Chronic Illness and Med School

[fjtara]

I have been lucky enough to receive an acceptance at one of my top choice MD schools. However, in light of some recent health issues I have been considering requesting a one year deferral. Right before starting graduate school just shy of two years ago, I received a tentative diagnosis of a serious chronic condition that caused a lot of stress during grad school. I then got a second opinion and that doctor disputed that diagnosis and did not think it was as serious as the first doctor mentioned and recommended just monitoring my symptoms and circling back later if symptoms worsened. More recently I have experienced more symptoms and my primary care doctor referred me to multiple specialists to get an additional workup and find out what is going on. It is very stressful going through a whole battery of (sometimes invasive) medical tests while also trying to start medical school, and if I do need to start some type of treatment I would like some time to adjust to whatever it is. Taking an additional year off (without also being a student, as I finished my grad program) would provide me plenty of time to get this figured out and it would alleviate a lot of the stress I've had over whatever is going on health-wise.

Is it reasonable to request a deferral given the uncertainty of the condition? Also how in-depth should I explain the situation to the adcom in which I would request a deferral?

Thank you!

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[meronebib]

Hey, your situation is complicated, and I feel that I won’t have the best answers for you, but I just wanted you to know that I hope you feel better soon and everything works out. As to your questions, I think your deferral request is reasonable. As to how in-depth you should go, I would assume that, at the very least, a doctor’s note would be needed documenting the potential condition and detailing what the treatment options would be. Hopefully an adcom on this forum who has had more experience with stories like yours can give their input though.

 

[deleted480308]

Take care of your health

No one but the school knows if you can get more deferral. We do all know that deferrals are finite as a re LOAs. You need to assess if you will be able reliably complete 7 consecutive years of grueling training

 

[Tenk]

Depends on the condition. This is far too vague.

 

[Moko]

Doesn't hurt to ask the school and see what they recommend. Schools want their students to succeed.

 

[LizzyM]

As I understand it, the medical school has not granted you a deferral, it is not as if you are asking for a second year of deferral. Do I understand that correctly?

Medical schools want you to succeed. They want students who are going to come in, thrive, do well on exams and on clinical rotations, and cause little or no worry on the part of the administration and faculty about their progress. You may not be in that space right now. It would be far better from an administrative standpoint to give you a deferral now, fill the seat with another student, and have you back next year in good health with your condition managed well, than to have you fall apart in October or November and need to take the rest of the year off and rejoin the class the following year.

State the facts to the school and ask now if you can have a deferral until 2020. Doing this now is most thoughtful because, in all likelihood, there are still highly qualified people on the waitlist and one of them will be thrilled to get an offer. You, meanwhile, will have your seat for next year and the time to dedicate to getting your diagnosis and treatment straightened out without the pressure of medical school on top of it.

 

[LizzyM]

I have been lucky enough to receive an acceptance at one of my top choice MD schools. However, in light of some recent health issues I have been considering requesting a one year deferral. Right before starting graduate school just shy of two years ago, I received a tentative diagnosis of a serious chronic condition that caused a lot of stress during grad school. I then got a second opinion and that doctor disputed that diagnosis and did not think it was as serious as the first doctor mentioned and recommended just monitoring my symptoms and circling back later if symptoms worsened. More recently I have experienced more symptoms and my primary care doctor referred me to multiple specialists to get an additional workup and find out what is going on. It is very stressful going through a whole battery of (sometimes invasive) medical tests while also trying to start medical school, and if I do need to start some type of treatment I would like some time to adjust to whatever it is. Taking an additional year off (without also being a student, as I finished my grad program) would provide me plenty of time to get this figured out and it would alleviate a lot of the stress I've had over whatever is going on health-wise.

Is it reasonable to request a deferral given the uncertainty of the condition? Also how in-depth should I explain the situation to the adcom in which I would request a deferral?

Thank you!

I realize that my earlier answer wasn't very responsive to your question. Yes, it is reasonable to ask for a deferral. You should send an email to the dean (or director) of admissions stating that for about two years you've been experiencing symptoms that were, at first, diagnosed as x but a second opinion obtained at xyz medical center suggested that it might be y. Additional symptoms developed more recently prompting your primary care provider to refer you to multiple specialists for a even more thorough work-up. At this time, having just graduated with you masters degree, you'd like to try to focus on getting your symptoms under control and to adjust to whatever treatment might be prescribed for whatever this underlying condition turns out to be. While you'd really like to be starting medical school later this year, you are asking for a deferral so as to start medical school in good health.

You don't have to use a lot of medical jargon (I've been surprised that physician members of the adcom often remember not very much of clinical things outside of their narrow area of expertise). Also, do keep in mind that academic medical centers tend to see the worst cases of everything and so what comes to mind when a specific illness is mentioned is the case that failed first and second line treatment provided in the community and that drove the patient to seek care at a med school affiliated medical center. Train wrecks, patients circling the drain, etc. Keeping the diagnosis somewhat vague (GI symptoms, dizziness, joint pain) might be best.

 

[fjtara]

Thank you so much to everyone! I appreciate all the great advice and support I have received.