New York

During the senior year of medical school, many students opt to do visiting rotations at other institutions.  There are many good reasons to do "aways", as we call them.  They can provide more experience and learning before the start of residency, so hopefully leaving a student more prepared for the disaster that is intern year (intern = first year resident).  Also, doing aways may give some students an opportunity to get their foot in the door at competitive programs.  Aways are also useful to see what life is like in other cities, or to see how other hospital system are run.

The motivations for my China away rotation were mostly cultural - that is, I wanted to experience life in China and see how the Chinese medical system was organized.  That I got to see some cool thoracic surgery cases was an additional benefit.  My current away rotation in NYC will be at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK).  Unlike most of the places that students do aways, MSK does not actually have a residency program in surgery; they have fellowship programs.  Fellowship is where a doc is trained after residency, and it only lasts 1-2 years normally.  So I won't be applying for a spot at MSK next year; perhaps I will in 6-7 years.  As arguably the top cancer center in the world, there will be as many great learning opportunities at MSK as there would be anywhere.  A final reason for this rotation:  it is important that I figure out whether I would want to live in New York or some other crowded big city.

My apartment is located at approximately 74th and 1st avenue.  It is a couple blocks from MSK and from the NYC public library.  Central Park is about 1 km away; I went for a run through it last night and happened to go past the Guggenheim.  I have been craving Indian food lately, and I haven't had a chance to go get it in Indianapolis.  Well, the door to my apartment is flanked by an Indian restaurant and a Chinese restaurant, and there is another Indian restaurant across the street.  There are small markets everywhere, and street vendors with fresh produce as well.  I think I picked a good season to live here!