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summer after 1st yr med...overseas a good idea?


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Hello,

I'm starting med school in a few weeks. I've always wanted to do an overseas medical trip, and the opportunities are there for summer after first year med. However, some people have told me "no its a bad idea, you want to really start preparing for CaRMs through research, etc.". The trip is only1 month from what I gather, so I don't see how that would look terrible. Has anyone done one of these trips and then spent the rest of the summer in research or anything? Any thoughts? Anyone think I should completely avoid it (I don't see why I should)? Am I missing some info or something?

 

Thank you -- I really need some help here!

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Quite a few people in my class did the CFMS organized research / clinical exchanges, and loved it. Quite a few also spent their summers purely travelling.

 

I really don't think its something you should kill yourself over (for the lack of a better colloqual statement).

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Hello,

I'm starting med school in a few weeks. I've always wanted to do an overseas medical trip, and the opportunities are there for summer after first year med. However, some people have told me "no its a bad idea, you want to really start preparing for CaRMs through research, etc.". The trip is only1 month from what I gather, so I don't see how that would look terrible. Has anyone done one of these trips and then spent the rest of the summer in research or anything? Any thoughts? Anyone think I should completely avoid it (I don't see why I should)? Am I missing some info or something?

 

Thank you -- I really need some help here!

 

Any reason why you can't prepare for CaRMS *by* going overseas and doing something clinical? It will give you experience and exposure to rule potential careers in/out, and give you stuff to talk about during your electives/CaRMS interviews.

 

Probably 1/3rd of my class participated in some sort of overseas clinical experience after 1st and/or 2nd year. The IFMSA/CFMS program is really good (full disclosure: I did a rads elective in Germany during the World Cup through that program :D ) and if your school is anything like mine was, there's probably 3-4 student-arranged overseas medical trips plus/minus anything you set up yourself.

 

I also know a tonne of people who did overseas electives as 3rd/4th year students, and they all matched well.

 

Random unsolicited general advice - don't get too fixated on CaRMS just yet. Go into first year with an open mind.

 

G'luck

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Probably 1/3rd of my class participated in some sort of overseas clinical experience after 1st and/or 2nd year. The IFMSA/CFMS program is really good (full disclosure: I did a rads elective in Germany during the World Cup through that program :D ) and if your school is anything like mine was, there's probably 3-4 student-arranged overseas medical trips plus/minus anything you set up yourself.

 

How did they do that, because when I checked out the IFMSA page, a lot of the locations (practically every one of them) said you had to be in your clinical years to do an elective.

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Any reason why you can't prepare for CaRMS *by* going overseas and doing something clinical? It will give you experience and exposure to rule potential careers in/out, and give you stuff to talk about during your electives/CaRMS interviews.

 

Probably 1/3rd of my class participated in some sort of overseas clinical experience after 1st and/or 2nd year. The IFMSA/CFMS program is really good (full disclosure: I did a rads elective in Germany during the World Cup through that program :D ) and if your school is anything like mine was, there's probably 3-4 student-arranged overseas medical trips plus/minus anything you set up yourself.

 

I also know a tonne of people who did overseas electives as 3rd/4th year students, and they all matched well.

 

Random unsolicited general advice - don't get too fixated on CaRMS just yet. Go into first year with an open mind.

 

G'luck

 

Great thanks -- I'm super excited to do something like this! Its great to know its not looked upon as a bad choice...somehow I had the impression doing research and all was what everyone should be doing..

 

thank you!

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instead of becoming a doctor you should run a consult business that consults on everything having to do with med admissions, trips etc etc et al. lol ;)

 

How did they do that, because when I checked out the IFMSA page, a lot of the locations (practically every one of them) said you had to be in your clinical years to do an elective.
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