your ideas for good residency electives?

[gherelin]

Hi! I'm looking for interesting away electives-some I've heard of include integrative medicine in arizona, colpo clinic in costa rica (closed to people not at that residency I think), tropical medicine in belize(just a week), cuban health care (must speak spanish at advanced level-I don't). Anyone had any they loved or just any good ones they've heard about?
Thanks!

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[dbiddy808]

What's this clinic in Costa Rica about? Where did you learn about this. Please share any info. I am a resident and I am allowed to do an away rotation.

 

[gherelin]

the costa rica elective is for family practice residents at florida hospital who are learning colposcopy

 

[Linie]

I just finished an elective in Sitka, Alaska at the Indian Health Service hospital there, Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital. The town is BEAUTIFUL, and they pay travel, room and board. They make you take call, which I was not excited about, but it turns out you can blow off call on some nights bc the attendings are in house and are expecting to work. I told the ER nurse to call me if things got busy... otherwise I was home in bed.

The hospital serves a number of small communities with nothing more than a clinic. If the timing works out, you can go with one of the attendings to one of these communities (of about 200) by boat or even by float plane for a week.

If you're interested, send me a personal message and I can tell you how to apply.

 

[joaquin13]

What is the tropical medicine in Belize?

 

[gherelin]

Well I guess it's more of a CME than an elective. It's a week with some military types learning how to treat emergency situations in the wilderness under very primitive conditions. One of our residents went last year and loved it.

 

[gherelin]

Thanks so much for your reply. It sounds very interesting. I'll think about it and contact you for details if it looks like I'll apply. Thanks again. Know about any others or a good link for lists of them?

 

[Meza]

Residency is hard enough. Do electives that give you some slack time, especially intern year. Also a lot to be learned in Derm, Rads, and easy elective rotations.

Traveling for electives sounds good too, though.

 

[ERMudPhud]

I did the Sitka elective twice, once as a medical student and once as a resident and had a great time. Truly an unbelievable place to live and a great reasonably laid back experience in the hospital too. You could scrub with any of the surgeons if you wanted to and also do surgery with the town veterinarian.

 

[gherelin]

I was thinking seriously for a few days about trying to do an elective at the Nepal Leprosy Trust which looked really fascinating. They have a clinic near Kathmandu to diagnose and treat people with Leprosy as well as people who have been cured but are still suffering the effects. I'm afraid it would be too much expense and difficulty to arrange to go there but it's fun to daydream about. Here's one website about them: http://himalayanhands.tripod.com/html/nlt.htm.
Another site with interesting, not all religious, electives is at:http://www.missionfinder.org/medstudentsb.htm which looked like were open to residents too.
On the Sitka elective, what's the best time of year to go?

 

[axm397]

Anyone know of any other electives (not necessarily unique or interesting) where the hospital pays for travel and housing??

I am allowed an away elective too and would love to go somewhere nice in February. Hawaii anyone??

 

[drsarah04]

Hi Linie,
I PM-ed you about the Alaska elective. I'll definitely be interested in that when I can do away electives in a year or so.
Thanks!

 

[mountebank]

this is a good thread.

anymore ideas?