I had to make up. I'm now returning to the curriculum aka 4th year of medical school.

The dean wants me to take some clinical electives during the free periods I have in my schedule even though I've already completed my elective requirements. So doing the electives would be extra work (and more tuition that I have to pay, to boot). The dean's rationale is that it'll help acclimate me to clinical rotations in time for my sub-internship. Like a warm-up, sort of.

I'm not particularly enthused about this. But I don't do what she says I don't know what will happen. I mean... I can't say that I don't want to do it because then I would get into an argument with her and it makes me look like a slacker. On the other hand it's a lot of work for me if I am pressured into doing these electives.

So my question to you all is... is she allowed to do this? And, what are my options here? There is a power dynamic at play here. Do I just blindly do what she says? Or can I just ignore her suggestion/recommendation and take the time off as break?

What do you think?

 

[NickNaylor]

Your dean's interest is making sure that you match and graduate - that's ultimately what's helpful to the institution. They are likely going to be more conservative and encourage you to do things that may or may not be necessary. Whether you want to follow that advice or not is up to you.

I would suggest meeting with a mentor that is directly familiar with residency selection in the field that you're interested in going into. I do think the dean's concerns are reasonable but they may or may not be applicable to you. At the end of the day, it's your application so you need to do what you feel is best. Your dean is "allowed" to advise you and provide recommendations that he/she thinks will be helpful to you succeeding in the match. It doesn't sound like there's anything untoward going on here - it's not like your being given an ultimatum.

 

[BC_89]

Locking thread due to cross-posting the same information. Further inquiry of the same question can be found here:

Question about dilemma | Student Doctor Network