What happens in 4th year last semester?

[Dr Dazzle]

Hi guys,

Wanted to know how busy the last semester is? I'm assuming most students have matched at that point, so what exactly do you do in this semester?

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[cliquesh]

Hi guys,

Wanted to know how busy the last semester is? I'm assuming most students have matched at that point, so what exactly do you do in this semester?

Every school's schedule is different and every school has different 4th year requirements. I had to do a sub internship month, a month of emergency medicine, and 2 months of primary care during my 4th year. Everything else was electives. My last few electives were Icu, radiology, and pathology. Icu was a real rotation. I was there at 5am and I left around 6pm. The other 2 were easy (9am to 2 or 3 pm). Keep in mind that you can do your electives pretty much anywhere (Hawaii, Thailand, etc).

 

[survivordo]

As cliqueesh said, it varies by school and requirements. However, I think everyone would agree that the second semester of 4th year is generally the easiest of medical school. Students typically either pursue rotations that they think will help them intern year, do rotations that are notoriously easy, do rotations in plush locations (Hawaii) or a combination of the three.

Survivor DO

 

[thepoopologist]

Orgies

 

[koojo]

I spent 3 months in Honolulu, Hawaii doing rotations...it was amazing! I did pediatrics (inpatient and sedation), ophtho and derm. Other than that, you just try to hang in there and try to spend as much time with friends and family, because it's balls to the wall when residency starts. Motivation to study drops to near zero after you match..

 

[BuddyTheElf]

Not trying to hijack thread but a quick question since we're discussing (far away) rotations: Do hospitals typically provide a place for you to stay while you're rotating there? Koojo, you were in Honolulu for 3 months, was housing provided or were you on your own to find it and pay for it?
Thanks!

 

[koojo]

No place in Hawaii will give you housing, you have to find it yourself. Sublet.com and a lot of phone calls. But definitely doable.

 

[Dr Dazzle]

No place in Hawaii will give you housing, you have to find it yourself. Sublet.com and a lot of phone calls. But definitely doable.

What about rotations in other cities? Is housing provided at hospitals? Do you have to pay for it? I'm assuming rotations are really expensive.

 

[koojo]

It depends on the rotation site. Some places do provide housing which would be nice since you won't have to pay rent. When you are setting up rotations, you can typically find out on the program's website whether they have housing. You may also call the GME office and ask them. If housing is not provided, ask them if they have a housing list. Often residents will rent out rooms to rotating students.

 

[Eilat87]

Hi guys,

Wanted to know how busy the last semester is? I'm assuming most students have matched at that point, so what exactly do you do in this semester?

You finally get laid.

 

[Orthojoe]

Hi guys,

Wanted to know how busy the last semester is? I'm assuming most students have matched at that point, so what exactly do you do in this semester?

I haven't done jack!! Start at 9am and done by 11ish. Often the docs would send me home. Ahhh beautiful!! Lots of time on the lake, reading a few books I wanted to read, saw some great movies and spent tons of time with my kids taking them to and from school,the park, etc.

Of course I set it up that way. I needed a few months to relax from the 6 months of gunning for Ortho.

Just started studying though for step 3 and getting back in the groove. Moving next week to my new home town super refreshed and ready to rip and roar

 

[Didierdrogba]

You finally get laid.

can't wait lol

 

[bleeker10]

I've watched a lot of netflix shows, movies, played a lot of video games, worked out a lot (on the second month of Insanity now), gone snowboarding a couple times, played some golf, hung out with some childhood/college friends, read some non-medical books. I've been so bored for a long time that I've been going through Netter's ortho anatomy just as a refresher. I'm still on rotations until a few days before graduation so I've been physically there, just not mentally.

I'm ready to move onto the next step though. Ready to get out of New York and move to Georgia.

 

[Dr Dazzle]

Do you guys have a lot of flexibility in terms of picking the city and hospital for last semester rotations?

 

[cliquesh]

Do you guys have a lot of flexibility in terms of picking the city and hospital for last semester rotations?

You can do your 4th year electives anywhere that will take you. Your 4th year core rotations will be set up for you. Some schools do not have 4th year core rotations, so you can do whatever you want that year.

 

[Bacchus]

I basically haven't done anything since August or September. I've shown up to rotations and went on interviews/did a few auditions. Since the new year a full day has been considered usually 9a-3p. I've been done since the end of April. I have another 3 weeks until graduation, haha. This is the life.

 

[Dr Dazzle]

I basically haven't done anything since August or September. I've shown up to rotations and went on interviews/did a few auditions. Since the new year a full day has been considered usually 9a-3p. I've been done since the end of April. I have another 3 weeks until graduation, haha. This is the life.

So it could be possible to simply move wherever you want. How do you guys arrange housing for away rotations? Do all hospitals provide or pay for them? Or is it another expense?

 

[Bacchus]

Some do, some don't. Any away rotations I did either had housing provided or I stayed with family.

 

[Dr Dazzle]

Some do, some don't. Any away rotations I did either had housing provided or I stayed with family.

So you didn't have to pay for hospital housing? How long is a typical 4th year rotation versus 3rd year rotation?

 

[Bacchus]

We either had 2 or 4 week rotations. The 2 weeks were usually a 4 week elective split. I never paid for housing.

When I ranked rotation sites to go to I ranked ones without housing last.

 

[bleeker10]

So you didn't have to pay for hospital housing? How long is a typical 4th year rotation versus 3rd year rotation?

For us, 3rd and 4th year rotations were all 4 weeks. For about a third of 4th year I had to pay for housing and the rest of it I stayed for free. I could've done rotations and not paid for housing but I chose to stay in nicer housing and pay. Some hospital housing is really nice, others are really crappy.

 

[caltigers]

edit

 

[cliquesh]

In general, you can do your electives anywhere that will take you, so the question is, how many electives do you have 4th year?

Radiology, pathology, and anesthesia rotations are good. I always got out around 2pm on those rotations.

Yep, you can use Vsas for some hospitals. Other hospitals have their own application form, which you can find on their website usually under "visiting students." Some hospitals only allow visiting students to do 1 rotation at their hospital, so be prepare to find several hospitals.

 

[caltigers]

edit

 

[cliquesh]

I don't know about the research stuff you've been mentioning. Like you said, you should talk to your seniors.

The only downside is maybe being poorly prepared for your intern year. Most people, however, do absolutely nothing their 4th year, so I don't think you'll be behind the curve so to speak. All of the rotations I mentioned, besides pathology, would help you prepare for your intern year.