weello Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 I seem to be in a little bit of a pickle. My program only allows use to do 1 elective for rotations and I was banking on being able to do 2. I have always wanted to do something involving sports medicine, being a college athlete who has suffered countless injuries, I know how to relate to an injured adolescent who is dying to get back on the field. However in the back of my head cancer has be an ongoing interest. I'm just scared that if I do hem/onc and wind up not being able to handle that type of atmosphere (if you catch my drift) that ill lose my chance getting an Ortho job when I graduate. I mean who will hire a PA who didn't even do a rotation in ortho?!? I got my HCE from doing sports medicine so I know I like that. I do think I will be able to handle Oncology especially with my personality, I just feel like I'm backing myself into a corner here. I'm just looking for some advice.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guthriesm Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 It is a rotation - not a permanent career path. You can go into ortho even w/o the rotation and if you have an inkling you might like onc, here is your chance. Try it out for a few weeks, you may love it. Otherwise, look for a SP who will hire a new grad - no rotation will give you enough and no SP should expect you to master ortho that quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marilynpac Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 If you're definitely know you're going to go into ortho after grad then by all means tell the school that and they can probably set you up in a rotation with a preceptor that's looking to hire. You will graduate with a job in hand.....you may or may not like occ but you already know sports med is your passion......just saying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaston Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Just finished my heme/onc elective and loved it. Make sure it is HEME/onc you are interested in as opposed to MED/onc. Hematology works specifically with blood based cancers like leukemia, myeloma and lymphoma along with other myeolproliferative disorders. It also includes many of the RBC diseases. Medical Oncology covers solid tumors/cancers found in nearly every tissue type. Make sure you know which one you are interested in (there is neuro/onc too, FYI). I agree with marilynpac, if you know you will be working in ortho when you are done then it will benefit you to have that additional rotation experience. Even 1 additional rotation can be used to show that you are serious about your career choice. I have classmates that are doing 1-2 ER electives in addition to the core ER rotation because they know that's what they want to do, and future SP's love to see that. While a rotation may not be a career path it can absolutely open doors FOR a career (potential job offers, high quality references, good connections). I have hematology experience, hence the heme/onc rotation for me. I now have connections and references if I choose to apply for a position in that field. If you perform well they will gladly put their name on your application. Some of your rotations you can think of as an extended job interview, you never know what may come of it. My one push for an oncology rotation: the patients. I thought an oncology rotation would be sad and difficult to deal with. On the contrary. The patients are amazing, positive people that are willing to do whatever it takes to survive. They are proactive and VERY compliant. Contrast that with family practice where most patients are non-compliant and it's a regular battle just to get them to change their lifestyle and take their meds daily. I found my heme/onc experience to be very refreshing/rewarding. I met some amazing people who had powerful stories to tell. Just my 2 cents. Good luck with your decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted January 14, 2011 Moderator Share Posted January 14, 2011 Keep in mind there are many more ortho jobs out there than heme/onc by a factor of about 10:1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marilynpac Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 That is true and many ortho jobs will hire a new grad. You may have a difficult time finding a heme/onc position and if you do they will want someone with experience....usually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weello Posted January 15, 2011 Author Share Posted January 15, 2011 All very good points. I know that the profs that we have for our hem/onc section next semester are the preceptors for the site where we can do that rotation and they apparently let you do a lot since they teach us and know what were taught. I think even having exposure in that speciliaty will help in all areas of my clincial practice once I graduate, both from patient contact and ofcourse the medicine behind those devastating diseases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.