Questions about VSAS

[docbee18]

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My school just gave us access to VSAS but hasn't given us a whole lot of instruction, and I'm still a bit lost as to how this all works. Mainly, I am wondering:

- How many programs should I be applying to? I'm interested in peds if that makes any difference. Can I apply to a bunch to optimize my chances and then accept my top choices once I hear back from all of them? Would rejecting an away rotation make me look bad to that program? On a related note, can I apply to multiple subspecialties within a single institution and then choose one at the end?

- I have multiple time slots 4th year during which I can do an away rotation. Do I have to choose only one set dates for each rotation I apply for, or can I apply for more than one time slot per institution in case one set of dates fills up before the other?

Hope this all makes sense. Thank you!

 

[Ismet]

What are your reasons for doing aways in peds? It's generally not advised to do aways for peds as they are more likely to hurt than help you. Unless you are gung-ho about a particular program, or you don't have a good home peds program.

 

[arewethereyet...]

I applied to 2 or 3 institutions per block and to all of the rotations at each institution that interested me (in retrospect I think I would have been ok just applying to 1 per block). The trouble is that different institutions have different time lines, so I heard back from one place I liked less before I heard back from my top choice and had to cancel it. Anecdotally, I didn't end up getting an interview at the first place which could have been coincidence or could have been because I had emailed back and forth with the lady that set it up and it's a small program and she said something. Every program is different also, so hard to say for sure. You can apply to multiple subspecialites, it has you rank them in order of preference and then they give you what they have. You can apply to more than one set of dates, in once case for me they ended up giving me dates I didn't even apply for.

 

[KP2AZ]

@docbee18 I'm also going into peds (yay!) and was told to try and sign up for 4 different "things" for each block- whether that be 4 different types of rotation at the same institution, or 4 different places for the same type of rotation. You can always cancel those you don't want as badly as the others. As far as "looking bad," I am not really sure, but that question now has me thinking that trying for multiple rotation type slots (different sub-Is) at the same institution might be the solution.

 

[ortnakas]

Adding to this thread instead of making a new one:
Some sample CVs I've seen have included USMLE or COMLEX scores. Is this generally considered a good idea or is it tacky? If the former, would it depend on how good your score is, and what would the cut-off of "good enough to put on there" be?

(Edit to add: this is for IM, not peds. And I'm a DO student, so aways are generally considered to be a good idea)