Jump to content
Premed 101 Forums

Summer After First Year


Recommended Posts

Hi folks

I am in the midst of trying to plan the summer after my first year and coming up against some road blocks with preceptors who are not willing to take students on for periods longer than a day or two to shadow.

 

I am wondering if it is necessary to make sure I shadow / work extensively with specialists in the two or three competitive fields I am interested in at this stage in my training, to ensure I stay competitive.

 

Is summer of first year still too early to be worrying about this? Many have assured it me is, but I am trying not to be "taken out of the game" in being competitive for anesthesiology or ophthalmology.

 

I am going to be doing research (more internal medicine related than Anesth/Optho) and that's about it this summer.

 

Am I going to be way behind?

 

Thanks for any perspectives

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

It didn't hurt but my opinion is that research is overrated.

 

If I can go back, I would spend it on the wards and gain a ton of clinical experience to prepare for clerkship. I would do electives in at least CTU and gen surg. I'd be better equipped to impress preceptors, which would reflect in my evaluations and reference letters. Assuming you're a normal person, work hard, care about patients etc.

 

What is written about you in reference letters and clerkship evaluations, and what is said about you when you're not around is the new grading system for Carms. I'm probably not as smart as NLengr to chill out and still get into surgery :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It didn't hurt but my opinion is that research is overrated.

 

If I can go back, I would spend it on the wards and gain a ton of clinical experience to prepare for clerkship. I would do electives in at least CTU and gen surg. I'd be better equipped to impress preceptors, which would reflect in my evaluations and reference letters. Assuming you're a normal person, work hard, care about patients etc.

 

What is written about you in reference letters and clerkship evaluations, and what is said about you when you're not around is the new grading system for Carms. I'm probably not as smart as NLengr to chill out and still get into surgery :)

How else to get a good rad letter? I suppose there are projects done during the school year, or one could try to arrange an elective spent mostly with one person...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It didn't hurt but my opinion is that research is overrated.

 

If I can go back, I would spend it on the wards and gain a ton of clinical experience to prepare for clerkship. I would do electives in at least CTU and gen surg. I'd be better equipped to impress preceptors, which would reflect in my evaluations and reference letters. Assuming you're a normal person, work hard, care about patients etc.

 

What is written about you in reference letters and clerkship evaluations, and what is said about you when you're not around is the new grading system for Carms. I'm probably not as smart as NLengr to chill out and still get into surgery :)

It's easier to get into surgical specialties in a way. For rads, you don't get a whole lot of exposure and chance to demonstrate you talents and personality on elective(at least that's what I understand). Other things like research, deans letters and undergrad grades are used to try to separate candidates.

 

In surgical specialties, you are given loads of chances to shine and show what type of person you are (clinic, OR, consults, rounds etc). That means a huge portion of the decision on where to rank you comes from that elective you did. People will trust their own experiences far more than a deans letter, reference, research paper or grades. That means all that stuff counts for way less when you apply. It's all about the elective.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...