Surviving Years 3 & 4

When I think about the last two years of medical school, I think about how different it was than the first two. Instead of being in the classroom, they’re out on rotation and experiencing REAL interactions with patients. Chances are is that most students at the end of second year/beginning of third year have not ever really interacted with patients.

Each month (except internal medicine and general surgery which were two months) was something different. The schedules were always different, which also meant the sleep schedule was different. I remember the alarm going off at 3:30 in the morning during the two months Geoff had surgery because he had to be there at 4am, then turning over and praying I could get a few more hours of shuteye before my alarm went off around 6:30a or 7a. Let’s just say I was VERY happy when that rotation was over. The cool thing about third year is that it is the opportunity for your S.O. to figure out what they want to go into. Some people (like Geoff) knew what they wanted to go into, but still kept an open mind. Others needed the rotations of third year to figure things out. Granted, how your S.O. did on boards will also directly influence what specialty they can go into. The better you do on boards, the more competitive the specialty you can go for. Although keep in mind that this isn’t always directly correlated to guaranteeing a secured spot in the match.

By the end of the third year, your S.O. needs to have an idea of what specialty they want. Why? Because from the beginning of fourth year (July through February) they’re still doing rotations local to the medical school, audition rotations (at some of the residency programs that they want to go too), and interviews at (hopefully) a handful of programs. Some schools will say that they need to do 3-4+ audition rotations…but they don’t really have to do that many. Certain specialties like Orthopedic Surgery for D.O.’s do require you to do more than 4 (more like 6) audition rotations. Geoff only did 2 and that was plenty. Audition rotations are hard – mentally, emotionally, and physically. They can either be 2-weeks or 4-weeks long and can really take a toll on ones relationship and finances. Let’s be honest, the two thirds of 4th year are hard. The pressure is on for your S.O. to perform well consistently.

If you have a S.O. currently in medical school and they’re entering the last 2 years, congratulations! Seriously though, congrats. Medical school is a beast and it’s just as hard for you as it is for them. Allow me to provide some advice:

Start saving money for away (audition) rotations, residency applications, interviews, and moving expenses (or a trip) before residency NOW. Don’t max out your student loans unless necessary, but do start to build a strong savings account that will help pay for the upcoming expenses. Plan for all of it to cost around 5-figures.

Get TSA Pre-check. Chances are is they will do a lot of flying for interviews and it is a life saver. This will especially be important if your S.O. has multiple interviews days apart from each other and/or flies out of major airport hubs. It’s only $85 for 5 years. Do it. Get it for yourself too while you’re at it.

Get a good credit card. We got the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and love it. Do your research and find the card that best fits you and your situation.

If there are certain places that you want to rank HIGH on your rank order list for residency, try to travel with your S.O. as a lot of times there is a dinner the night before interviews and sometimes S.O.’s are allowed to join. This also gives you an option to see if YOU would like the area too.

Communicate with your S.O. about how you’re feeling. If you’re feeling a certain way about the process, tell them. Don’t allow yourself to say ‘they’ve got too much on their plate right now, I won’t mention it’ or ‘ it’s not that big of a deal’ when it actually is.

You WILL get through this. Once the Match has taken place, it’s pretty much a nice downhill slide till graduation….except for the moving part. It throws a wrench into the whole plan as you’re then given two months to get life squared away. From Match till you’re done people will ask how you’re moving, when you’re moving, if you’re excited about moving, what/who you’re using, and what you’re doing with your home (if you bought while in medical school). Some people will judge you for doing things one way or differently than the ‘norm’ but don’t worry about it. You do what is best for you and your S.O. because in the end, that’s what matters.

Somewhere in the chaos, try to enjoy the process and soak everything in. I know it’s hard, trust me, but you don’t want to look back wishing you had done more with friends or gone on a trip or even just be more present with those around you. Also, give yourself a pat on the back because you ARE DOING IT. You are surviving medical school as the S.O. (or maybe even as the student) and that is awesome.

Xoxo