the purpose of away rotations

[theunderdog]

i'm a MS3. i know there are many reasons to do an away rotation, but for me, i want to do an away rotation to (1) know more about the hospital & (2) gain a better edge when i apply for residency there.

what i don't understand is how i can possibly fit in an away rotation before i apply for residency next september 09. by the time i finish core clerkships, it will be august. and majority of hospitals only take 4th year med students. so my question is -- how can i squeeze in an away rotation & ask for a rec (if possible ) at the away hospital site and have this all on my app before applying for residency?

someone please help me figure this out. please.

thanks to those who reply.

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[Mobius1985]

Some thoughts: Some schools have elective time the third year. If you do, schedule something after July 1, when most schools would think of you as fourth year. If you don't, it's often possible to switch some fourth-year elective time and do a third-year required rotation later during the fourth year, with permission from your deans. Or schedule something (or two separate experiences)) as a fourth-year elective during August through November, as residency applications don't have to be submitted immediately after they're available (though I'm not sure of deadlines for specialties that don't use the regular match).

 

[SoCuteMD]

My fourth year started in July, so I did two sub-internships in my chosen field. I did July at home and August as an away rotation. The point of an away rotation is to impress a program you might want to go to, to see how things work elsewhere, and also to earn a letter or recommendation from someone who is not obligated to support you - thus a more objective (but hopefully still glowing) LOR.

Some people I know are doing away rotations in September/October, but their letters will come in a little later. They won't be as helpful in getting them interviews, but LORs also factor into making the rank list (at least I've been told they do in my field) so hopefully their later LORs will help them that way.

 

[Mobius1985]

Letters of Recommendation don't have to be submitted at the same time as the ERAS application, so you'd have some extra time to get them in if you have a later away-rotation, and still have it considered when programs rank you, per info in the ERAS forum at: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=190

 

[njbmd]

i'm a MS3. i know there are many reasons to do an away rotation, but for me, i want to do an away rotation to (1) know more about the hospital & (2) gain a better edge when i apply for residency there.

what i don't understand is how i can possibly fit in an away rotation before i apply for residency next september 09. by the time i finish core clerkships, it will be august. and majority of hospitals only take 4th year med students. so my question is -- how can i squeeze in an away rotation & ask for a rec (if possible ) at the away hospital site and have this all on my app before applying for residency?

someone please help me figure this out. please.

thanks to those who reply.

Away rotations give you another perspective that your home medical school might not be able to provide at best. If you need an audition rotation at a particular residency program, do it early in your fourth year (August or September) so you will have time to get a LOR from your preceptor. Do be aware that away rotations can be a double-edged sword in terms of your performance. Land on a poor team or with a poor preceptor and you can tank your chances at that program.

Unless you believe you are going to be a real "long-shot",you likely don't need an audition rotation. One exception would be those programs that require an audition rotation before considering you for interview (UVa Neurosurgery comes to mind here). In that case, you should definitely try to get your rotation in August or September.

 

[mikedc813]

Away rotations give you another perspective that your home medical school might not be able to provide at best. If you need an audition rotation at a particular residency program, do it early in your fourth year (August or September) so you will have time to get a LOR from your preceptor. Do be aware that away rotations can be a double-edged sword in terms of your performance. Land on a poor team or with a poor preceptor and you can tank your chances at that program.

Unless you believe you are going to be a real "long-shot",you likely don't need an audition rotation. One exception would be those programs that require an audition rotation before considering you for interview (UVa Neurosurgery comes to mind here). In that case, you should definitely try to get your rotation in August or September.

Agreed. Some programs most likely won't give you an interview unless you've rotated with them. These are the minority, but you should be aware that they exist. Externships can help you figure out if you like a program and programs can find out if they like you in turn. They can help you or they can ruin your chances depending on your performance.

 

[cgk]

Agreed. Some programs most likely won't give you an interview unless you've rotated with them. These are the minority, but you should be aware that they exist. Externships can help you figure out if you like a program and programs can find out if they like you in turn. They can help you or they can ruin your chances depending on your performance.

I am going to apply next year for Rad/Onc. Based on your experience in the Rad/Onc environment, is it critical to do an away rotation in Rad/Onc in order to ultimately match somewhere?