Rotations and Residency

[CUninja]

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Before you shoot the dumb*** asking the question, I have searched the forums for the answer to this question without any real luck.

My question is simple: I have heard the rotations you do are a main determinant looked at by residency directors. If you are thinking about doing a residency, what makes a rotation good in the eyes of a residency director?

My school has three elective rotations in addition to a community, an acute care, a drug info, an ambulatory and a hospital rotation that are required. For those who have completed residencies, what are the better elective rotation areas for those who are thinking about a residency?

Please don't make this into a residencies are great! vs. residencies are stupid! pissing match 🙂

Thanks for your help...posted in the main Pharm forum because hardly anybody goes to the residency forum haha.

 

[p-rog]

I've heard a similar thing from a residency director. I still have my doubts though. Maybe I just hate it because we all know that rotations are a crap shoot at most schools. In terms of what's best, if you are looking at general inpatient PGY-1 programs, just do good clinical inpatient elective rotations. It's really pretty simple. If you're thinking about amb care, try to get an amb care rotation.

 

[psychoandy]

I think it matters what rotations you pick/get, but it's not the biggest determinant.

I'm just a P4, but to make up for my abysmal grades I intentionally picked difficult rotations, mainly because I want to learn, but also because it looks good compared to those that picked like underwater pharmacy basketweaving...i'm sure everyone knows the total walk in the park rotations. I do enjoy having free time and playing videogames but I enjoy trying to get the most out of the ridiculous amounts of money that I pay my school in order to place me on a rotation 🙁

More importantly, I think preceptors also are like the "impact factor" of the rotation; most of the challenging (intellectually) preceptors are generally well known and put out literature and are involved in the residency process, so if you were on rotation with them and they think you're legit, i'm pretty sure that definitely helps with at least letters of recommendation. You definitely need to play to the crowd...

Also depending on what area you think you want to get into, you definitely want rotations in that area; I feel like the FDA is the big kahuna for stuff like fellowships, as are industry rotations. At the same time you should be diversified as after all you want to experience other areas you wouldn't normally be exposed to.

 

[Tom Applewood]

I think your interview, references, and career aspirations will be much more important in getting your desired residency than merely & alone what rotations you do.

Also... I must say, residencies aren't really worth it (yet). Work, earn money & experience at the same time, and you'll reach the same career point in the same amount of time, but be better off financially.

 

[Farmercyst]

I'm not sure they're the major determinant either, but I also wanted to make sure mine weren't a deterrent. We only get 2 electives out of 6 total rotations. Acute Care, community, systems, and Am Care are required. I'm doing peds and drug info as electives. I picked my systems rotation at a peds hospital and did my acute care with a difficult preceptor knowing, or at least having been told numerous times, that I'd need a good LOR from my acute care ("medicine") rotation. I'm hoping to match into either a focussed peds PGY-1 or a general PGY-1 with decent peds exposure. Only time will tell if I lined my ducks up correctly.

 

[RxWildcat]

I think your interview, references, and career aspirations will be much more important in getting your desired residency than merely & alone what rotations you do.

Also... I must say, residencies aren't really worth it (yet). Work, earn money & experience at the same time, and you'll reach the same career point in the same amount of time, but be better off financially.

So you want to prescribe without any additional training? 😕

There are LOTS of careers that while you may have been able to get them without a residency in the past, now it's going to be very difficult to next to impossible to get if you're competing against candidates with residencies.

 

[xiphoid2010]

My question is simple: I have heard the rotations you do are a main determinant looked at by residency directors. If you are thinking about doing a residency, what makes a rotation good in the eyes of a residency director?

Your rotation choices is a factor, but probably not THE biggest. Do the rotations that will show your interests and helps you during your residency.

E.g I was interested in ares of onc, ER, psych. So I packed on extra onc, ICU, ER rotations. It shows that I'm not bullsh*ting on my application and know the subjects during the interview.

Pick what you are interested in or want to learn more about. Don't do what some students did -- picked ones they don't care about just because they known to be "easy" rotations.