Radiology electives

[spaceprobe]

Hi there,

I am in 3rd yr med and planning my electives. I do have an interest in radiology..I was wondering if there is anyone I can contact regarding the Toronto and Vancouver programs?

Thanks in advance.

[Kirsteen]

Hi there,

I am in 3rd yr med at TO and planning my electives. I do have an interest in radiology..I was wondering if there is anyone I can contact regarding the Toronto and Vancouver programs?

Thanks in advance.

Hi there,

 

What would be the purpose of the contact? If it's to arrange electives then each program has an elective coordinator through whom you should make your plans. If it's for other reasons then I may be able to help you inre: UofT, and you can always try to contact residents within the UBC program.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[spaceprobe]

thanks....i just wanted to find people (residents) whom I can ask question regarding the specific programs. Are there any UBC rads residents on this board?

 

Also, a question is how important is it to do a variety of electives versus focusing on radiology? I find the schools are very ambiguous and self-contradicting. They say we need to show interest in the program by doing more elective in the area, but they want us to do a variety of electives. Also, is it important to do elective at a variety of schools across the country (for example to show that i'm interested in going to many placed rather than staying in one or two cities)?

[Kirsteen]

Also, is it important to do elective at a variety of schools across the country (for example to show that i'm interested in going to many placed rather than staying in one or two cities)?

Hi,

 

If I was to plan pre-residency electives all over again to target a career in radiology, I'd try to complete a couple of weeks at various radiology centres with the best faculty I could find. As has been noted within other threads, some schools are sensitive to those who have (or have not) completed an elective at their centre and if no elective is completed there, then no interview will be granted. Also, presumably you have some preferences for certain centres and might wish to spend some of your elective time at those centres in order to determine whether their program (and city) is the right fit for you.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[spaceprobe]

Hi again,

 

sorry for another few questions.

 

1) In your opinion, are 2 week electives long enough for radiology?

 

2) If I do a long period of elective(s) at one school (school A) (other than my med school), will it look bad to all the other med schools (ie they think I am really only interested in school A and thus don't rank me high for their own program)?

 

3) And finally, if I do a bunch of elective in radiology, then a bunch of electives in mainly one other specialty....will I look like I'm not 100% committed to radiology since it would look like there is a second specialty I am aiming for? I'm assuming the only way to have a backup specialty is to also do a lot of electives in the backup, but I don't want to risk looking like I'm not 100% committed to radiology.

 

Thanks!

[Kirsteen]

Hi there,

 

In response to your questions:

 

1) In my opinion, 2 weeks are long enough for an elective unless you're hell-bent on snagging a spot at some particular program and then you might wish to consider one more. (Most may say that 4 weeks spent at any centre is too much, for a number of reasons.)

 

2) Certainly, some may query your reasons for spending a disproportionate amount of time in a given centre. However, there are reasons for doing so other than a keen interest in that program. If you do decide to spend longer in one centre then you might wish to think about what you'd say during CaRMS interviews if you're asked why.

 

3) It's not only practical to complete some electives in another specialty, but some schools require it. When you have a number of electives in a specialty other than that for which you're interviewing, there's a high chance that you'll be asked why. Again, be prepared for that when interview time rolls around.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

 

Hi again,

 

sorry for another few questions.

 

1) In your opinion, are 2 week electives long enough for radiology?

 

2) If I do a long period of elective(s) at one school (school A) (other than my med school), will it look bad to all the other med schools (ie they think I am really only interested in school A and thus don't rank me high for their own program)?

 

3) And finally, if I do a bunch of elective in radiology, then a bunch of electives in mainly one other specialty....will I look like I'm not 100% committed to radiology since it would look like there is a second specialty I am aiming for? I'm assuming the only way to have a backup specialty is to also do a lot of electives in the backup, but I don't want to risk looking like I'm not 100% committed to radiology.

 

Thanks!