are you still waiting for clinical rotation assignments?

[got milk?]

just wanted to take an informal poll to see who is still waiting for assignments.
and how long have you been waiting....

[AmericanIMG]

if u are picky w/ what u want then yes, u will wait.

[Laurie S]

Hi Milk,

I thought I read that you had received your assignment. Was I incorrect, or are you taking a poll?

How are you guys handling the big storm on the East coast? It's been all over the news on the west. You never really know, because the news always uses the worst pictures and they don't depict the majority of the area. Hope everyone is safe.

[AmericanIMG]

even here in ATL the weather is garbage.

[Junito]

just wanted to take an informal poll to see who is still waiting for assignments.
and how long have you been waiting....

Are you still waiting for an assignment? I don't feel bad anymore about my wait then. I had to wait 4 weeks after receiving a passing score on Step 1. I was originally going to be made to wait two to three months. Make sure you register before late registration ends as soon as you get a Raf.

[Junito]

Hi Milk,

I thought I read that you had received your assignment. Was I incorrect, or are you taking a poll?

How are you guys handling the big storm on the East coast? It's been all over the news on the west. You never really know, because the news always uses the worst pictures and they don't depict the majority of the area. Hope everyone is safe.

Weather is awful. My flight was canceled as a result...:mad:

[got milk?]

no. i havent gotten my assignments yet.
first, i was told there were openings in NY.
then, i was told there are a couple openings in saginaw. but peds isnt ACGME.

Now, I dont know the status of either location. I don't know if NY is filled up or not.
I'm not picky at all. I'll take any ACGME rotation ANYWHERE except england.. :mad:

[got milk?]

Are you still waiting for an assignment? I don't feel bad anymore about my wait then. I had to wait 4 weeks after receiving a passing score on Step 1. I was originally going to be made to wait two to three months. Make sure you register before late registration ends as soon as you get a Raf.

I might not even get a RAF before late registration ends. What then?

[Junito]

I suggest you call them and ask that you be assigned right away. You can't take a laid back approach to this. It is not like you are getting a free education, you are paying for this. You are entitled to start rotations asap. Give them a call and follow up with emails. I'm sure they have tons of work to do, but a friendly reminder goes a long way.

[Godschosenone]

I suggest you call them and ask that you be assigned right away.

lol
no comment

[stephew]

i think that by definition, that was a comment.

[MedChe]

i agree with junito...but be patient

[rynobuddy]

I had to wait two months to start my rotations after i received my passing score. Even still they only are scheduling me 6 weeks at a time. Trying to be patient, but not easy.

Also if you call or email you will be lucky to get a response. Tried numerous times both routes still nothing.

[got milk?]

I had to wait two months to start my rotations after i received my passing score. Even still they only are scheduling me 6 weeks at a time. Trying to be patient, but not easy.

Also if you call or email you will be lucky to get a response. Tried numerous times both routes still nothing.



i get email responses........ 2 weeks later. I know they're busy, and I know they're doing something. I'm trying to be as nice as I can, since whether I graduate on-time or not depends on the clinical coordinator.

Even though I'm paying big bucks, it doesn't mean they won't screw me in the meantime.

We all know about the Ross horror stories (if you don't, head on over to that forum).

I just really hope our clinical phase doesn't turn out like Ross's disaster.... at least not until after I graduate. :twisted: Then SMU can go to doodoo and I wouldn't care :p. No really, I hope everything runs smoothly for everyone.

[Junito]

Persistence is not futile when contacting the clinical department. They seriously need more help and hopefully the delay is due to workload and not lack of clinical rotation slots. Maybe they can remedy this by allowing students to take free standing electives (radiology, preventive medicine, etc) at clinical sites. I recall that I could not start off with an elective, noticed that Ross allows students to start off with electives. I'm sure this option would prove beneficial to both students and the clinical dept. Wyckoff allows students to start off with electives.

Some advice for those waiting on spots try contacting Central Maine Medical Center for a Family Medicine rotation.

Central Maine Medical Center (http://www.cmmc.org/emp-medstudent.html)

They are FMG friendly, and maybe they'll sign an affiliation agreement with the school (required for cores). I was entertaining this option but the spots that I needed were already booked. They provide housing for students. Good luck. When it came to clinicals I learned to think outside the box...

[AmericanIMG]

also remember if you are demanding CERTAIN clinicals in CERTAIN areas you are going to wait.

[got milk?]

do they ever give assignments in the middle of the semester? or do they usually wait till right before the start of the following semester to give out assignments?

I'm asking because some people only get assignments 6 weeks at a time. If your 6 weeks are over, and you have to wait 9 more weeks for the semester to end to get your next assignment, that would suck big time.!!:evil:

[Junito]

I was given two to three cores at a time (depending on the length of the core). I received my "tentative" schedule (where I would do all my rotations) if all went well. I think I was able to be scheduled this way due to few people wanting to go to NYC, and due to less students in clinicals. Prior to registration you are issued Rafs for each core scheduled. Make sure you send it in ASAP. If they give you only 6 weeks you will have to come up with 4 more weeks (elective) in order to qualify for FA.

[Junito]

lol
no comment

Worked for me...;)

[AmericanIMG]

you can schedule electives around your cores...in many cases SMU or GMC will do this for you if you can.

lastly, YOU GO TO A CARIB MED SCHOOL! you can't expect the efficiency of US med schools. stop complaining! you weren't good enough to make it to a US med school, and this is the price that you pay for it. you are given an opportunity that you, and the rest of us, don't deserve, so be grateful and if your clinicals are a bit spread out, then so be it. its irritating to see people get worked up about admin problems and expect perfection when they are far from perfect themselves. you aren't paying for customer service and for the school to meet your every desire, you are paying for the opportunity to earn an MD when you weren't good enough.

[Godschosenone]

you can schedule electives around your cores...in many cases SMU or GMC will do this for you if you can.

lastly, YOU GO TO A CARIB MED SCHOOL! you can't expect the efficiency of US med schools. stop complaining! you weren't good enough to make it to a US med school, and this is the price that you pay for it. you are given an opportunity that you, and the rest of us, don't deserve, so be grateful and if your clinicals are a bit spread out, then so be it. its irritating to see people get worked up about admin problems and expect perfection when they are far from perfect themselves. you aren't paying for customer service and for the school to meet your every desire, you are paying for the opportunity to earn an MD when you weren't good enough.

lol lol lol
oh my days
lol at "expecting perfection when you are far from perfect yourself"
lol at "you are paying for the opportunity to earn an MD when you weren't good enough"
lol at "YOU GO TO A CARIB MED SCHOOL! you can't expect the efficiency of US med schools"

[AUCMD2006]

you can schedule electives around your cores...in many cases SMU or GMC will do this for you if you can.

lastly, YOU GO TO A CARIB MED SCHOOL! you can't expect the efficiency of US med schools. stop complaining! you weren't good enough to make it to a US med school, and this is the price that you pay for it. you are given an opportunity that you, and the rest of us, don't deserve, so be grateful and if your clinicals are a bit spread out, then so be it. its irritating to see people get worked up about admin problems and expect perfection when they are far from perfect themselves. you aren't paying for customer service and for the school to meet your every desire, you are paying for the opportunity to earn an MD when you weren't good enough.


this is exactly the attitude that led ross to admit so many students, and oddly enough if you look back a few years SMU was built on being the anti-Ross, the anti establishement school with great admin and great student support that led a great many to transfer into SMU.

just from following the smu forum here it seemd that juni and his predecesors got what they wanted in admnin and faculty, which really pissed me off since at auc adfmin does what admin does..hehe but if the current attitude is one as above then SMU is no longer different and has truly joined the ranks of the three faceless giants with zero accountability towards their students, you are now a big three clone and are free to re-apply for california.

welcome SMU to the club of zero pro-student admin, you have succeeded in filling your classes and making the student body complacent and versing itself well in learned helplessness. you have convinced them like the big three that all their money is worth is a seat at the usmle that it is not their modest but significant accomplishements and money that are getting them through med school but the charity and good kind hearted nature of the admin, board of directors, chancellor, and the almighty equinox that out of human kindness give these poor worthless souls the 'opportunity' to go into debt for 20 years...

sorry but this is no 'opportunity' all of us have worked hard to make up for our deficiencies in undergrad, and all of you in cayman right now making it through derserve to be there

ok rant over...i better have my caffeine now

[AmericanIMG]

this is exactly the attitude that led ross to admit so many students, and oddly enough if you look back a few years SMU was built on being the anti-Ross, the anti establishement school with great admin and great student support that led a great many to transfer into SMU.

just from following the smu forum here it seemd that juni and his predecesors got what they wanted in admnin and faculty, which really pissed me off since at auc adfmin does what admin does..hehe but if the current attitude is one as above then SMU is no longer different and has truly joined the ranks of the three faceless giants with zero accountability towards their students, you are now a big three clone and are free to re-apply for california.

welcome SMU to the club of zero pro-student admin, you have succeeded in filling your classes and making the student body complacent and versing itself well in learned helplessness. you have convinced them like the big three that all their money is worth is a seat at the usmle that it is not their modest but significant accomplishements and money that are getting them through med school but the charity and good kind hearted nature of the admin, board of directors, chancellor, and the almighty equinox that out of human kindness give these poor worthless souls the 'opportunity' to go into debt for 20 years...

sorry but this is no 'opportunity' all of us have worked hard to make up for our deficiencies in undergrad, and all of you in cayman right now making it through derserve to be there

ok rant over...i better have my caffeine now

no one has earned the right to have an air of entitlement...

[UFTim]

no one has earned the right to have an air of entitlement...

So true. No one is entitled to anything in life.

[AUCMD2006]

no one has earned the right to have an air of entitlement...


it is not entitlement if you are paying for it. actually since entitlement is a right granted by law or contract...as a student we do have an entitlement to what we expect out of our medical education so if all you expect is nothing more than the organge card then that is what you are entitled to regardless of facilities, faculty, or the prospect of lossing a year due to clinical scheduling....

what should be said is that no one should get bogged down by complacency..i know i am guilty of it, every time we had a tuition increase it became less and less of a bother and the Rossalization of SMU is what is going on right now so that classes under you guys will not realize how great the admin was and how studernt friendly that school really was...of course all this is from what your past students have said. so much for equinox sale not impacting and improving the school for students..it appears that all they have omproved are income balance sheets, fresh paint and lockers

[AmericanIMG]

it is not entitlement if you are paying for it. actually since entitlement is a right granted by law or contract...as a student we do have an entitlement to what we expect out of our medical education so if all you expect is nothing more than the organge card then that is what you are entitled to regardless of facilities, faculty, or the prospect of lossing a year due to clinical scheduling....

what should be said is that no one should get bogged down by complacency..i know i am guilty of it, every time we had a tuition increase it became less and less of a bother and the Rossalization of SMU is what is going on right now so that classes under you guys will not realize how great the admin was and how studernt friendly that school really was...of course all this is from what your past students have said. so much for equinox sale not impacting and improving the school for students..it appears that all they have omproved are income balance sheets, fresh paint and lockers

you can say all of that but u are failing to realize something...SMU could go be the way of Ross and still would make a killing. there is a reason why so many students go to Ross even w/ its inadequacies; they have no choice!

you can't expect US med school service from a non-US med school. as for getting what you pay for, the MD is what you pay for. period. i am not gonna waste my 2,000th post on this topic...i just hope that all students realize that the opportunity to be an MD when you were not good enough to be one is worth the minimal headaches.

[Junito]

this is exactly the attitude that led ross to admit so many students, and oddly enough if you look back a few years SMU was built on being the anti-Ross, the anti establishement school with great admin and great student support that led a great many to transfer into SMU.

just from following the smu forum here it seemd that juni and his predecesors got what they wanted in admnin and faculty, which really pissed me off since at auc adfmin does what admin does..hehe but if the current attitude is one as above then SMU is no longer different and has truly joined the ranks of the three faceless giants with zero accountability towards their students, you are now a big three clone and are free to re-apply for california.

welcome SMU to the club of zero pro-student admin, you have succeeded in filling your classes and making the student body complacent and versing itself well in learned helplessness. you have convinced them like the big three that all their money is worth is a seat at the usmle that it is not their modest but significant accomplishements and money that are getting them through med school but the charity and good kind hearted nature of the admin, board of directors, chancellor, and the almighty equinox that out of human kindness give these poor worthless souls the 'opportunity' to go into debt for 20 years...

sorry but this is no 'opportunity' all of us have worked hard to make up for our deficiencies in undergrad, and all of you in cayman right now making it through derserve to be there

ok rant over...i better have my caffeine now

I agree with certain points. Concerning clinicals I encountered problems in the beginning. First they did not want to let up as to where the sites were. Then they did not want to tell me the likelihood that I could stay in NYC. The previous clinical dept admin were just...I'm not going to even go there. I got into a lot of debates with the administration because I asked questions and was very involved in my education.

Bottom line the previous administration of the clinical dept needed much improvement. Placing Dr. R as the clinical dean, and replacing the head person in the clinical services dept was a great move. Now the school has to maintain an equilibrium between number of students and the number of rotations. It seems that AUCmd2006 is right...Concerning faculty, I never had a problem with them as long as I was courteous. Hopefully things will change for the better and that SMU will once again be known for what it originally was known for.

[AUCMD2006]

you can say all of that but u are failing to realize something...SMU could go be the way of Ross and still would make a killing. there is a reason why so many students go to Ross even w/ its inadequacies; they have no choice!

you can't expect US med school service from a non-US med school. as for getting what you pay for, the MD is what you pay for. period. i am not gonna waste my 2,000th post on this topic...i just hope that all students realize that the opportunity to be an MD when you were not good enough to be one is worth the minimal headaches.

SMU could go the way of Ross and make a killing, now that they have a good base and funneling of students...that wasn't my point it was that SMU opened and made its reputation on being very pro-student which is why it was so successful even getting some people who weren't even failing from the other schools to transfer and now there is little if anything left of that originality that made it stand out so it now makes little difference wether you go to ross or SMU (cali/kansas/texas/indiana not standing)

as for getting what you pay for that is for each student to decide. some, like you, are highly satisfied with just the orange cards. i would probably not be and would expect to be treated liek i am spending 200 grand by at least processing my paperwork on time and conforming to my match schedule for clinicals and not making me wait possibly missing an entire year of residency

2,000 oh right getting up there...

back to surgery

[swimguy23]

I read the first couple posts and then realized I didnt have the attention span to continue.....the more proactive you are the easier your life. From my experience, the students who complained the most were the ones least likely to do anything for themselves and expected everything to be set up and handed to them. These were the same students who complained in ** when powerpoints weren't EXACTLY 100% verbatim of the lecture and tests and cried when a test was "hard".....same students who go on about how their step exams are harder than everyone elses, so on and so forth. Anyways, best advice is BE PROACTIVE, no one will do it all for you and no one should.....btw when I rotated with US students it was the same complaint so everyone cut the crap now

[DRJJ1]

you can say all of that but u are failing to realize something...SMU could go be the way of Ross and still would make a killing. there is a reason why so many students go to Ross even w/ its inadequacies; they have no choice!

you can't expect US med school service from a non-US med school. as for getting what you pay for, the MD is what you pay for. period. i am not gonna waste my 2,000th post on this topic...i just hope that all students realize that the opportunity to be an MD when you were not good enough to be one is worth the minimal headaches.


As I approach my med ed. I would like to thank everyone for their input but the 3 names I will remember most will be Junito and Americanimg and GOODDOC for all the continued info and inside scoop about SMU.

[got milk?]

Anyways, best advice is BE PROACTIVE, no one will do it all for you and no one should.....btw when I rotated with US students it was the same complaint so everyone cut the crap now


I don't see how I can be proactive in my situation. They're holding all the cards. Whether or not they have enough rotation spots is forever a mystery and beyond a student's control.
All I can do is wait for a spot to open up, right? The situation isn't made better by the fact that SMU students have to fight for clinical spots based on Step 1 score. Some kid that scored 10 points higher gets the spot, while you have to wait..for who knows how long.

I have a nasty feeling in my stomach that things are going the way of Ross, especially with all these people who passed Step 1 recently. I think smu is flooded with people who just passed step 1, and don't have enough spots to accommodate us.

SMu said there was a 40% increase in ACGME spots. Does that increase our number from 50 to 70? .... .:rolleyes:

[AmericanIMG]

As I approach my med ed. I would like to thank everyone for their input but the 3 names I will remember most will be Junito and Americanimg and GOODDOC for all the continued info and inside scoop about SMU.

hey bro,
glad to be helping

:)

finish strong!

[AmericanIMG]

I don't see how I can be proactive in my situation. They're holding all the cards.


have u asked about green rotation openings in Atl? or Chic? or Baltimore? or Virginia? there are A LOT of green spots...u just can't be specific. there is always UK as an option as well.

[Laurie S]

If memory serves correctly... During Dean's hour with Dean N with our final semester on the island, a concern was raised about the priority placement of students for clinicals since our semester and the semester before would be taking the Step during the same time frame. It was previously mentioned that the highest Step score would have priority placement. Since there was concern amoung the students, they changed the priority placement to the first class acquiring a passing score or a student with a higher score.

This may have changed since the July '06 Dean's meeting. For those people who are transfers, they may not be aware of the meeting.

[Junito]

have u asked about green rotation openings in Atl? or Chic? or Baltimore? or Virginia? there are A LOT of green spots...u just can't be specific. there is always UK as an option as well.

Also ask for Youngstown, or any other spots in Ohio...When it comes to clinicals the more you search the more you will be suprised.

[AmericanIMG]

Also ask for Youngstown, or any other spots in Ohio...When it comes to clinicals the more you search the more you will be suprised.

exactly. or St Louis, Colorado, or Wash St.

[got milk?]

i wasn't specific at all.

all i wanted was green.... anywhere, any state. I have a boatload of money, and I'll fly every 6 weeks if i have to.

[swimguy23]

i wasn't specific at all.

all i wanted was green.... anywhere, any state. I have a boatload of money, and I'll fly every 6 weeks if i have to.

thats the spirit!! jk

in reference to your other post directed back at me.....my entire post wasn't directed at you directly, but moreso in people who complain in general. I was not saying you were complaining.....

[SillyDoc]

a boatload of money but not even a teaspoon of modesty.

[Hawk]

Originally Posted by smu79 http://www.valuemd.com/images/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://www.valuemd.com/st-matthews-university-school-medicine/130328-waiting-clinical-rotations-4.html#post572345)
Im curious to see if you specifically asked for sites, or did you just said all green?


I asked for all green, and i declined one site in NY. Pretty flexible otherwise.

that shouldn't be too hard should it?


I just got billed for the background screening.

Last edited by got milk? : 03-17-2007 at 01:20 AM.



Dr. Milk,

Was the rotation you turned down Green?

[eosinophil]

So who is:
1) waiting for a spot?
2) When did you pass or how long have you been waiting?





not interested in life stories or debates about schools ...lol

[Jeep23Guy]

I'm kinda confused about why you've had to wait so long. I'll admit right now that I haven't gone back and read every post, so maybe you already answered this. How picky are you being about your rotations?

I started my first rotation about 10 days after I sent in my passing step 1 score (in early-mid January). I'm in my second rotation, and I have rotations set up through mid august. I wasn't picky with the first rotation, but I set up the next 3 in Chicago. BTW, I'm only doing green rotations.

[got milk?]

I'm kinda confused about why you've had to wait so long. I'll admit right now that I haven't gone back and read every post, so maybe you already answered this. How picky are you being about your rotations?

I started my first rotation about 10 days after I sent in my passing step 1 score (in early-mid January). I'm in my second rotation, and I have rotations set up through mid august. I wasn't picky with the first rotation, but I set up the next 3 in Chicago. BTW, I'm only doing green rotations.


your timing was 10x better because you got your scores right before the beginning of the following semester, which seems to be the time when they assign most of their rotation spots.

Right now, I want all green, in any state. Not picky at all. I think I'm at the 4th percentile of pickyness.


Originally Posted by smu79 http://www.valuemd.com/images/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://www.valuemd.com/st-matthews-university-school-medicine/130328-waiting-clinical-rotations-4.html#post572345)


Was the rotation you turned down Green?


I was never offered anything in NY. So there was nothing to turn down.
However, I stated my preference beforehand not to rotate at one site, for one specific rotation only. That is, every other rotation at that site was fine for me.

[Godschosenone]

People in the miami class right now
who have passed and had their results in for over a week
have been told that they wont be able to start until the end of june.

[Godschosenone]

We are also being forced to pay late fees
and for a national board semester

[Jeep23Guy]

That's kinda strange. A friend of mine got his score early-mid march and started his 1st green rotation this week...

[Godschosenone]

It seems like we are being made to wait
till they got all you guys out the way.
They told us and pushed us to take our exams early so that
they could get us into clinical spots.
we met our part of the deal, yet we cant even be given
something as simple as start dates for any of the sites.

[Jeep23Guy]

It's pretty frustrating how things work sometimes (or most of the time). I found out on a friday that my rotation starting on monday was canceled. I had already driven 7 hours on my way to Chicago at that point. It worked out and I got a rotation starting 1 week later, but believe me when I tell you that I understand your frustration.

[UFTim]

It seems like we are being made to wait
till they got all you guys out the way.
They told us and pushed us to take our exams early so that
they could get us into clinical spots.
we met our part of the deal, yet we cant even be given
something as simple as start dates for any of the sites.

Aren't you taking the summer off anyway?? :cool:

[UFTim]

We are also being forced to pay late fees
and for a national board semester

Yeah, our situation in Miami is a little weird. We haven't gotten our official passing scores for our 5th semester courses despite passing USMLE step 1, so we can't be placed in a clinical rotation. Therefore, we have to register for a National Board semester until we get placed in a clinical rotation. However, once we get placed, our registration changes to Clinical registration, and our $500 for a board semester gets refunded. Our student loan disbursement amount also changes from the board semester amount to the clinical amount. I guess they'd just wire the difference our accounts.

Some people have been complaining a lot. Shoot, I understand people are upset, but I've been on the phone, and I've been up there meeting with the administrators in Orlando to actually try and get things remedied. Things will calm down, and we'll get back to business.

[Jeep23Guy]

Hey, same thing happened to me last semester. Seems like a problem that will have to be resolved somehow but might be a tough one to fix.

[UFTim]

Hey, same thing happened to me last semester. Seems like a problem that will have to be resolved somehow but might be a tough one to fix.

They're trying to make a "Clinical Pending" registration, which will change to "Clinical" once you're placed.

[Godschosenone]

Aren't you taking the summer off anyway?? :cool:

heh

doesn't mean i don't have empathy for what the others are going through.
and cant call rubbish when i see it

[Junito]

It seems like we are being made to wait
till they got all you guys out the way.
They told us and pushed us to take our exams early so that
they could get us into clinical spots.
we met our part of the deal, yet we cant even be given
something as simple as start dates for any of the sites.

I sort of went through the same thing...I feel your pain though.

[eosinophil]

wow, thats sick, ...to make a student wait and pay 500. wow.

why don't you do electives until a core opens up?

[AmericanIMG]

wow, thats sick, ...to make a student wait and pay 500. wow.

why don't you do electives until a core opens up?


electives have prereqs. cores are open in Atlanta!

[Junito]

The school has a policy that you can't do an elective till you have the core done. They will not let you do free standing electives (i.e. EM) if you don't have a core done already. This was the policy when I started, unless it has changed recently.

[Junito]

electives have prereqs. cores are open in Atlanta!

Free standing electives at Wyckoff (no prereqs) are radiology, emergency medicine, and preventive medicine. Don't remember the other ones.