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Surgical Sub-Internships:
Ask any surgeon about various theories on SubI's, and you
will get as many different opinions as there are pages in
your average surgery text.
Never fear! We outline the whole thing here, leaving you
in a position to make your own decisions.
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| The
Pros |
| By doing a subI at an institution, they typically grant you
a courtesy interview. This means you may get a chance to interview
at a place slightly above where your range of programs is. While
on your rotation, you get a chance to impress a number of the
attendings (hopefully the program director or chairman - whose
service you want to rotate on). And when it comes to decision
time, they will want to rank you over somone with good qualifications
whom they have never worked personally with. PD's and Chairmen
have a lot of clout when it comes to the selection process,
and if you have managed to particularly impress them, it may
not matter that you have only pretty good grades and a sub-stratospheric
(but not necissarily horrible) board score. You also get a chance
to scope out a program you may be interested in and really see
if you like it there. It is often very difficult if not impossible
to get the nitty-gritty details of what a program is like from
your interview visit, and you are more likely to find some details
(both good and bad) that may help you in your decision making
process. In addition, doing SubI's also lets you see how other
institutions do things (which is often markedly different than
your home school). This allows you to be more experienced and
ask more insightful questions on the interview trail. |
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| The
Cons |
| Doing a SubI will be hard work. If you really want to impress
people, you better bust your butt. After a long third year,
and in the midst of trying to compile everything you need for
applications, this can be a difficult time. And if you screw
up, it can adversely affect your chances of the program ranking
you highly. Typically, if you are not a highly motivated, easily-likable
individual who gets along with several personality-types, a
SubI may not be the best thing for you to pursue. On top of
this, SubI's can get expensive, as you need to find housing,
sometimes a car, and live away from home for a month at a time. |
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| When
to Apply: |
| Most programs start accepting applications for SubI's in April
or May. You typically have to wait until that institutions own
students have had a chance to sign up for rotations before they
open them up to outsiders. |
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| Where
to Apply: |
| You should discuss this with Dr. Towfigh or your advisor.
Keep in mind the pros and cons when selecting a place to apply. |
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