"Do as many as you can! It gives them a month to really know who you are, appreciate your worth as a candidate, your ability and what you can bring as a future physician in their program. Apply early as well!"
-Applied into Dermatology
"Try to do it at the later half of the academic year (January - June), that was your residents and interns are well oriented and knowledgeable. Doing it right after July, is tough because everyone is struggling in their new roles."
-Applied into Internal Medicine
"Learn your routine early. I really benefited from creating pre-rounding sheets and just filling it in with the morning labs/PE. I had my A/p already typed up and changed it depending on the information from overnight and morning labs. I would practice your presentation on your commute out loud while you are driving (or in your head in public). It's hard to feel like you have a role during 3rd year, but do your best to get involved with patient care, call consults, call/talk to family, update the patient, etc."
-Applied into Internal Medicine
"Get ready to work. This is not a vacation or time for you to relax. Don't do a sub-I if you are not willing to wake up early and be the first one there and push yourself to work harder than you have during 3rd year. In addition to that having a great and humble attitude and learning how to read the room. If the intern is overwhelmed, don't one up them in front of the attending or ask questions you can look up. Help them because residents have a lot more say then we think. It's 100% to not know, but make sure you follow up and look it up."
-Applied into Family Medicine
"Bring tons of enthusiasm and hard work. Neurology requires a great attention to detail both through a thorough history and through careful observation in the physical exam. The physical exam is also an opportunity to build rapport with your patient through therapeutic touch. Be kind with your patients and be kind with your team. We are all human beings under stress. Everyone appreciates kindness. You should also try to build your autonomy by coming up with wide differentials and treatment plans for your patients. Part of forming a partnership with your patients also involves checking in with them and your patients' families in order to make sure they understand the plan and all their questions are addressed."
-Applied into Adult Neurology
"Work hard, learn as much as you can, treat it as if you were actually an intern so that you can be more prepared for residency. Also, showing the team and attendings that you care will make for a better letter of recommendation."
-Applied into Internal Medicine