Away Rotation Experiences
Emily Sharpe
Away Rotation Experiences
University of Wisconsin Away rotation
Completed in October 2010 by Jake Eiler ( 320.492.5343 or jakee...@gmail.com)
I completed an away rotation for one month at U of W in Madison, Wisconsin and had a great learning experience. For the most part my time was spent in the general OR, but there were multiple opportunities to go to other ORs if desired (such as OB, pediatrics, pain, VA) You are assigned to different rooms most days, and then preop and call the resident the evening before cases. Most times you present the case to the resident and develop a plan for anesthesia, and then usually they ask you a few questions and give you a few things to look up if you want. Mornings start around 0630 and first surgeries usually start at 730. A lot of it depends on your knowledge and amount of independence you want, but you can set up the room in the AM, then get the IV started and meds drawn up. Residents and faculty are great about teaching, and let you do lines, intubations, and manage the case as best you can. Very complex patients, similar to the U of MN, with many obese and organ transplants. You have one day a week that visiting students combine to go through simulation, which is a good experience. They have case conference and lectures on Monday that you attend with the CA1s and they are good basic lectures. Call is only if you want to take it, then they usually have you do a Thursday night so you are off at 7am Friday for a three day weekend. Overall everyone is great to work with, the attendings take time to teach in the OR and the residents let you have independence to get experience. You will also get invited for get togethers with residents and faculty while you are there. Madison is a great college town, with lots to do, and beautiful weather in the summer and fall. If anyone is interested in doing an away rotation in Madison, please contact me as I have a few people in the area who may be willing to help you out with housing. I had a host family, paid no rent, and was often cooked meals and left treats, so I was very spoiled, but would love to set that up for you as well.
Oregon Health and Sciences University Missy Haehn
I did
a four week elective
rotation at Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU). I did my
rotation in August 2009 and I chose to go during August for a couple of
reasons: I wanted to get a feel for the program prior to applying to it
and
potentially get a letter of recommendation from an anesthesia faculty
at
another institution. I gathered most of my information (including
prerequisites and application deadlines) from the program's website.
Most
programs have a specific website for visiting medical students. OHSU's
website is: http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/education/schools/school-of-medicine/academic-programs/md-program/visiting/index.cfm
OHSU and a number of other institutions are now participating in a
common
application called 'VSAS' to apply for visiting rotations (http://www.aamc.org/programs/vsas/).
I used this application to apply to three programs, which was much more
convenient that applying to each one individually. Not all programs
are
using this application, however, so you'll need to check the website
for
participating institutions.
Having already done general anesthesia rotations, I applied for an
elective
that concentrated on OB anesthesia but other students who did a four
week
rotation in general anesthesia had a good experience too. I had close
contact with a small number of residents and staff so I was given the
opportunity to do spinals and epidurals by the end of my rotation.
I looked at a number of away rotations and none of them help out with
housing
or other expenses--you're pretty much on your own. I rented a
furnished
room from a woman on Craigslist and drove to the hospital everyday. I
think some other students lived with friends or family, but most
students
rented a furnished apt or room for a month.
I think doing an away rotation is a great experience but definitely not
necessary.
Pros: You have the opportunity to spend a lot of time getting to know a
program
and the program also has a chance to get to know you, which is
beneficial for
interviews and the match. Exploring anesthesia outside your home
program
is beneficial because you are exposed to institutional or geographical
practices that may be different. You have a great opportunity to meet
other students from all over the country. An away rotation also gives
you
the opportunity to explore a new city for a month, kind of like an
extended
vacation. Cons: cost, fitting it into your schedule. Typically you
have to conform to the schedule of the institution you are visiting
which is
often different than our schedule at the U of M.
Any questions, email me at haeh...@umn.edu
Mayo Clinic by Stacy Krueth
I did an away rotation at Mayo as a fourth year after taking the 3 week elective at the U of M. I learned about it from one of my anesthesia mentors. On the Mayo website, there is information about the application process but it is a very involved application requiring a lot of information including a personal statement and letter of recommendation. This application is also due a significant amount of time before the rotation would actually begin. During my time at Mayo, the hours were very reasonable (like 45hrs/week) and you interacted with a good number of staff, residents, and CRNAs who were all very nice, enjoyed teaching, and let you actually be of use placing IVs and intubating. I did my rotation in October but I would guess if you did it in the spring time (just before July when new residents start), they would probably have you do even more. There was no test at the end either. They even give you a baby Miller. There were 20 minute lectures every morning and a longer grand rounds on Monday mornings so I felt I had a decent amount of didactics although none were specifically for medical students. I only met two other visiting medical students who weren't very interested in conversation so I felt pretty lonely during the week in the evenings and drove back up to Minneapolis on weekends. Otherwise, I stayed at the 2nd St. Inn and Suites for $20/night for a month. The place was certainly nothing fancy but it was acceptable and across the street from the main hospital you rotate at. Importantly it also had a very small mini fridge and microwave. One huge issue there was that the shower head is so low that I had to shower kneeling and I am only 5'8. That got old really quick. Rochester itself had some cute restaurants. I enjoyed food and music at The Redwood Room. 300 First was also very good (more pricey) and there are two Indian restaurants in town and I ate at the one that is across from a McDonalds and it was excellent and supposed to be the better one. If you have any interest in going to Mayo, you should certainly try to do this rotation. The only weakness I even heard about while there (other than the size of the city itself) is that many residents chose to go to Mayo in Florida for their Peds rotation but they all seem to enjoy it there too. If you have no interest at all in Mayo, I would recommend checking out an away rotation at another program. It was a great experience just seeing how things are done at other institutions and helped me better prepare for interview season by seeing some of the differences. But be prepared to show enthusiasm and cooperation because you can also shoot yourself in the foot if you don't and they see that (which they will-everybody keeps tabs on you). I hope this helps.
Mayo Clinic by Emily Sharpe (shar...@gmail.com)
I will add to what Stacy wrote above. I took the rotation June 2009 (period S1) at the beginning of my 4th year. I was able to do many procedures including intubations, art lines, central lines, and double lumen tubes. I think I was able to do a lot because the residents were nearing the end of their year and comfortable with the procedures. The residents were great teachers and very happy. If you do your rotation early, you may be able to get a letter of recommendation out of it. If you wait until the fall, your application will already be submitted.
The website for the elective information and application: http://www.mayo.edu/msgme/clerkships.html
In addition to the daily morning conferences, there were weekly afternoon lectures for the residents as well as journal clubs. You are assigned a different area of surgery each week of your rotation. You also be assigned to one attending each week. One week is spent at Methodist Hospital doing ortho, GYN, and colororectal cases. This week you will see many peripheral nerve blocks. You will also spend one day that week in OB. The other 3 weeks are spent at St. Mary’s Hospital in the central, multi, and neuro hallways. The central hallway has a lot of thoracic cases and it was during this week when I was able to intubate with double lumen tubes and verify their placement with a fiberoptic scope. You may also see ortho and spine case. The Multi hallway has peds, ENT, plastics, and urology. I was surprised they let me intubate during many of the peds cases. During your week in neuro you will see many neurosurgery and spine cases.
As far as living arrangements, I was able to stay with family so I can’t offer any advice. Contact me with any questions you may have!