2017 Carms Match Results!

[rmorelan]

I agree, I tend to get a little excited too, since it's so interesting!! 

 

It's also hard on electives...different institutions have different expectations on what it means to be a "good team player".  Some of them just want you to hang back and not get in the way at all.  Others don't expect residents to teach you much, you're supposed to "hang out".  Others do expect you to work and see patients, and be accurate with your findings.  It was really interesting but often a struggle to see what the expectations were.  Would really recommend to future students on electives to "test the waters" for the first week and see what it's like before pushing hard to impress.  

 

just goes into the point that you cannot be optimal for all schools, with respect to approach and personalities. Helps if you do some ground work before you get there of course  

[ArchEnemy]

It's true - very tricky.  This is why a helpful resident on electives can be your best friend, if they're willing to give you the scoop on how to impress the staff.

 

I definitely had a bad experience on an elective where I was expected to kind of sit back and chill and not do much.  It's not really in my nature.  Did very well in electives where the expectation was to get in there and do stuff.

 

The good thing is, it probably did give me an idea of what programs would be a better fit for my personality.

 

But at the time it was really frustrating.

 

Agreed. A helpful resident can make all the difference.

 

Make them look good, and they will do the same for you. If a resident does not know the answer to a question, I would advise holding back on answering even if you knew the answer...

[ellorie]

Probably depends on the sensitivity of the resident.  If somebody jumped in and answered a question that was addressed to me before I had a chance to think, I'd be like ugh, shut up.  If I didn't know, and the staff then asked the clerk and the clerk answered correctly, I'd be fine with it.  Honestly at this point it's more important for a clerk than for me.  My staff work with me for like six months at a time, and I have plenty of ways and opportunities to show that I'm good at my job.  I don't need that one question.  And clerks not infrequently do know book things that I've forgotten, especially nitty gritty pharm or path stuff, which is fine.

[Edict]

Probably depends on the sensitivity of the resident.  If somebody jumped in and answered a question that was addressed to me before I had a chance to think, I'd be like ugh, shut up.  If I didn't know, and the staff then asked the clerk and the clerk answered correctly, I'd be fine with it.  Honestly at this point it's more important for a clerk than for me.  My staff work with me for like six months at a time, and I have plenty of ways and opportunities to show that I'm good at my job.  I don't need that one question.  And clerks not infrequently do know book things that I've forgotten, especially nitty gritty pharm or path stuff, which is fine.

Glad to hear that, yeah sometimes it is hard being a clerk since we want to impress but often don't want to overshadow the resident in the rare case we do know something that they didn't. 

[doc_doc_doc]

I think a lot of the blurting and cutting in comes with the pressure of electives. You need a letter from most places you go to pre-CaRMS. But as someone mentioned, you don't know the expectations of a new place, so you don't know how to be a "great" clerk. I think sometimes that pressure makes you get really nervous and you start to try and find situations to "show your clinical skills" so you can get a letter - at least that's what I think!

[rmorelan]

I think a lot of the blurting and cutting in comes with the pressure of electives. You need a letter from most places you go to pre-CaRMS. But as someone mentioned, you don't know the expectations of a new place, so you don't know how to be a "great" clerk. I think sometimes that pressure makes you get really nervous and you start to try and find situations to "show your clinical skills" so you can get a letter - at least that's what I think!

 

I would agree - it is so easy to say in the cold light of day under zero stress don't do this and don't do that - people make mistakes because of the stress, pressure, lack of sleep, being distracted..... It is a reminder to stay focused. 

[distressedpremed]

I think a lot of the blurting and cutting in comes with the pressure of electives. You need a letter from most places you go to pre-CaRMS. But as someone mentioned, you don't know the expectations of a new place, so you don't know how to be a "great" clerk. I think sometimes that pressure makes you get really nervous and you start to try and find situations to "show your clinical skills" so you can get a letter - at least that's what I think!

 

I completely agree - and it's hard when your first elective out, you're thrust into a new institution where the residents and staff have a pre-set understanding of what it means to have a "great elective student", but those expectations aren't told or communicated to the student.  It becomes a black box to the student.  For instance, on a core IM rotation (and many other rotations) at my home school it was expected that you were to work hard, see as many patients and as accurately as possible, and there was tons of teaching around each case at the end of the day.  This engrains the concept of what "working hard" means, especially if it's backed up by positive evaluations.  It might be an institutional perception as well that the more research a student has, the better.  

 

When you get to another institution, it may be completely different.  Some programs really don't care about research at all. Some programs' culture may be very limited around teaching, and that elective students are just to "enjoy themselves".  It then becomes a bit of a sorting hat as you go through electives, seeing which places you jive with and which you don't.  It might be a plus if you find a program that you love in terms of values and personalities, and that they see the same with you (hence the match).  Some places you may not.  With limited elective time, it's a game of risk on where you can spend your time on, especially if you're determined to match in a specialty and not too set on location.  This all contributes as another variable to why people may not match at all. 

 

I would agree - it is so easy to say in the cold light of day under zero stress don't do this and don't do that - people make mistakes because of the stress, pressure, lack of sleep, being distracted..... It is a reminder to stay focused. 

 

Yeah it's tough. I think I'll always remember what it's like being an elective student.  I hope that in the future, I try to be as open about teaching material and clinical skills where I can, so even if that elective student doesn't match to the program or specialty, they had a positive learning experience as much as possible.