As third-year medical students begin to think about scheduling for next year, they must carefully consider how to arrange their final, and arguably most important, year of medical education.
“This is the year right before internship,” says tired-appearing third-year student Jesse Hawkins, “so I want to make sure I’m well prepared and take all the right electives.”
One elective he plans to take is “Path TA,” which is highly coveted at his school. “This experience allows the fourth year student to hone their pathology skills prior to beginning residency,” he mentions. “One day per week is spent in the pathology lab teaching second-year students, while the remaining time is spent on independent study, exercising, video games, social media, and various other vital medically-related activities.”
When questioned about his future specialty goals, he states that pathology is low on his list.
Ophthalmology resident Taylor Christy also chimed in, stating, “We get a lot of fourth-year students rotating through our department, especially towards the end of the year. Most of them aren’t going into ophtho, but I think they realize how important the diagnosis and treatment for various eye diseases will be during their intern year. Needless to say, these newly minted doctors will be well-prepared for the wards.”
