Help - clinical rotations

[Hikaru]

Can someone give me some advice?

I'm choosing my elective clinical rotations, right now I'm leaning towards hospitalist, dermatology, oncology/hematology, or interventional radiology. My questions are: Does choosing an elective against another gives me any advantage in landing a job in that specialty as a new grad? Assuming I perform well and the preceptor is willing to be my reference. Of those 4 that I'm choosing from, which would you recommend the best? 

[MT2PA]

Yes, doing an elective in a specialty you eventually want to work in can be advantageous (even if you don't get a reference from the preceptor).

Only you can decide which of the aforementioned electives you'll like best.

[lkth487]

This is very institution and preceptor dependent.  I precept medical and PA students all the time and always tell this to  to them.  The best way to find this out is to talk to people who’ve taken it.  As an example, my first institution, a pediatric heme onc specialty was fantastic with a lot of teaching, ability to take care of some of the sickest kids undergoing a bone marrow transplant, etc.  at my second institution, you were mostly ignored and did or learned nothing as a student in that same rotation. So it’s hard to give you an idea.  

 

I can’t help you regarding a job as that’s not my expertise but this is what I say to all med students and residents: take rotations in specialty you’re NOT going into.  You’ll have your life to learn about your chosen specialty but taking IR or pathology or cardiology or endocrinology when you want to do hospitalist or ER will be rewarding and may be useful to you for the rest of your life, giving you a little insight into diseases and problems that your colleagues might lack. 

[beattie228]

My second job is IR. I got the position through a combination of word of mouth and my month of vascular surgery where I scrubbed in doing IR procedures with one of the fellows in between vascular cases. I still needed training when I started the position obviously, but I had a general idea how the process worked and knew the names of some of the equipment. In short, my elective experience gave me some specific things to chat about during my interview and I'm sure gave me a leg up in getting the gig.

[MT2PA]

1 hour ago, lkth487 said:

I can’t help you regarding a job as that’s not my expertise but this is what I say to all med students and residents: take rotations in specialty you’re NOT going into.  You’ll have your life to learn about your chosen specialty but taking IR or pathology or cardiology or endocrinology when you want to do hospitalist or ER will be rewarding and may be useful to you for the rest of your life, giving you a little insight into diseases and problems that your colleagues might lack. 

I disagree.  As someone going into a specialty, having 2 rotations in it was paramount to finding a good job in said specialty right out of the gate from graduation.  

Yes, if you want to do something more 'general' like ER or hospitalist then sure, something to support those fields like you mentioned is beneficial.  

There's no right answer.  Some folks say do a rotation in something you think you want to go into so you'll know for sure while others say do something you'll NEVER go into because it'll be your only chance to do it.  Others say do something that is heavily tested on PANCE to build a solid foundation.  It really depends on you and your interests.

[EMEDPA]

I did elective rotations in em, peds em, and trauma surgery. definitely made a difference when looking for a job. 

[PACJD]

Agree with everything above.. Definitely feel that having an elective rotation in a speciality will eventually help you get a job in that speciality. Having it listed on your resume will first and foremost appeal to the recruiter/hiring manager, and it gives you something to talk about during the interview. They obviously know that a rotation in the speciality is merely 20 days experience and you having a significant learning curve still, but it shows that you are interested and know the basics. 

That is not to say that not doing an elective rotation in a certain specialty will prevent you from getting a job in a specialty. I have had students that have had all of their elective rotations with me (CT surgery) and ended up doing psych or derm or something else. Although some jobs do list "willing to train new grad with (ortho) rotation experience."

[Hikaru]

Thank you so much for the replies guys!! You cleared several questions I have in mind. Now I'm certain which elective I want to get into!

[UGoLong]

Yes, it can make a difference. I did only a two week rotation in cardiology and even that was enough to put me over the top when I applied.

That said, take a good mix of rural vs urban, hospital vs office, big practice vs little practice so you can see what feels the best for you.


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[newton9686]

Yeah as a new grad I agree, take you elective positions in areas which you want to work. While I agree it is great for future understanding to rotate outside your speciality of interest, it is extremely difficult to find work as a new grad if you either did not rotate at that facility or did not rotate in the area of interest. At the end of the day this is an investment and the best way to get a return on your investment is you rotations to help find your first job. 

[Hikaru]

9 hours ago, UGoLong said:

Yes, it can make a difference. I did only a two week rotation in cardiology and even that was enough to put me over the top when I applied.

That said, take a good mix of rural vs urban, hospital vs office, big practice vs little practice so you can see what feels the best for you.


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This is very encouraging, thank you.