Time Off for Interviews?

[mdm3956]

Out of curiosity, how much time does your school (MD or DO) allow you to take off during your 4th year for residency interviews?

At my school, we are allowed to take off a maximum of 10 weekdays for interviews throughout the entirety of our 4th year. Was curious about other schools, because 10 days seems like very little time to me.

Thanks!

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[BoardingDoc]

Out of curiosity, how much time does your school (MD or DO) allow you to take off during your 4th year for residency interviews?

At my school, we are allowed to take off a maximum of 10 weekdays for interviews throughout the entirety of our 4th year. Was curious about other schools, because 10 days seems like very little time to me.

Thanks!

Whaa? I had so little clinical obligations during my 4th year that I simply didn't schedule any rotations during Nov and Dec. I interviewed then.

 

[hallowmann]

Out of curiosity, how much time does your school (MD or DO) allow you to take off during your 4th year for residency interviews?

At my school, we are allowed to take off a maximum of 10 weekdays for interviews throughout the entirety of our 4th year. Was curious about other schools, because 10 days seems like very little time to me.

Thanks!

I think I go to your school, so yeah. I'm adjusting my schedule such that I make up shifts on other days to accommodate my interviews. That's not really missing days, so I don't think it'll be a problem. The real problem is that I have 2 auditions in the middle of interview season, so I don't anticipate taking off more than a day each for those.

Most med students I've talked to have flexible vacation and electives during 4th year, so they can basically schedule their rotations around their interviews.

Whaa? I had so little clinical obligations during my 4th year that I simply didn't schedule any rotations during Nov and Dec. I interviewed then.

Yeah, our school has a rigid 13 block rotation schedule that we can't deviate from and your vacation block is randomly placed in that time, so you have no control over when it falls.

 

[Mountaineer12]

That's rough. My school has 6 weeks interview time + 2 weeks for step 2 prep and you can use them whenever you want. Some people took long vacations in the summer. I took 2 weeks in the summer and then have 6 weeks in November-December + our 2 week Christmas vacation. I've heard everyone is very lenient at my school about letting us leave rotations for interviews unless on a sub-I. I hope it works out for you guys!!


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[Psai]

Bro you're a 4th year medical student. Just tell your attendings that you are busy that day. A) they understand B) they can't hurt you anymore

 

[hallowmann]

...B) they can't hurt you anymore

Yeah, a few students from the year ahead of me were forced by the school to go off schedule to make up a rotation (they were pulled out of the match), because of missing too many days in fourth year and the school finding out. I don't know if it was the attendings, but get the wrong ones and they can be vindictive.

Most don't care though, and many were in the same shoes, so if you say you have interviews most I've talked to are cool with it.

 

[clausewitz2]

Will always be grateful to the attending I had during one rotation in prime interview season. I asked him if I could duck out 30 minutes early later that day because I was worried about getting to the airport in time to make my flightand his immediate response was, "what are you still doing here? Go home, don't let me see you until Monday."

That's how to be when dealing with 4th years in -ember month.

 

[Psai]

Yeah, a few students from the year ahead of me were forced by the school to go off schedule to make up a rotation (they were pulled out of the match), because of missing too many days in fourth year and the school finding out. I don't know if it was the attendings, but get the wrong ones and they can be vindictive.

Most don't care though, and many were in the same shoes, so if you say you have interviews most I've talked to are cool with it.

Those attendings suck

 

[psychhopefull2016]

We get 2 blocks (4 weeks each) that can be used for interviews if we choose to schedule them during interview season. We can miss up to 4 days on a non-vacation clinical block, there are also a few electives offered online on your own schedule that people take during interviews.

 

[rokshana]

during my 4th year i had an attending that said my job as a 4th year was to get a job for next year...

 

[mdm3956]

Bump. Can anyone else comment on how much time their school allows them to take off for residency interviews?

 

[gutonc]

Bump. Can anyone else comment on how much time their school allows them to take off for residency interviews?

Lots of people already have.

We had about 8 free weeks built into our 4th year schedule and plenty of electives that didn't require attendance more than a couple days of the month.

As has been repeatedly stated in the past, the primary purpose of M4 is to get a residency spot. Anything that you or your school does that interferes with that is unacceptable.

 

[HuskyPride149]

My school didn't really have set blocks for us to go for interviews, we just had to schedule 42 weeks of rotations in order to graduate and as a 3rd year scrambling to get the rotations done in time for graduation i managed to schedule all my rotations back to back to back, without even setting time apart for interview season.

How should the wording be phrased when requesting for 2 days off for an interview on a rotation where I also consider it as an audition rotation?
Should I not even try and schedule an interview on this "audition" rotation or are they receptive to medical students requesting this?

 

[GoSpursGo]

My school didn't really have set blocks for us to go for interviews, we just had to schedule 42 weeks of rotations in order to graduate and as a 3rd year scrambling to get the rotations done in time for graduation i managed to schedule all my rotations back to back to back, without even setting time apart for interview season.

How should the wording be phrased when requesting for 2 days off for an interview on a rotation where I also consider it as an audition rotation?
Should I not even try and schedule an interview on this "audition" rotation or are they receptive to medical students requesting this?

Each program is different and I'm sure there are some programs out there that would be receptive.

But generally, if you're really hoping to go to this program, either use your allotted days off or schedule your interviews during a different month. It's not worth the risk of seeming uninterested in the program or showing them that you didn't plan appropriately. Worst case scenario, someone in the education department gets wind of you taking extra days off to go to interviews and decides you shouldn't get credit for the rotation, which obviously would be a problem (not likely, but there are threads on here about some cocky 4th year who decided not to show up for their rotation and the school decided not to give them credit).

Sucks that it seems like you didn't get good advice on this from your school. But you should try to move some of your non-audition rotations to outside of interview season.

 

[HuskyPride149]

Each program is different and I'm sure there are some programs out there that would be receptive.

But generally, if you're really hoping to go to this program, either use your allotted days off or schedule your interviews during a different month. It's not worth the risk of seeming uninterested in the program or showing them that you didn't plan appropriately. Worst case scenario, someone in the education department gets wind of you taking extra days off to go to interviews and decides you shouldn't get credit for the rotation, which obviously would be a problem (not likely, but there are threads on here about some cocky 4th year who decided not to show up for their rotation and the school decided not to give them credit).

Sucks that it seems like you didn't get good advice on this from your school. But you should try to move some of your non-audition rotations to outside of interview season.

Yeah I completely understand what your saying. My issue would be coming across as uninterested/poor planning at this "audition" rotation if I ask for days off to interview somewhere else. Since I haven't started the rotation yet, idk what the schedule is like and what days I'm going to have off, (if any or only weekends). As an outpatient office I think its all going to be M-F which doesnt help with scheduling interviews.

I def plan to stick to the schedule and show up everyday, so I dont think not getting credit will be a problem. My options are 1) schedule the interview during a rotation, where I also really would like to interview at, (2) schedule the interview during an elective rotation in which i have another interview scheduled for (ie 2 interview days during 4 wk rotation or (3) schedule the interview later in December/January