Shanna - 09 April 2009 05:03 PM

N3UR05UR930N - 09 April 2009 04:01 PM

Shanna - 09 April 2009 12:27 PM

Kenny Liu - 08 February 2007 06:16 AM

sure, i did.

some people did four.  be careful, though, as sub-i’s are very difficult months.  i was burnt out by my third one.

I have a question about “burn out” for those who’s experienced Sub-Is

Do people usually work 7 days/week without any day off during Sub-Is? or do we get about 1-2 days off each week? Does “burn out” mean you get physically tired and unable work anymore or just mental state of being tired of doing months after months of Sub-Is?

Thank you.

You generally work as much as you want. I didn’t take any days off.

By burnout people mean once the novelty wears off, you stop caring and stop being interested and instead, you’ll just be mostly tired.

Thanks for the reply.

What I’m trying to ask is that, is it physically doable to do 4 months of Sub-Is one after another? Or is it unrealistic to keep being enthusiastic and to be involved for such long time?

Anything is “doable.”
You will be “doing” 7 years straight of subI’s in a few years.

The real question is, would it be the best way to serve your needs and accomplish your goals.

I did 4.5 months of neurosurgery (2 aways, 2 home) and enjoyed it immensely. However, my program has 5 hospitals, so I spent 2 weeks at each hospital, which cut down on burnout, and I did not do them back to back.
My advice would be do spread out the nsurg rotations if you can.
I would do a home sub-i, followed by one away, then take one month off to do something else, followed by the second away.

latin - 11 April 2009 10:16 AM

I did 4.5 months of neurosurgery (2 aways, 2 home) and enjoyed it immensely. However, my program has 5 hospitals, so I spent 2 weeks at each hospital, which cut down on burnout, and I did not do them back to back.
My advice would be do spread out the nsurg rotations if you can.
I would do a home sub-i, followed by one away, then take one month off to do something else, followed by the second away.

Yes. That’s a good idea. I’m thinking about doing something like what you suggested.

Thanks

N3UR05UR930N - 11 April 2009 07:31 AM

Anything is “doable.”
You will be “doing” 7 years straight of subI’s in a few years.

I know.  The idea of “spacing out” sub-I’s in an effort to convince people you can do 7 years of them back to back is pretty ridiculous.  What’s even more ridiculous is that it seems to work.

July: Home Sub-I (3w)
Aug: Away Sub-I #1 (3w)
Late Aug: 2w off to recharge
Sept: Away Sub-I #2 (4w)
Oct: Away Sub-I #3 (4w)

So I basically have 14w of NSGY rotations in my 4th year (2w during MS3). I expect with the upcoming 8 straight weeks of NSGY w/o a day off I will be exhausted, but hopefully I enjoy it enough (considering I want to do this for the rest of my life) not to be too burnt out! Wish me luck!

Again, I’d caution against doing too many in a row.  My away rotations were the most painful of my life and you will definitely burn out.  If your intention is just to get a feel for the program, then that might be fine, but if you’re interested in making a good showing and impressing the people there, I wish you the best of luck.

I probably performed the best during my middle rotation, where I wasn’t too tired but had experience under my belt.

I have two questions:

1. Based on what I have read on UH, I thought away rotations were REQUIRED; however, I checked a lot of program websites and it looks like away subIs are not required.  Why not do an NS subI or two at your home program and then apply? 

2. I have some research projects that are going to continue into my MS4 year.  Is it worth risking not completing these projects so that I can fit in an away subI or two?

Thanks in advance.

1. I’m not sure I understand your question.  Subi’s are definitely not required but I think they are recommended.  I guess you could arrange your fourth year schedule however you wanted depending on your purpose for doing subi’s.

2. I would say: “it depends.” If you have a stellar application, you could probably get yourself matched somewhere without doing audition rotations.

Thanks Kenny.  I meant doing an extra home institution sub-I (for example, my school has multiple hospitals) instead of an away.  I guess what I do not understand is what is the difference between “recommended” and “required” when it comes to aways?  In your experience, have you ever seen applicants who have matched without doing an away rotation?

Yes.

hi folks,
i’m trying to compare two potential schedules and was hoping for some advice. doing home sub-i in may, away sub-i 1 in june, neurology in july, and away sub-i 2 in august vs. step 2 in may and then pushing everything up a month to end away sub-i 2 in september...i have a high step 1 and am in no way relying on a high step 2 to help me out...just figure it might be nice to get it out of the way before embarking on a long summer of neuro-related experiences where i might not be paying as much attention to non-neuro knowledge. also, is it a big deal to not have taken neuro before the three nsurg sub-i’s? i figure it’ll be a nice break from the sub-i’s even though i won’t have the added knowledge up front before beginning my home sub-i but it will only come into play for my last sub-i...any thoughts are much appreciated. thanks.

I’d get step 2 out of the way.  Whatever studying you do for step 2 might make you smarter overall.  As for neurology, I don’t think it matters when you do it.  I did it between my home sub-i and my first away sub-i.  I don’t think it was particularly helpful, but it was a nice calm before the storm.