Will moving my Psychiatry rotation to January of MS4 look bad?

[otacon88]

As the title says, will it look bad when applying/interviewing at residencies when they don't see it on my transcript since it will be for the next semester after I apply?

I originally had it in January, but then I heard it will look bad since it's a required clerkship with an NBME shelf and will help me with Step 2.

but i've also heard pushing it back will allow me more time to take some EM electives.

so now i have it in sept, which is a crucial month for out of towns and other electives. I have an out of town in August, and trying to get a peds EM in Oct - should I keep Psych here or push it back to Jan and try to move some electives around?

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[hothause]

I don't see why anyone would care when you had your psychiatry rotation if you're going into EM. It's not like you're waiting to take internal medicine or surgery or your EM elective until January of 4th year. Our school makes us take all required clerkships by October though. As far as Step 2CK, you really don't need the psychiatry rotation. Just reading First Aid Step 2 CK's psychiatry section (and you can add Case Files Psych if you're extra worried or the First Aid specifically for the psychiatry clerkship) should suffice. It wasn't heavily represented on my test.

Hopefully someone with more experience with the residency selection process will chime in...

 

[HoochIsCrazy]

As the title says, will it look bad when applying/interviewing at residencies when they don't see it on my transcript since it will be for the next semester after I apply?

I originally had it in January, but then I heard it will look bad since it's a required clerkship with an NBME shelf and will help me with Step 2.

but i've also heard pushing it back will allow me more time to take some EM electives.

so now i have it in sept, which is a crucial month for out of towns and other electives. I have an out of town in August, and trying to get a peds EM in Oct - should I keep Psych here or push it back to Jan and try to move some electives around?

Don't worry about it. I didn't take OB/GYN until January of 4th year and no one cared. As far as step 2, just give yourself a few extra days to study exclusively psych (I would use a step 2 review book such as First Aid as well as USMLE World questions) and you'll be fine. Good luck.

 

[alexmtr]

In general, it is impossible to schedule everything 'perfectly'. Early away, home EM before that, early step 2, etc.. Different schools have different requirements, aways are not easy to get for a month you want, so something will have to give and I think programs understand that. Because of scheduling/personal reasons I ended up not doing any aways and I was really worried about it, but I was honest about my reasons/circumstances and I ended up exactly there I wanted to be

 

[deleted109597]

If you could magically graduate without taking psychiatry, nobody would care. Really, it's not like you'll be teasing out exactly which axis disorder they represent. At least not in residency. I'm sure some day the lack of psychiatry resources will come to a head and once again, the ED will be the people that not only have to see them, but to choose themselves to send them out on the street and not wait for the psych consult, but for now you're stuck with waiting on "the expert" to evaluate them. And then tell you to treat the K of 3.4 and the "uti" with 1-4 WBCs and trace leukocyte esterace before they'll admit.

 

[gman33]

not sure if this is true, but I've heard some places won't let you do an away unless you are done all your core rotations.

Besides that, I doubt anyone would care you hadn't done psych yet.

 

[otacon88]

thanks guys! I'm going to move my psychiatry to january so i have a 3rd EM rotation where i will be able to get my 3rd LOR from. and i'll study harder for step 2 and read FA and plan on taking it at the end of July.

not sure if this is true, but I've heard some places won't let you do an away unless you are done all your core rotations.

Besides that, I doubt anyone would care you hadn't done psych yet.

I actually called a few schools and they were like oh we don't care about that, as long as you're in good standing and a 4th year, and have the major cores done (IM, surgery).

 

[Hamhock]

If you could magically graduate without taking psychiatry, nobody would care. Really, it's not like you'll be teasing out exactly which axis disorder they represent. At least not in residency. I'm sure some day the lack of psychiatry resources will come to a head and once again, the ED will be the people that not only have to see them, but to choose themselves to send them out on the street and not wait for the psych consult, but for now you're stuck with waiting on "the expert" to evaluate them. And then tell you to treat the K of 3.4 and the "uti" with 1-4 WBCs and trace leukocyte esterace before they'll admit.

I heard a rumor that one PD will drop you 15-20 spots on his rank list if you honored psych!

No one is going to care when you have a psych rotation.

HH