What should I avoid initially ...

[DD214_DOC]

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We have our rotation lottery tomorrow at 4pm. I know I have read advice in the past but cannot remember exactly what I read. Which rotations are advised to NOT be done for the first few rotations? I would assume the things I think I want to end up in, to give time to get comfy and build my knowledge before doing those. I hear surg should be avoided.

What is recommended? Things I know I don't want to do so I can cut my teeth without too much fallout when residency apps come along?

 

[DrThom]

Besides the old adage that "you shouldn't do what you're interested in first", I think anything is fair game. There is going to pros and cons to starting your 3rd year w/ any rotation but in the end, it isn't really going to matter.

That being said, I started w/ neurology and I thought that was a really good "ease into 3rd year" rotation because its like Internal Med-lite.

 

[Tired]

My general advice:

1) If you know, or think you know, what you want to do, don't do it in the first two blocks. It's easier to learn the basics of how to function without the pressure of trying to get Honors.

2) Do IM early, it is the foundation of everything else, and makes the other rotations easier.

3) If you want to do Ob, do surgery before Ob. If you want to do Surgery, do Ob before surgery. That way you learn OR basics, knot tying, etc before you have to really perform.

 

[DD214_DOC]

I found one group with this pattern ...



IM, OB/Gyn, Gen Surg, Peds, Psych, and so on


My interests are in IM, FM, EM, and Psych. I have not completely ruled Surgery out.

This one looks pretty good. Gets the stuff I don't like done early (OB and Peds) and in the right order.

Should I try to find something with IM second or third?

 

[lord_jeebus]

My general advice:

1) If you know, or think you know, what you want to do, don't do it in the first two blocks. It's easier to learn the basics of how to function without the pressure of trying to get Honors.

2) Do IM early, it is the foundation of everything else, and makes the other rotations easier.

3) If you want to do Ob, do surgery before Ob. If you want to do Surgery, do Ob before surgery. That way you learn OR basics, knot tying, etc before you have to really perform.

I agree 100%

 

[lord_jeebus]

IM, OB/Gyn, Gen Surg, Peds, Psych, and so on

I think it looks pretty ideal. How many weeks of IM do you get?

I wouldn't worry about starting with IM, even if you're going into it. Everyone will look bad at first but some will still be able to get honors. Expectations will be low.

 

[DD214_DOC]

I think it looks pretty ideal. How many weeks of IM do you get?

I wouldn't worry about starting with IM, even if you're going into it. Everyone will look bad at first but some will still be able to get honors. Expectations will be low.

I believe 4 weeks. I'll try for that group then. Wish me luck! 😀

 

[Old_Mil]

We have our rotation lottery tomorrow at 4pm. I know I have read advice in the past but cannot remember exactly what I read. Which rotations are advised to NOT be done for the first few rotations? I would assume the things I think I want to end up in, to give time to get comfy and build my knowledge before doing those. I hear surg should be avoided.

What is recommended? Things I know I don't want to do so I can cut my teeth without too much fallout when residency apps come along?

Hindsight being 20/20, I'd have done OB/GYN first. The further along you are, the more is expected from you. I have no interest in OB/GYN and would be perfectly happen learning and doing as much as the colony of hospital roaches on that rotation. Getting this miserable waste of a month out of the way first would have allowed me to do that.

 

[mules05]

My general advice:

1) If you know, or think you know, what you want to do, don't do it in the first two blocks. It's easier to learn the basics of how to function without the pressure of trying to get Honors.

2) Do IM early, it is the foundation of everything else, and makes the other rotations easier.

3) If you want to do Ob, do surgery before Ob. If you want to do Surgery, do Ob before surgery. That way you learn OR basics, knot tying, etc before you have to really perform.

I agree with this, but really, I don't think it matters what order you do things in. I set up my schedule to have Peds and Anesthesia in the middle of the year, which were the two things I was interested in. I put ob/gyn first, thinking I'd get it over with and not have to worry about my grade in that rotation too much. Turns out, I loved ob/gyn, and plan to go into that. I also honored it, not by being the most experienced MS3, but by showing genuine interest and working hard. So I agree with what Tired says if you're 100% sure you know what you want to do and have that kind of flexibility in choosing your schedule. But know that any schedule can work just fine and that, in the end, it probably doesn't matter all that much.

One thing on the ob/surgery order: I didn't have surgical experience before I did OB, but spent HOURS learning to tie knots and to suture fake skin, which helped in the OR. Highly recommend the ethicon suture guide.

 

[Tired]

Let me toss one more wrench in your plans. I don't know how your schedule is made, but mine was done in a giant lecture hall using a modified lottery system for each block (yes, it took hours).

I knew I wanted to do some kind of surgery from the beginning of school. I originally had Surgery scheduled for the middle of the year. However, looking at the other people on the block with me, I realized that it was filled with nothing but surgery gunners (yes, I was one of them). Knowing that only a set proportion of people could honor each block, I actually switched out to do surgery last, where I was in with four chicks who all wanted to do Peds. I easily honored it.

Not recommending that strategy, but it did work out for me.

 

[Law2Doc]

I wouldn't worry about starting with IM, even if you're going into it. Everyone will look bad at first but some will still be able to get honors. Expectations will be low.

I actually disagree with this approach. You won't be as pollished in your first rotation as you will be in the later ones. Everyone has a learning curve. The notion that "everyone will look bad but some will still be able to get honors" is true, but doesn't really suggest it will be you. Once you know how to do stuff and what is expected, you can work for honors in a real sense rather than trying to "not stink" more than the rest. This is why many will suggest you are better off not doing the rotation you are most interested in first. Best to do something you have no interest in -- learn from your mistakes, and then perform solidly in a later rotation when it really matters.

 

[velo]

Looking back I honestly don't think the order matters at all. They all told me "don't do what you're interested in first," But I actually ended up going into what I started with. I think the only thing about the order that might actually make a small difference is that its nice to do medicine before surgery, just because the surgery shelf is basically a medicine shelf with ATLS thrown in (rule of thumb, if "give 2L of saline" is an option, its the answer) so having already studied for the medicine shelf I think helps you out. That and almost nothing you learn on the wards during surgery is really applicable to the shelf.

 

[DD214_DOC]

Well, the lottery is over and I got stuck starting with OB/Gyn, then Gen Surg, Peds, Psych, and so on. The other stuff like FM/IM are almost last.

Now I'm trying to figure out this selective stuff. Not really sure how I go about finding what I can do and where I can do it.

 

[UDbiochem]

Order doesn't matter as much as some people think. Don't stress about it too much.

Personally I think 4th year scheduling is more crucial. Everyone's going to have similar 3rd year experiences.

 

[PeeWee137]

having medicine at the end of third year can help when studying for step 2. and also, if you have the slightest interest in peds, try not to do it in the summer months. kids dont get sick then. you might see some asthma exacerbations or broken bones or cellulitis from dirty fingernails scratching those bug bites. i spent 6 weeks of peds in july with a max of 4 inpatients at once. but if you want a real peds experience, try for winter when the floors are packed with RSV.
but in all reality i dont think it matters that much.

 

[Blade28]

Well, the lottery is over and I got stuck starting with OB/Gyn, then Gen Surg, Peds, Psych, and so on. The other stuff like FM/IM are almost last.

Going to be a tough start! But at least the rest of the year will seem easy by comparison. 🙂