Rural medicine was really good. It was my first rotation and I went to Westfield to work with Dr. Berke. My expierence was really educational and worthwhile, my only compliant was the housing. You have to be back every Monday for lecture. Other than that, I have very little complaints. Really, it depends on who your preceptor is, but you do get to do a lot more than most places around here (again, it just depends on ur preceptor and the office, i know some ppl who had amazing URBAN experiences here). So, if i were to do it again, I probably would not b/c I hated driving back and forth and i also hated the housing, but… overall, i got to do venipuncture, shots, see GYN/OB stuff, see orthopedic surgeries (all with respective attendings, meaning not with the family medicine attending) but the point is, my family medicine attending let me see things I was interested in.
I guess I can make a pros/cons list:
PROS:
NO residents
Get to do everything
You are really important and valuable to the team b/c there are few practioners.
You can leave buffalo for a while
You have excuses not to work on Weekends, b/c you have to be back for MOnday lecture
You dont have to do inpatient family medicine here in buffalo (which i heard can be hellish)
Most people have a good experience, I hear Olean is also a good site.
You get away from crazy classmates and are the only student there
see deliveries before OB rotation
see orthopedic surgeries before surgery rotation
experience working with infants/kids before peds
CONS:
too much driving
housing unreliabe, no internet (where I was in Westfield, i hear some locations have internet)
i had to share a room for 3 nights
No friends around
everything in westfield closed at 7, i had to study at the hospital
only chinese person in westfield, except on chinese family that owned restaurant
(if you do it in the winter, driving is worse)
sooo.. my compliants are really just superficial. overall excellent experience.