What to do?

[kaos]

---

Members don't see this ad.

So I set up two aways, both at community hospitals, in Oct and Nov. My school only allows 2 away electives per year. Unfortunately, I was also just accepted to a cardiology elective in England, which I was really looking forward to doing.
1. Is it worth it to drop one of the A-I's to do this England elective, which is a once-in-a-lifetime thing for me?
2. Is it even worth it to do 2 community aways instead of one, or even one community and one academic? With my stats I've been told that I should focus on applying to community, but now I'm not so sure.
What should I do? 😕

 

[imtiaz]

it varies on the place, as to how helpful the away will be. doing an away in england in cardiology will be interesting to talk about during interviews but wont get you too far as far as securing a position. if your stats are borderline do surgery aways and MAKE CONTACTS. this is all that will help you in the end. wherever you rotate, make sure to take some time out and have a talk with the program director so they know who you are.

then again, if youre confident in your stats that youll match doing the england rotation might not be a bad idea. it all depends on how comfortable you are. if youre worried about matching then do surgery aways.

 

[geekgirl]

So I set up two aways, both at community hospitals, in Oct and Nov. My school only allows 2 away electives per year. Unfortunately, I was also just accepted to a cardiology elective in England, which I was really looking forward to doing.
1. Is it worth it to drop one of the A-I's to do this England elective, which is a once-in-a-lifetime thing for me?
2. Is it even worth it to do 2 community aways instead of one, or even one community and one academic? With my stats I've been told that I should focus on applying to community, but now I'm not so sure.
What should I do? 😕

take advice for what it is - some unrelated other person's opinion.

that said, i would totally go to england. if this to you is a once in a lifetime chance, then wasting that opportunity on an away elective (in which you would likely resent being there and not england) seems pointless.

granted, cardiology does not = surgery. but what interviewers want to know about you is that you are a you. you have interests. goals. dreams. and an enjoyment of life. oh, and that you'll work your a$$ off for them. but still, i think doing something interesting that you love is more important than punching any application boxes. because there are many different ways to the same goal. one of my fellow interns did several away electives in non-surgical fields and that did not hurt him one bit (likely helped him).

so do what feels right in your gut. not according to some template of "how one gets into a residency". so my vote is england.

 

[njbmd]

take advice for what it is - some unrelated other person's opinion.

that said, i would totally go to england. if this to you is a once in a lifetime chance, then wasting that opportunity on an away elective (in which you would likely resent being there and not england) seems pointless.

granted, cardiology does not = surgery. but what interviewers want to know about you is that you are a you. you have interests. goals. dreams. and an enjoyment of life. oh, and that you'll work your a$$ off for them. but still, i think doing something interesting that you love is more important than punching any application boxes. because there are many different ways to the same goal. one of my fellow interns did several away electives in non-surgical fields and that did not hurt him one bit (likely helped him).

so do what feels right in your gut. not according to some template of "how one gets into a residency". so my vote is england.

Hey there,
I am in ageement with the above. Your England gig is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Your career will be enriched far more than you could ever imagine so head on across the pond. Be sure to get to work on the Passport early if you have not done so.

njbmd 🙂

 

[footcramp]

i respectfully disagree. england is a crappy place and you don't need to go to a different country to find people with chest pain. and i also disagree that this is once in a lifetime. you can take a trip to england any time. granted you won't be able to treat british heart patients but i don't see that as a great loss.

 

[mysophobe]

You probably won't be treating them there anyway. I think they have more of an observership view in their clinical years, and especially as someone from another country, I doubt you'll be doing much more than H&Ps. Personally, I'd go for as many A-Is as I can to make as good an impression in as many places as possible.