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How Away Rotations play into getting that dream residency
Among all the strange things about medical school, there’s the so-called “away” or “audition” rotation. Recently matched M4s Aditi Katwala, Hend Al-Kaylani, Lena Volfson, and Kristin Davis talk about what it’s like to leave CCOM for weeks at a time to visit another hospital. Maybe they want to experience some new things there they wouldn’t have seen at Iowa. But also, it’s often about showing off their med-student skills for a residency program they might match with in another part of the country.
Spoiler–that’s not exactly how it worked out for them, but they learned a whole lot and ultimately that’s the point. This episode will clue you into the strategies, reasons, benefits and limitations of doing an advanced rotation away your home medical school. In addition, we have our usual laughs along the way.

Also, we play our own special med school edition of That Escalated Quickly, in which the crew give their creative answers to a prompt based on their secret numbers from 1 to 10, then an organizer try to rank those responses from lowest to highest intensity. It’s a game where thoughtful discussion and pandemonium hold hands!
Episode credits:
- Producer: Hend Al-Kaylani (main topic), Cyrus Barati (game)
- Co-hosts: Lena Volfson, Kristin Davis, Aditi Katwala
- Production: SCP Media Lab–Anna Roger, Cyrus Barati, Isa Perez-Sandi, Zach Grissom, Sarah Upton, Srishti Mathur, David Lee, and Jacob Thompson
The views and opinions expressed on this podcast belong solely to the individuals who share them. They do not represent the positions of the University of Iowa, the Carver College of Medicine, or the State of Iowa. All discussions are intended for entertainment purposes only and should not be taken as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Nothing said on this podcast should be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any medical condition. Always seek qualified professional guidance for personal decisions.
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