A guide to PM&R a medical student perspective

[JeremyC]

A guide to Physical Medicine and Rehabiliation as a student in Medical School

First and Second year: Focus should be used to network and get to know attending early on in your career. Attending conferences such as AAP and AAPMR can really help network and get your name out early. One opportunity that can really help you shine is reach out to program coordinators and see if they allow students to attend didactic reports for local programs of interest. Additionally, if your home school does not offer a club make one and if it exists join it. Become heavily involved from what I have heard across the board is Physiatry really wants to match those individuals that are in love with the field. One thing you really should start working on during this stage is getting your Neuromoscular exam in a rhythm if you can get this down you will be golden. One resource for this I used was The 3-Minute Musculoskeletal and Peripheral Nerve Exam by Kimberly DiCuccio Heckert MD.
Third Year: should be focused on connections, connections, and more connections do not expect people to go to bat for you, if they just do not know you. This advice can really alleviate some of the stress in audition rotations especially if you displayed interest early on. Most people are very busy so even if they do not reach out to you, it may be worth trying to reach out a second time. One resource I found helpful in making connections is the Member Directories in AAP, AOCPMR, and AAPMR, they provide emails and phone numbers that can help you reach out to attending and residents in programs of interest. Aside from that it is also vitally important to remember Physiatry is becoming more competitive not only in academics, but also in overall applicants. Therefore, study for boards and get involved with community service projects/local rehabs. During this time it would also be wise to start working on your personal statement early on, if you are anything like me you would need various renditions and it would be ideal to have a solid draft for VSLO audition applications.
Forth year: i cannot provide much assistance at the time as I am still going down this path.



P.S. there are a few great places to get involved. The link in Pathways in PMR is a great organization that really does a lot for students and collaborates TONS of information. Look for a mentor, a good one can really guide you in the right direction in this crazy path.
A good resource to become familiar with some of Physiatry is the MSU PM&R Student handbook
https://pmr.msu.edu/images/applicants/P ... andout.pdf