Also need elective advice...

[BDog]

Hey guys, cut to the second paragraph to get to the gist.

 

So I'm in a bit of a bind. I'm at the U of C so we're screwed into choosing too early. We get 6 weeks of electives up front, so you kind of need to know what you're doing if you're gunning for a competitive specialty. At the very least, I finally figured out that I wanted to do surgery. For a while there I was sure that plastics was where it's at. However, I've done some shadowing in it and, although it's still incredible, there are lots of elements to the job that are making me think twice. I've spent time on some other surgical services and also really enjoyed them. The problem is that plastics is so outrageously competitive that I feel as though it's an all or nothing game. It's impossible for me to state what I would love to do more at this point. To make a truly informed choice, I need to do some bonafide clinic duty.

 

The question: is it career suicide when going for a surgical specialty (esp. plastics) to book 3 different specialties (gen/ortho/plastics) for my first 6 weeks and then coordinate it in such a way that I complete my remaining 4 weeks in one of those specialties, after I've had some concrete experience?

 

Thanks for any help!

[007]

Hmmm... Lots of programs now require you to complete electives in 3 separate specialties. At my school (Dal) different surgical specialties count. So perhaps it wouldn't be frowned upon at all to do what you're suggesting...and in fact encouraged. Also, you would be able to explain in your personal letters for CaRMS and interviews how you came to decide on a specialty in the end.

[coastalslacker]

I second the above: most schools are now requiring electives in at least three different specialities so you can definitely go with your plan. I'm an ortho resident, but I think I would have been happy in any of the three you've listed-I just happened to do a random ortho elective and found that I love to operate. Biggest difference is between plastics and the other two in terms of lifestyle.

 

Your biggest issue will be, once you decide what you like, booking an elective in time. Lots of schools require quite a bit of notice.

[BDog]

Right on. That makes me feel less anxious about this whole deal. Thanks alot!

[BDog]

Hey guys, so an additional concern:

 

If I were to pursue the above strategy, an obvious issue is that I may not be able to complete surgical electives at a variety of schools.

 

For instance, let's say I do plastics/ortho/gen over the first 6 weeks at UofA/UofT/UofC. These would be my top three choice schools. I decide after that time to pursue ortho. I now wonder if I should go ahead and complete additional ortho electives at U of A and U of C given I already have surgical electives there (albeit in plastics & general). By doing so I limit the scope of the schools I've been exposed to, but I strengthen my case at a school I truly care to about attending. At CaRMS time, I am going to apply to every single school I can. Does this strategy drastically hinder my ability to obtain interviews outside of those three schools?

 

I know that in a previous thread, the answer depends on the strength of my overall application. I noticed a few people mention that one should strive to do electives at schools were it's mandatory to get an interview. Where can I find that information specific to the specialties listed above?

[Lactic Folly]

I would read all the CaRMS program descriptions carefully to see if electives at a particular program are "encouraged" or "suggested". Statements that local electives are *not* taken into consideration are also helpful. Otherwise, it's mostly hearsay (CaRMS statistics used to show % of out-of-town applicants matched but no more, unfortunately).. although I never tried this and don't know how useful it would be, you could try contacting the programs for their take on this, explaining that you came to your decision late, are interested in their program, but have limited remaining elective time.