According Wendy’s a.m. routine, she just informed me that we’re only 187 days until graduation! We have a large-scale calendar taped to the office door. This is where I have all of my clerkships, interviews & travel labeled so that she can keep with where I am. We also have countdown from graduation – Wendy’s coping mechanism with these waning days is to strike off a day every morning & then inform me of the count. I have frequently used this as an ice-breaker in my residency interviews:
Interviewer: Well, how long do you have left?
OMD: xxx days left, but who is counting?
It is getting closer…but I still have quite a load of interviews left. There 7 anesth, 2 IM prelim & 2 surgical prelim interviews still to go. It is very taxing, but rewarding at the same time.
For those of you who’ve been around, you likely know this. But, I was way far from the “ideal” med school applicant. I applied to a ton of schools and did not get a whole lot of interest…mostly rejections. I was very fortunate to have superb school take interest in me and subsequently admit me on my first try. For that, I will always be endebted to KCOM.
While a student, I worked my ass off to ensure that I was in the driver’s seat come residency application time. It is very satisfying to have such strongly positive feedback about me & my application, esp in light of how competitive anesthesia has become. My sacrifices have been rewarded.
One of the very coolest things is that OPM has been brought up by virtually every single interviewer. “Please tell me more about this National Society that you founded & run”. Without fail, they find the organization impressive and frequently state that they had wished something similar to this existed in their med school days. For those of you who are involved in OPM already, or for those who are looking for organizations to flesh out your CV…seriously consider stepping up to the OPM plate. It is taken seriously by the interviewers that I have encountered to date.
187 days until I will graduate from medical school. I wish I had a $1 for every naysayer that I have disproven by getting to this point. However, even more rewarding has been the naysayers & the doubters that I have ‘converted’ in my journey. It can be done if you are willing to do the work, make the sacrifices and persist in your endeavor.
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| It is getting closer...but I still have quite a load of interviews left. There 7 anesth, 2 IM prelim & 2 surgical prelim interviews still to go. It is very taxing, but rewarding at the same time. |
OK...Dave, this is something that I've wondered about for a while. I know that MS-IVs typically get a month off for interviews, but how in heck does one fit in all these residency interviews all over the map and keep up with the 4th year electives/rotations?!? And, doesn't it cost an arm & a leg to travel for interviews as you've done? Also, how did you go about setting ALL of these interviews up? I know it's not as bad as doing the med school apps, but still, it's a lot. Inquiring minds want to know! Thanks!
And, best of luck & health as you and Wendy head into her third trimester! Best of seemingly sleepless nights for the first few months thereafter while your daughter settles into her "days & nights proper"...although med school schedules are probably good training for a newborn's schedule! Take care...
| QUOTE (Mary Bois Byrne @ Dec 2 2002, 08:08 AM) | ||
OK...Dave, this is something that I've wondered about for a while. I know that MS-IVs typically get a month off for interviews, but how in heck does one fit in all these residency interviews all over the map and keep up with the 4th year electives/rotations?!? And, doesn't it cost an arm & a leg to travel for interviews as you've done? Also, how did you go about setting ALL of these interviews up? I know it's not as bad as doing the med school apps, but still, it's a lot. Inquiring minds want to know! Thanks! And, best of luck & health as you and Wendy head into her third trimester! Best of seemingly sleepless nights for the first few months thereafter while your daughter settles into her "days & nights proper"...although med school schedules are probably good training for a newborn's schedule! Take care... |
Hi Mary,
Typically, fourth-year medical students DO NOT get a month off for interviews. Some schools, such as Georgetown, will extend the Christmas vacation into January a couple of weeks. At Howard, we were allowed to miss up to four days from a required fourth-year clerkship for residency interviews. This meant that you did not schedule anything required in the interview months of October, November, 1st half of December and January. Most interviews are done by the second week of January. When I was at Mayo, last year, I had no restrictions as to the number of days that I could miss. My preceptor just wanted to know when I was leaving and when I would get back.
Most of us put easy rotations like radiology and Family Practice into those interview months. Anesthesia was also pretty lenient about giving me days off to travel to inteviews. Most of the places that I interviewed for Anesthisia last year, would pay for my hotel room and one meal. Johns Hopkins put us up at the Hyatt Regency in the Inner Harbor and wined and dined us at J Pauls, a fairly upscale eatery located on the water. It was a great meal with the residents. University of Maryland offered the same but did not include the J. Pauls meal. GW does not pay for the hotel but will provide a meal. UVa provides housing and a meal. Mayo Clinic provides hotel and meals. University of West Virginia provides housing and meal etc.
Some organizations such as AMSA (American Medical Student Organization) and the AMA ( American Medical Association) will provide substantial discounts on travel to and from residency interviews. At times, I was able to get flights from Minneapolis, MN to Washington, DC for as little as $120 round trip by routing through O'Hare in Chicago and flying American Airlines into National Airport. You have to look around and get the best deals.
Natalie
Dave,
Your enthusiasm all along the way is contagious!!! 184 days now.
I seem to remember some word about you coming to Rochester, NY to check out the scene there. Is this something I dreamed or is that still on your list to visit for residency? I'm a stone's throw away–if you need to economize at any point, we have plenty of room for you and Wendy.
Good Luck!!!
Sue
Oh Brother,
This is what I get for reading the Forum out of order. I just read your post on the other thread. I'm pulling for you to get that spot in Rochester. We love this place. If you are in area again any time soon—we'll have to celebrate in the appropriate way. A great meal and a suitable beverage!!!
Sue
Mary B-B,
You will find that the interview time off varies greatly by school. KCOM, we have 4 weeks of vacation to use as we please during the 4th year – that includes any time taken off for the holidays & such. However, I have come across many students on the interview trial who in addition to their vacation time get as much as 8 weeks off to interview – or they can take an interview month as an “elective”. The majority of the folks I have come across seem to get vacation + one additional interview month, namely Oct, Nov, Dec or Jan…the two interview month people are more the exception.
Regarding me specifically – well, KCOM is not so forgiving on the interview time off, unfortunately. So, we all “learn” which rotations allow folks to miss an excess of days to allow for interview travel. Technically, we are not allowed to miss more than 3 or 4 days/clerkship. But, some rotations simply allow you to come & go as you please. For example, I have taken Opthalmology, research & Family Practice during interview season…and discussed things with my preceptors prior to committing to their clerkship that I will doing some traveling for interviews. All worked out w/o a hitch.
Covering expenses – another hot topic! We have dipped into our savings a bit to cover the travel. To minimize costs, I have grouped my interviews geographically so that 1 round-trip flight covers 2 or 3 actual interviews. There are also supplemental loan programs, called residency transition loans, that can provide some extra $$ to cover these expenses.
Sue2,
Yes, Rochester is still a very strong contender for my bid-list. As you probably noticed, I did an elective there in anesthesia and loved the program and the city was pretty darned cool as well. However, as things begin to pan out, Dartmouth is firmly entrenched as my number 1 choice. Numbers 2 thru 5 are hotly contested with URMC or Penn St likely being #s 2 & 3, or 3 & 2, respectively – rounded out by UMass & VCU.
I will interview at URMC on the 3rd of Jan and at Univ of FL on the 10th. Those are my last 2 anesth interviews. But, I will return to Dartmouth for a surgical prelim interview and to Worcester for another prelim interview – then I am DONE!!!