Setting up rotations

[BrutusTheDO]

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I am an OMS-2 and my school has certain hospital affiliations (not always in desirable locations). We are able to schedule our own rotations and this is where my question comes in. I have been trying to talk to students who have found success in previously setting up their own rotations, but they have given me as little information as possible, completely understandable with as little time as they have available. My administration has been less than helpful because they would prefer us to rotate at their affiliations, even though their affiliations can leave them at any point due to our school not paying hospitals to take their students.

The biggest hiccup with this, is that I attend LECOM-Bradenton and am trying to come back up north to the LECOM-Erie territory. If you don't know, Erie students get preference for all of the PA/OH area rotations and Bradenton students get preference for all of the FL rotations. Once all students have had their choice, the remaining spots are available for everyone. I am trying to find a way back to work into spots at hospitals in Ohio so that I can be back close to my family.

My actual question is how do I go about setting up my rotations? I pretty much have a schedule to follow and just need to find locations now. Do I start by finding doctors to shadow and then asking if they would be able to take me on as a 3rd or 4th year student? Or should I talk directly to the Residency Director of the hospital and find out who would be available? I have a few nurses who are pulling for me to get spots at their hospitals so is that a good foot in the door?

Thanks for your help in advance! 🙂

 

[radiodoc99]

Search SDN and ask friends about where they rotated. If you have a program in mind then do a rotation there. you can call the medical education dept of any hospital and they will guide you. Good luck !

 

[DC DOC]

I am an OMS-2 and my school has certain hospital affiliations (not always in desirable locations). We are able to schedule our own rotations and this is where my question comes in. I have been trying to talk to students who have found success in previously setting up their own rotations, but they have given me as little information as possible, completely understandable with as little time as they have available. My administration has been less than helpful because they would prefer us to rotate at their affiliations, even though their affiliations can leave them at any point due to our school not paying hospitals to take their students.

The biggest hiccup with this, is that I attend LECOM-Bradenton and am trying to come back up north to the LECOM-Erie territory. If you don't know, Erie students get preference for all of the PA/OH area rotations and Bradenton students get preference for all of the FL rotations. Once all students have had their choice, the remaining spots are available for everyone. I am trying to find a way back to work into spots at hospitals in Ohio so that I can be back close to my family.

My actual question is how do I go about setting up my rotations? I pretty much have a schedule to follow and just need to find locations now. Do I start by finding doctors to shadow and then asking if they would be able to take me on as a 3rd or 4th year student? Or should I talk directly to the Residency Director of the hospital and find out who would be available? I have a few nurses who are pulling for me to get spots at their hospitals so is that a good foot in the door?

Thanks for your help in advance! 🙂

It depends on where you would like to rotate specifically. I know it will be even more difficult for you folks down in Bradenton because of the new Seton Hill campus that also will share spots here in Cleveland/Ohio areas. I am a third year that just started at South Pointe hospital a Cleveland Clinic affiliate which has been great, already seen and done quite a bit. If I were you, I would find out how many spots are available immediately following the selection process of the Erie/Seton Hill campuses and call the medical education departments of the hospitals that you want to rotate at. Ask them if they can squeeze you in. You may be spread out throughout a few hospitals but it is possible. One of the PGY-2 residents is a graduate from Bradenton and did the majority of his rotations in Cleveland, so it is possible. You just need to be proactive and do it quickly before the spots are full. PM me if you have any specific questions otherwise I would just talk to your Clinical Education department.

 

[pianoman511]

I honestly don't know if there would be enough spots. In my rotation group there were only two people who were doing rotations in Cleveland and they had a hard time between them getting all of their rotations scheduled (i.e. having enough places to go). There is always the UH program, but I think they have a limited number of people that they take. Your best bet would be to try and work out something where your rotation group in Bradenton corresponds to a rotation group in Erie that has no one (or very few students) interested in rotating in Ohio. That way there would be the most spots open during that time slot for a particular rotation.

 

[BrutusTheDO]

Thanks for your replies, everyone! Those were pretty much my thoughts, especially with the Seton Hill campus opening.

I was looking at some more less popular areas in Ohio (Akron area) since I grew up there and was hoping they would be less popular areas where students wouldn't want to rotate as much.

My other thought was my friends are nurses at a couple local hospitals near my parents and were going to find a few doctors that I could shadow and were willing to take students for OMS-3 and OMS-4. Do you know of anyone who has found success in this strategy? I don't really know how the system works when it comes to rotating with specific physicians for rotations.

 

[pianoman511]

Thanks for your replies, everyone! Those were pretty much my thoughts, especially with the Seton Hill campus opening.

I was looking at some more less popular areas in Ohio (Akron area) since I grew up there and was hoping they would be less popular areas where students wouldn't want to rotate as much.

My other thought was my friends are nurses at a couple local hospitals near my parents and were going to find a few doctors that I could shadow and were willing to take students for OMS-3 and OMS-4. Do you know of anyone who has found success in this strategy? I don't really know how the system works when it comes to rotating with specific physicians for rotations.

For electives and certain selectives you can do them anywhere. For all of the core rotations you need to do it at an affiliate hospital. If those doctors want to sign an affiliation agreement they can. The problem is that it requires them to take a certain number of students every year for a given rotation.