If you’re a 3rd year medical student in the US right about now you’re setting up your 4th year clinical schedule. For EM-bound students this generally includes some combination of Emergency Medicine Acting Internships and electives during the peak “applicant” season of June through November. Students use these away rotations to learn more about EM residency programs, to get SLOE‘s, and to find out whether a certain program is right for them, while programs use these months to meet potential applicants and place a face, and a person, to what otherwise is a bunch of numbers on an application.
Most EM electives accept applications through AAMC’s VSAS service. For a nice discussion about the process, be sure to listen to EMStud’s Four Letter Words: VSAS on CDEM.
Participating programs and opening dates can be found at the VSAS Homepage. Several programs already have their info up, though most applications are not open yet. The Hofstra-Northwell student elective catalog will be available on April 1st, 2016 and we will begin accepting applications on April 15th. In addition to our usual offering, LIJ is also starting a new EM/IM/Crit Care/Procedure Team elective. For more info on all LIJ experiences, visit the Student Education page at theEMpulse.org
To increase your chances of successfully scheduling an elective at LIJ during the summer months please have your application in early since we utilize a rolling acceptance process, and try to select more than 1 period, if possible. Contact us at dmarcus2@northwell.edu if you have questions.
Pro Tip: Northwell EM has several sites. Make sure you know to which one/s you are applying…
Good luck!
~David
