Using electives wisely

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srd4g9

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I'm in my second to last year of medical school. I'm not settled on what specialty I'd like to do. I have two elective months approaching and need to figure out what to do with them (one of which is VERY quickly approaching). After theses two electives it will be time to apply to residency. I'm interested in competitive specialties and I'm not sure what will benefit me the most.

I'm interested in Radiation Oncology - I did a rotation very early on (about a year ago) just to see if I had any interest in the field. I liked it okay but the learning curve is pretty large and I didn't have too much clinical experience at the time. I did it at WashU and was not graded especially well. My dilemma is that I have the opportunity to do another rotation at Northwestern University soon and it may be better overall- I may enjoy it more and I will already have had some experience so I should be graded better. My question is, will it be worth my time to do another rotation in a field I've already tried - Pro: I may be graded well and get a letter of rec, con: using a month that I could have used for a different elective (since I'm not decided on a specialty).

The other specialties I'm considering are ophthalmology, radiology, and maybe GI. I've not had a chance to try any of these yet. I'm not sure if I should pursue the Rad Onc elective in the chance that I ultimately choose that as my specialty or if I should pursue one of the others to be able to decide what I want to do.
I'm really not sure which of these I want to do and am really nervous that I'm going to figure it out too late to build a good CV.

Please help me figure out what to do! Thanks

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I would say (could be wrong here, always dangerous to speak for others) that most of us who went for radonc had an almost instant Eureka-type moment when we discovered the field. That's the way it was for me at least. It was love at first sight :D I would think if you already did a whole rotation in it and it didn't "click" with you, I would look at some of the other fields you are considering.

By the way, there's absolutely NOTHING wrong with only looking into lifestyle-friendly fields. I came to that same conclusion during third year myself. However, don't try to force yourself into liking one, or you'll be unhappy later on. Get a good look at as many fields as you can, hold out for that one that you get really excited about. If it hasn't happened after doing a whole rotation, I don't think it will. Good luck making your decision! ND.
 
I would only go for the second radiation oncology rotation if you feel that your previous experience didn't give you a good impression of what radiation oncology is all about. Otherwise, if you did the rotation and are still undecided, I would not waste an opportunity to try out something else you're interested in.
 
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I would say (could be wrong here, always dangerous to speak for others) that most of us who went for radonc had an almost instant Eureka-type moment when we discovered the field.

Ditto that.

What is it about RadOnc that appeals to you? Which rotations have you enjoyed the most so far?
 
I think you should explore some of the other areas you mentioned. I agree with the above statement that Rad Onc appeals immediately to most people who choose it as a career. That being said, you did your rotation earlier than everyone I know, so that may have made a difference. If you think you are still more interested in Rad Onc than those other areas, I would say you almost have to do another rotation. You will need at least one strong Rad Onc LOR when you apply, and I'm not sure you think you would get one from your previous rotation. If you decide to do another rotation, I think it would be easiest and smartest to do it at your home institution, unless you don't have one. If WashU is your home institution, it will look weird to not have a LOR from there. It actually might be viewed unfavorably to not have a letter from WashU regardless, as it is usually encouraged to have a letter from each place you rotated, esp. if you only did two rotations. Before committing to another rotation, maybe you could shadow a Radiation Oncologist a few times to see if your interest in it has changed. If you schedule an easy elective (e.g., Optho), I'm sure you would have some afternoons, etc. free to do so.
 
If u r a Physician assistant or PA and decided to go to med school, is that going shorting study time at med school, because u already know basic stuff????
 
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