This time of year is almost universally overwhelming for visiting medical students at away rotations. They are thrown into a new environment for a brief amount of time and there is a great deal of pressure to impress both faculty and residents. After years of hard work and study, these few weeks may be one of the most influential aspects of a residency application. A survey study of Emergency Medicine (EM) residency program directors by Crane et al. showed that EM rotation grade was the single most important factor in resident selection.¹

Given the importance of performing well on this rotation, how do you succeed? Or equally as important, how do you NOT fail? This blog post was developed as a culmination of advice from personal experiences combined with those of the ALIEM 2015-16 Chief Resident Incubator, a network of over 200 chief residents from 71 programs across the country. While some of these tips may appear obvious, the potential anxiety associated with this high-stakes rotation causes many of these issues to still occur every month at programs across the country. Follow this advice to demonstrate your best self and avoid the problems that may easily overshadow many others.

(more…)