Away Rotations
As I alluded to, these are month-long clerkships at different programs across the country. They are essentially mandatory if you want to do Ortho, with most applicants doing 2-3. In addition to my home Ortho month at Baylor, I did three months of away rotations: UT Southwestern (Dallas), University of Miami, and University of Southern California (Los Angeles). The normal window for aways is July – November, because that’s right around the time when your applications will be finalized, so you want to be fresh in programs' minds. I’ll first talk about the away application process and then elaborate on how to choose where to do your aways.
You must apply for away rotations individually through VSAS (Visiting Student Application Service). The requirements for each program are different, but ultimately you must provide your medical school transcript and proof of enrollment, Step 1 Score, CV, immunization record, background check, drug test, proof of health insurance, HIPAA compliance, professional photograph, and in some cases a letter of recommendation and letter of intent. All of these are fairly simple to get, with the exception of the immunization requirements. Each program has variations, but in addition to the standard immunizations you must also get titers proving that you still carry immunity. And these not only take a long time to get, but can be quite costly.
To get the aways that you want, the most important thing is TIMING. You must apply as soon as the application period opens, because over 1000 other students vying for Ortho are doing the same thing. Most programs open their application around April 1. Make sure you read the requirements of every program you’re potentially interested in and have all documents ready and uploaded to VSAS by end of March. That way you simply submit your applications the minute they open and wait for hopeful acceptance. I began gathering all the above documents in early March, and it took roughly three weeks to get everything (getting titers and re-vaccinating can take a long time). So don’t procrastinate. I applied to the above three away programs literally within five minutes of their applications opening, and got all three.
The final thing about aways is deciding on the programs. The individual programs you choose are entirely subjective, but you should do aways at places you are strongly considering. Solicit advice from older students, residents, and faculty. Also factor in Blue Collar vs. White Collar, and which type you think you’d prefer. Having a mix may also be a good option, allowing you to directly compare what style you prefer. Location is another significant factor. Even though the training itself is the most important thing for Residency, you need to enjoy the place you’re living for five years. In my case, Baylor (while I was a med student there) was a strongly Blue Collar program. I personally love the Blue Collar style because I believe it offers better surgical training for my future goals. Thus I chose UTSW, Miami, and USC because I knew (based on conversations with current residents and attendings) that all were very high volume programs with early operative experience. And Dallas, Miami, and Los Angeles were awesome cities that I wouldn’t mind living in for residency.
To do well on aways: employ the same strategy as your home Ortho month. Work extremely hard. Know your anatomy. And really get to know the residents to get a feel for the culture of the program. It’s pretty cool to see how different programs are in terms of internal hierarchy, collegiality between the residents and attendings, required daily conferences, perks such as meal coupons and parking, etc. Factor all of these in your decision when ranking programs. The away should not only serve as a month-long interview for the program to assess you, but also for you to assess the program and determine if it would be a good fit for you. Ultimately, ask yourself the question: would I be happy and receive excellent training here? Five years is a long time. Don't make it painful for yourself.