Utility of an away rotation?

[Huskidoc]

Academic, west-coast residency. US grad.
Some minor abstracts, conferences, etc.
One low-impact paper, maybe.
Very interested in a specific mountain west program, to the point that I'm toying with the idea of trying to setting up an away rotation. Is this a thing? Is it ill-advised?

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[rdaepoc]

Academic, west-coast residency. US grad.
Some minor abstracts, conferences, etc.
One low-impact paper, maybe.
Very interested in a specific mountain west program, to the point that I'm toying with the idea of trying to setting up an away rotation. Is this a thing? Is it ill-advised?

Absolutely, This is a thing! If you want it bad enough it would be a good way to show you interest in the program

 

[Señor S]

...

 

[gutonc]

Absolutely, This is a thing! If you want it bad enough it would be a good way to show you interest in the program

Yes, but....

Residency isn't like med school. You can't just go gallivanting off where and whenever you want just to get some face time with a program. Because you're getting paid by your residency, and they're not going to get any work out of you while you're away, you have to have a really good reason to do an away. And usually that reason has to be because that specialty doesn't exist at your residency program.

So if your residency hospital has an oncology fellowship, you're unlikely to get your PD's approval for an away, unless the accepting institution is willing to pay your salary that month.

You can do a workaround sometimes if your home fellowship program doesn't have BMT, to do a BMT away rotation.

 

[HOIV]

Yes, but....

Residency isn't like med school. You can't just go gallivanting off where and whenever you want just to get some face time with a program. Because you're getting paid by your residency, and they're not going to get any work out of you while you're away, you have to have a really good reason to do an away. And usually that reason has to be because that specialty doesn't exist at your residency program.

So if your residency hospital has an oncology fellowship, you're unlikely to get your PD's approval for an away, unless the accepting institution is willing to pay your salary that month.

You can do a workaround sometimes if your home fellowship program doesn't have BMT, to do a BMT away rotation.

I did two always in residency for basically the above reasons. I also gave up 2 weeks of vacation as a compromise for being paid to be away. I didn't rank one program and ranked the other #2 but matched my number 1. If you're dead set on this program, there's no better way to make an impression but be prepared to be "on" for a month.

 

[visari]

Agree with what @gutonc said.

Even if you're on some sort of research block, programs are unlikely to let you go for an away rotation unless it's not available at your institution (BMT is a typical case). I had a resident from another institution rotate with me last year on the hematology consult service and she had to use her vacation time because her IM PD wouldn't approve an away.

I myself tried to do that in residency and hit major blocks as well. I wasn't stupid enough to give away vacation time though.

 

[Huskidoc]

Yes, but....

Residency isn't like med school. You can't just go gallivanting off where and whenever you want...

But, but.....I like gallivanting...

Home program has all the bells and whistles, so the 'we don't have x' won't fly...

In all seriousness, the vacation idea is a good one, I'd be willing to throw down.
Gutonc, from an PD perspective, does this have more of a potential to hurt or harm, assuming it goes through? If you had some schmuck show up on your doorstep trying his best to impress...

 

[gutonc]

In general, away rotations are more likely to harm than help. Wasting vacation on it puts it squarely in the harm category.

 

[HoldTheCoffee]

I tend to agree with the above comments. If you're at an academic program/tertiary center that's relatively well respected, there's basically nothing to gain from doing an away rotation in heme/onc. Most places will interview you based on the quality of the residency program/LORs/research. Even if you showed up for 2 weeks and did a great job it may still be hard to break that barrier if you don't have the other stuff.