So what is 4th year of med school like now?

[spaz]

Just skimming, it looks like it changed. We got married right before his 4th year. I had a first year teaching job. ( 180 8th graders..yep..6 classes with 30 or more in a class in a row!!! My conference period was 7th period!) I was REALLY busy trying to stay ahead of the kids, grading papers, etc. My hubby, on the other hand, had the easiest year ever. He had 4 months off. He did travel some to search for a residency. Most of his rotations were a cake walk..family practice where he went in at 9 and got home at 4. ( Especially compared to the ones he did 3rd year and then residency..) He did take a big test in July when he graduated, but he wasn't overly stressed. His grades were just pass/fail that year so no worrying about making that top A. He was the one who cooked for me that year. ( He is a fabulous cook, when he is actually home!) He was giving me the backrubs and we discussed where we would go and what we would do. We were dirt poor and only went to the dollar movie across the street ( with candy and microwave popcorn smuggled inside in my purse) It was a great year that I remember fondly..

[v-girl]

2006-07 was our 4th year. It was so easy we decided to have a 3rd kid!

[Deebs]

I think it's med school dependent. DH was an M4 from 03-04. We did get married, but had to take the only date the dean would get DH off for a week (we really wanted a break to celebrate). When he started intern year with an 80 hour work limit, his hours went down drastically. M3 and M4 were pretty hellish.

[ladymoreta]

Our 4th year was in 2008, and it was wonderful! Very similar, months off in between easy rotations. DH didn't do any away rotations, just interviews. I was working, and we had no kids, so we lived it up! LOL! We went to several of the super fancy restaurants in Dallas, went on a cruise, and did a weekend getaway or two.

ETA - Same medical school as v-girl

[diggitydot]

DH had lots of away audition rotations that year. It wasn't easy, that's for sure. And we were dirt poor. Residency was far better of an experience for all of us.

[spotty_dog]

Clinical years were a golden time for us, except winters were brutal. (He scheduled intensive rotations for the bad weather months so he wouldn't miss nice weather being stuck in a hospital, but instead SAD met exercise withdrawal met academic stress and exhaustion in a perfect storm.) Fourth was a bit easier than third; DH achieved category 1 (basically semi-pro) road cycling status from riding so much at the end of med school (and single handedly packed our house to move). Clinical years were 04-06 for us.

[alotofyarn]

My husband has had a few busy months with 2 aways, 1 home urology, and a busy AI month, but other than that it's really been pretty laid back. Our plan was to have a kid this year, but it didn't quite work out for us. I'm certainly going to miss this pace!

[spaz]

Our 4th year was in 2008, and it was wonderful! Very similar, months off in between easy rotations. DH didn't do any away rotations, just interviews. I was working, and we had no kids, so we lived it up! LOL! We went to several of the super fancy restaurants in Dallas, went on a cruise, and did a weekend getaway or two.

ETA - Same medical school as v-girl

MMM.. looks like you probably went to the same med school my hubby did since I think there is only one there. But our 4th year was nearly 20 years earlier!!!!! Gosh... I guess you guys could be my children.... Sigh....

[niener]

First half of 4th year was tough -- 3 away rotations in a row, difficult AIs, plus interviewing. After January it was the easiest time he's/we've had in this whole medical training life. We went on a cruise that May with two of our close friends, also MS4s.

[L.Jane]

My memory of 4th year is quite fuzzy, and we just started dating 4 months into the school year, but my memory of it is pretty much dropping him off at the airport and picking him up from the airport (to go on 12 or so interviews), meeting at coffee shops to study (I was in my masters program), and one abroad away rotation that I joined him at the end and traveled around. It was a crazy, but fun year.

[Bittersweet]

I think it's med school dependent. DH was an M4 from 03-04. We did get married, but had to take the only date the dean would get DH off for a week (we really wanted a break to celebrate). When he started intern year with an 80 hour work limit, his hours went down drastically. M3 and M4 were pretty hellish.

Ditto (only it wasn't 03-04 and we didn't get married ). It sucked but made the transition to residency pretty easy for both of us.

[moonlight]

The last half of it wasn't bad but the stress of waiting for match day was really hard.

[v-girl]

MMM.. looks like you probably went to the same med school my hubby did since I think there is only one there. But our 4th year was nearly 20 years earlier!!!!! Gosh... I guess you guys could be my children.... Sigh....

DH would have finished years ago, but he did the MSTP at that school. He was 39 when he started his real job.

[alotofyarn]

First half of 4th year was tough -- 3 away rotations in a row, difficult AIs, plus interviewing. After January it was the easiest time he's/we've had in this whole medical training life. We went on a cruise that May with two of our close friends, also MS4s.

Ha, I totally forgot about interviews, and it was just a few months ago! Clearly it was so awful I blocked it out of my mind.

[corn poffi]

It was cake. I would do the worst month of M4 over and over every day and it would still be 100000000000% better than any rotation he's had in residency.