bonez2003
OSRR Newbie
Posts: 1
(2/25/02 11:04:11 pm)
12.220.207.131
Reply | Edit | Del All advise needed
I am currently a MS3 at a "middle tier" medical school. I am looking to do two home rotations at the beginning of 4th year followed by two away rotations(4 wk each). I am having a hard time picking locations and need some direction. I have tried our attendings, residents, etc with little help.
I have done g.surg research pending publication, with three awards for presentation. Top 25% of class, step I 231, currently working on ortho research during vacation and psych. (have to get something out of it)
Future goals include going away for residency, (location not that important but could sway final decision). Would like to end up in a private practice in a moderate to large city but still working with some residents, minimal future research interest, and 80% positive I will want to do a fellowship in either hand > sports.
With that minimal background, where should I look? Some names that have been thrown around in discussions...
Campbell Clinic
Cincinnati
UVA
UNC
Duke
Northwestern
SLU
Vandy
Yale
WashU
Iowa
UAB-Birmingham
Case Western
etc...
Is it a waste of my time to rotate at places like WashU, Case, NW, etc?? What is realistic? Other thoughts....which have fellowships? Which place into fellowships well? Certain programs stronger in hand?
I've been amazed at the lack of information...it seems we make one of the biggest decisions of our lives on the least information.
Thanks.
IamNikolas
OSRR Fellow
Posts: 165
(2/26/02 7:36:06 am)
208.1.152.50
Reply | Edit | Del rotations
The best programs to rotate at are the ones that take the most number of residents AND increase your odds of being granted an interview. From your list, I would pick Northwestern and Duke. Northwestern guarantees you an interview if you rotate there, so your odds go from 1 in like 400, to 1 in 50 if you rotate there...AND they take like 9 residents I believe. Same deal with Duke (many residents and high likelihood of being granted an interview if you rotate).
I would base my decision on numbers...find out how many that program takes from their own school, how many residents they take, what your chances are of being granted an interview if you rotate, etc...and base your decision on wherever gives you the better odds of matching there.
And of course, you have to want to go there also.
Your credentials are solid so you can do 2 rotations at programs you're really interested in.
Hope this helps...
fracture
OSRR Intern
Posts: 8
(2/26/02 8:35:55 am)
164.111.23.150
Reply | Edit | Del Re: advise (sic) needed
UAB: Great place to rotate, and rotating there will likely improve your chances, as they tend to take "proven" applicants. Generally, MS4's spend 2 weeks on trauma, 2 weeks on joints. Many/most of faculty very well-known & well-respected. Not a strong emphasis on research--no research rotation during residency, however, there are multiple clinical projects ongoing, and faculty are very generous with their time and resources helping residents with projects and papers. Also, 2 stellar MSK radiologists and an outstanding bone path guy, making multidisciplinary projects readily available.
Faculty and residents are awesome, if you rotate there, the kiss of death is if the residents don't like you.
Sports Medicine-probably without parallel, one hand guy, but they are adding a 2nd, and are recruiting a tumor doc. Spine, trauma, hand, joints all have excellent volume, and there are NO fellowships (except 1 hand fellow slot, which is unfilled). The feeling is that fellows may detract from the resident's experience, therefore, there aren't any.
May be a little trauma heavy, and there is a high threshold to consult medicine to manage medical problems.
Vanderbilt: Rotating here should be very helpful to your chances, since they like to take Vandy students or rotators. Appears to be a well balanced program, you do a pgy1 general surgery year rather than an "ortho" pgy1 year. NO FELLOWS.
Virginia: Less clinical volume/trauma/bread-and-butter cases than previous 2. Very collegial atmosphere (ie: 1st name basis with many attendings), good bench-top research capabilities. Good sports med & hand, success with placing grads at San Antonio hand fellowship. 1 joint fellow (maybe other fellows, too?). Lifestyle rocks here.
Campbell: A well-balanced, well-respected program, even if it is in the armpit of the south! Lots of time spent in your car driving around the city. They take 8 per year, so rotating is not as big a factor in resident selection, perhaps. Sub specialties well represented, and memphis isn't really all _that_ bad.
hope this helps. check out the "top 5" thread to see how people ranked some of these programs.
bonez2003
OSRR Newbie
Posts: 2
(2/26/02 8:42:32 am)
12.220.207.131
Reply | Edit | Del Re: rotations
Thanks for the quick reply...
To clarify, the list is just in passing...feel free to suggest and other programs you think match my background/goals.
Thanks again...
fracture
OSRR Intern
Posts: 9
(2/26/02 8:53:42 am)
164.111.23.150
Reply | Edit | Del PS--
sorry the above post was so long and i was just kidding about the spelling--you have to be very uncreative to have only 1 way to spell any given word! good luck--you sound very qualified!
bonez2003
OSRR Newbie
Posts: 3
(2/26/02 9:06:02 am)
12.220.207.131
Reply | Edit | Del Re: PS--
no problem...I was an engineer and therefore understand that my spelling sucks. Not to mention, it was 11pm and I'm trying to lower the caffeine levels in my blood after coming off Gyn/Onc.
cheers
hangman
OSRR Intern
Posts: 21
(2/26/02 9:14:46 am)
64.157.190.191
Reply | Edit | Del rotations
If you really want to do hand, then you should strongly consider WashU. The chairman there (Dr. Gelberman) is a hand surgeon and is the current president of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Needless to say he is a big name in hand as well, and you would likely get any hand fellowship you want coming out of there. Sports coverage is good, they cover all 3 pro sports teams in St. Louis. Your numbers are competitive and the research/publications will help a lot. I think they interview all who rotate there, which I don't think is an overwhelming amount. The place may be a bit more academic than your goals imply you would like, but you would be able to get a good fellowship, especially in hand. Dr. Boyer is the director of medical student rotations and is also a hand surgeon. I definitely recommend working with him.
Gambit
OSRR Newbie
Posts: 1
(2/27/02 9:32:24 am)
63.52.49.7
Reply | Edit | Del Re: rotations
I'm in a similar situation. The medical school I attend does not have a ortho department (we rotate with private ortho docs). After asking around a lot about what it takes to get into ortho, the suggestion that kept coming up the most was "Get a good recommendation from a big name orthopedic surgeon."
I appreciate the advice already given but perhaps others can add a little more. Who are the "big named" orthopedic surgeons that I could actually work with (not just rotate through their department but actually work with)?
orthohopeful
OSRR Senior
Posts: 63
(2/27/02 4:40:45 pm)
129.112.109.252
Reply | Edit | Del suggestion for gambit
I did a rotation at Penn and they put me at CHOP (children's hospital) instead of the actual UPenn site. I was p@#$ed at the time but it turned out to be a blessing because I spent most of my time with two big time guys (Dr. Dormans and Drummond). Drummond is one of the godfathers of scoliosis surgery (many of the implants you put in were invented by him). Dr. Dormans is extremely well known, he is the Chair at CHOP (not Penn), and has tons of publications in everything from trauma to tumor to spine. I was a little timid about asking Dr. Dormans for a letter, but he was very open and friendly and wrote me a great one (got to read it at Campbell clinic interview). At every interview someone commented that I got a letter from Dormans, and didn't ever mention my other two.
I didn't think I particularly shined at CHOP, but I was polite, prompt, available, and worked hard to skate that edge between being so eager you are in the way vs. being so timid that nobody knows you are there.
Hope that helps.
