… and now for something completely different: a little peek into the things that keep my brain up way past its’ bedtime…

re-cap: hi, my name is Jennifer Hawke and in 2 & 1/2 years, i’m going to be an IMG trying to land a residency in Vancouver. i realize that before then, i have an awful lot of studying to do, a ton of exams to pass, a couple of national boards to kick, and clinical rotations to complete. why worry about something so far down the road??

well, one of those important pre-residency criteria will not be spent on the sunny remote island of Nevis so very far, far, far away from the city and home i love. one of those pre-residency criteria is a 72-week program of clinical rotations at a teaching hospital in North America. rotations are an essential med school process allowing you to form professional relationships that will strengthen the actual residency application. the whole point of clinical rotations is to spend time in a hospital working with folks so they get to know you and can (hopefully) later recommend you to the program of your dreams.

what happens if you want to do your residency in Canada, but have to do your clinical rotations in the USA? how do you form those essential professional relationships and line up the killer recommendations? well, that brings us to the topic of this post:

“I Can’t Do My Rotations In Canada, But I Still Want To Get As Close As Possible”

so, i’m stuck in the beautiful US of A for 72 weeks. not so bad, right? which is the state closest to British Columbia? why, Washington! so, which is the teaching hospital that would be the super most awesome place for me to do clinical rotations? why, University of Washington School of Medicine!

does MUA have any clinical rotation affiliations with the University of Washington? unfortunately, no. otherwise my brain would be sound asleep as soon as the lights go out. most of MUA’s hospital affiliations are in/around New York. sticking with existing and current rotations, i think Colorado is about the closest i could get to Vancouver.

don’t get me wrong. i have nothing against Colorado or New York. in fact, i know some pretty fine folks from New York and can think of worse things than spending a little time closer to them. it just sucks that someone saw fit to make North America so stinking wide and separated the east and west coasts by so many zillions of miles.

which brings us back to my brain. it is keeping me up late at nights, storming around trying to figure out how i can get my foot in the door of either the Seattle or Spokane Visiting Student Program. i know i am a great student and a hard worker. i know i would be a brilliant addition to any teaching hospital clinical rotation program. i know i’m going to work my butt off wherever i end up. it just remains to be seen who i’m working my butt off for.

so, why not apply to Seattle’s Visiting Student Program? why not fire off an application into the pool and see how it works out?

turns out, i can’t even get past the first condition in the application overview procedure: i don’t have a sponsor. i don’t have a “pre-existing personal or professional relationship with a UW School of Medicine faculty member.”

there are other speed bumps, of course. but that roadblock is a giant red flashing sign with POLICE LINE DO NOT CROSS tape criss-crossing in every direction and electrocuting me any time i try to move forward.

it really is all about who you know.

and i’m not in the right circles. yet. thankfully, my brain is worrying about this early and i have some time.

by the looks of it, Spokane’s application is a little less stringent. it doesn’t look like i need a “pre-existing relationship” and could probably MacGyver my way into a 12-week rotation with a piece of bubblegum, some wire, and an empty pop can. from there, i might be able to meet someone that could help me get another 12 weeks in Seattle. as it is, i am currently at a bit of a dead end. does anyone know Dr. Tom E. Norris and want to put in a good word for a cool Canadian gal with a camera?

as the title indicates, this has just begun! i can’t give up until all of the doors are fully slammed in my face. i will keep you posted as this unfolds and if i have any success even getting my toe pinched in the door, i’ll be sure to share my tactics. because it will really be a magical Cinderella miracle.

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