Getting Ready for my Elective in USA

2805 Views 8 Replies 5 Participants Last post by eeman, Jan 12, 2012

LatinGeorge

Discussion Starter · Feb 14, 2011

Hello everyone, as my username tells im an Foreign medical student.. from Guatemala actually.

I was accepted into a clinical elective at Massachusetts...

I'm going for pulmonary medicine and cards... so I really want to impress them so I could have an interview and match at that program..

please help me with some advice, tips, pointers.. any pearl of wisdom will be appreciated!!

:sorry:

hope u guys reply.. I have time to study so study tips are also welcome, and by the way its my first experience in the US medical system.

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lee-usmle

· #2 · Feb 14, 2011

Welcome to USA

Welcome to USA!

I am sure you'll enjoy your elective rotation in Massachusetts.

If you are coming really soon then you need to be prepared for extremely cold weather in MA which will be there until the end of May.

During your elective you'll get a chance to get used to the American accent. and do not worry at all about your accent and don't be embarrassed, Americans are used to foreign accents and in fact they sometimes love to listen to them.

You need to show up very early in the morning and you need to show extreme enthusiasm.

Try to write notes about each patient and go back home and read about the disease and come next day and ask the professor about the stuff that you did not understand.

Try to give a presentation and so I suggest that you try to learn Power Point or any other software that help you make presentation and when you come here ask your professor to allow you give a presentation, (again do not be embarassed).

Socialize with anybody you see, residents, nurses, faculty, patients, ..etc American people love to socialize and chat and laugh.

Do not feel like a stranger, over 25% of the population are people just like you, they just came to USA.

Good luck

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LatinGeorge

Discussion Starter · #3 · Feb 14, 2011

lee-usmle said:
Welcome to USA!

I am sure you'll enjoy your elective rotation in Massachusetts.

If you are coming really soon then you need to be prepared for extremely cold weather in MA which will be there until the end of May.

During your elective you'll get a chance to get used to the American accent. and do not worry at all about your accent and to don't be embarrassed, Americans are used to foreign accents and in fact they sometimes love to listen to them.

You need to show up very early in the morning and you need to show extreme enthusiasm.

Try to write notes about each patient and go back home and read about the disease and come next day and ask the professor about the stuff that you did not understand.

Try to give a presentation and so I suggest that you try to learn Power Point or any other software that help you make presentation and when you come here ask your professor to allow you give a presentation, (again do not be embarassed).

Socialize with anybody you see, residents, nurses, faculty, patients, ..etc American people love to socialize and chat and laugh.

Do not feel like a stranger, over 25% of the population are people just like you, they just came to USA.

Good luck

Lee... people should pay u to read your posts! everytime u help alot, for that thankyou.

Well, over the internet people over there seem great, my english is pretty well at least i think so

I will take that in consideration, i have been searching the net for the LOR's tips, and somewhere a person said that one should tell the attending early about it... if so.. how/

and another thing, should i talk or email the internal medicine program director, or should i adress him through one of my attendings or fellows (i mean ask somebody to introduce me)

from your personal experience, what makes you think.. ohh thats a great medical student, thats a good student, and thats an average med student...

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lee-usmle

· #4 · Feb 14, 2011

LatinGeorge said:
I will take that in consideration, i have been searching the net for the LOR's tips, and somewhere a person said that one should tell the attending early about it... if so.. how

In my opinion, it's wrong to ask the attending about your LoR intention up front. It does not look professional.
Most of them are willing to write for you, but you need to leave that to the end of your rotation.
Try to show yourself to different attendings so that if one of them refused to write you can ask the other.

LatinGeorge said:
and another thing, should i talk or email the internal medicine program director, or should i adress him through one of my attendings or fellows (i mean ask somebody to introduce me)

Don't jump into the big head from the beginning. Give it sometime, try to show yourself to him/her, like during the morning reports and rounds.
The best way is to ask his/her secretory/assistant during the last week of your rotation for an "Exit Interview", make it look like you are asking for his/her advice on what to do next and how to increase your chances in matching ...etc
This Exit Interview can prove very useful and may open the door for you to future matching, but as I said, do it only after you showcased yourself before it and at the last week of your rotation.

LatinGeorge said:
from your personal experience, what makes you think.. ohh thats a great medical student, thats a good student, and thats an average med student...

A good med student, is the one who have shown great enthusiasm by coming early and leaving late, the one who showed great deal of knowledge, the one who seemed to have nice professional relationships with colleagues and paramedical staff and patients, one who is looking to solve patients problems with passion, one who's interested in research, one who's bringing up references to recent articles, one who's technologically aware, one who's aware of the American social and economic and demographic norms, ....etc

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LatinGeorge

Discussion Starter · #5 · Mar 25, 2011

Lee great advice, going there in a week.. hope everything works out fine. I emailed the professor of the elective to ask him for study themes... and he told me not to worry, they'll tell me what to read there.. so i am relaxed for now

) .. i have worked hard to get this opportunity hope everything works out fine

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karansaraf

· #6 · Mar 26, 2011

May I ask which hospital/programme you are doing your elective at?

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LatinGeorge

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jan 8, 2012

I was checking this post. Everything went just like we discussed Lee.. thanks again.

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drcuddles

· #8 · Jan 11, 2012

LatinGeorge said:
Hello everyone, as my username tells im an Foreign medical student.. from Guatemala actually.

I was accepted into a clinical elective at Massachusetts...

I'm going for pulmonary medicine and cards... so I really want to impress them so I could have an interview and match at that program.

Hello, many thanks for this thread but may u kindly tell us which hospital/program in Mass. you applied and got accepted at ?
And what are the formalities you did !
Thanks in advance

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eeman

· #9 · Jan 12, 2012

congratz,..i want to know which program u applied and how,..i want to apply for electives in aug 2012 so will u help me out,..that when and where i apply,,..i am img

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