Externship Advice

[Oculopathy]

I'm looking for some general or even specific advice regarding 4th year externships. Any things I should consider that may not be that apparent when making these choices? I'm thinking of doing two rotations in FL as I think the job market pays fairly decent in that state and I love the beach. Also, one of these rotations offers a place to live. I was considering having my last rotation be nearby where my long-distance partner lives, but I'm not so sure this is a good idea (unsure if we'll still be together in 1.5 years when I do the rotation).

I have to make all of my choices in 5 weeks and I will have first priority for all selections as well.

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[Optomgem23]

Choose the sites that you want. Distance from your boyfriend is the last thing you should consider! If he wants to stick around, he will. Mine did not, so I'm happy I picked the places I wanted originally.

I chose mine based on location. I wanted to experience a new state every few months. Now I'm practicing in the state I was least looking forward to out of all my locations and ended up finding my special person there. If you like beaches, look for sites near Tampa, Jacksonville, Charleston SC, Wilmington NC, Houston, San Diego, San Francisco. Some other great non-beach cities that are my favorites include Chicago, Nashville, Philly, Washington DC, Atlanta, and Boston. These do have a slightly higher cost of living, but it is worth it. My favorite cities during my rotation in NC had been Charlotte, Raleigh, Ashville, and Wilmington. I did one in Florida as well and my only advice is to stick to the West Coast of FL!

Something I do highly recommend is looking for sites that will challenge you. If you can do two VA's, do as many as you can! It's where you'll learn the most. If your school has student comments about different sites, read them carefully. Besides CL's, you'll see everything there. And yes, it may not prepare you for the real world but the knowledge you gain is something you won't learn even after 1 year in private practice. My last rotation right before graduation was a VA... you don't realize how little you know until you're at a VA.

I hope this helps!

 

[Oculopathy]

I did one in Florida as well and my only advice is to stick to the West Coast of FL!

Can you expand on what you mean by this? My top pick is actually just outside of Miami haha.

Thanks for the insight about the VA. Was going to try and avoid, but strongly considering at least one now!