Externship timing

I don't know about too early- just be sure you've done surgery and practiced your basic o.r. skills.

Too late: my school's dean's letter which is a summary of me to date went out on November 1st. My performance at the rotation that ended on October 25th did not get on that letter and therefore during interviews people only thought I did two ortho rotations while I actually did three.

ERAS deadline was Nov 1st. last year. Therefore, try to be done two weeks before that deadline to allow the program to evaluate and sumbit their evaluation to be included in your file.

The remarks of people outside your home institution speak volumes about you if you do or if you don't have a home ortho program.

Most externships should be done before November if at all possible. This is helpful for you to get your letters of recommendation during your away rotation. However, there are some scenarios when an away rotation done later can be advantageous (i.e. November): 1) you do not necessarily need a LOR from that program; 2) you want to rotate at a program that you are very interested in after you have already "warmed up" at your other acting internships; 3) the program has a better chance of remembering you as the selection for interview process begins after the Dean's Letters go out (Nov. 1).

William N. Levine, MD
Associate Professor, Orthopaedic Surgery
Residency Director, Columbia University Medical Center