Hey Everyone .... I need your advice!
I'm a 3rd year Osteopathic Medical Student and I've just been dismissed for failure of the COMLEX Level I 3 times. I've got so much training (and debt) and passion for this that I'm trying to find a way back in. "But you failed out No way they should let you back in!" ... yes, but let me explain.
This is long, so in hopes of weeding out the ignorant comments, let me first state that I absolutely accept full responsibility for my failing scores and under no circumstance do I mean to shift accountability onto any other person. I am writing this in hopes that the details of my circumstances might provide a more thorough picture so that someone reading this can offer me hope or help. Because NO - my scores do NOT reflect my abilities as a physician, and my knowledge has CERTAINLY been confirmed via rotations so i'm not a liability to patients.
1. MCAT score was weak - 25. High school gpa 4.0. B.A. gpa 3.5. M.S. gpa 3.3.
2. Got into med school - 1st year went fine. I was an average student.
3. During my 2nd year, I failed a course that was remediated successfully. I then failed a 2nd course but this was due to a very controversial exam that more than 50% of the class failed. It turned into a political battle and there was conflict of interest and it was handled very poorly on the school's part. Nonetheless, many students failed but I was one of the few who had to repeat the year due to 2 overall failures.
4. I repeated 2nd year of medical school with no failures, studied my butt off for the Level I and moved on to 3rd year feeling very confident about my performance on the Level I.
5. Rotations - During 3rd year, I completed 3 rotations in-between studying for my Level I retakes. I scored very highly on all 3 rotations, passed the COMAT exams, and even got letters of recommendation from attendings who were impressed with my love for learning and patient skills. Best part though, was the many patients who remarked on how much it meant to them that I loved my job. I've even been requested by returning patients. Plus, the research I've looked at shows that third year academic performance is a strong indicator of Comlex Level II scores. So it looks like Level I really is my last hurdle.
6. The Level I scores: 375, 380, 398 (400 is passing). So what went wrong?
a) My first attempt was 12 hours in the library 7 days a week for 6 weeks with a group of friends. I went through the entire USMLE World Q Bank (2,072 questions) and took notes in First Aid. As recommended by the creators of that Q Bank, I used it more as a learning tool than an assessment tool. Additionally, I used Savarese to study for the OMM content.
b) My second attempt - I paid for a Review program where I expected to learn things I somehow missed or had not previously understood. While taking classes with other students, I discovered instead that my knowledge base was rather thorough and needed only light reviewing. Moreover, I was scared by the lack of knowledge displayed by the other students who are now somehow still in medical school, but I don't mean to judge because I honestly don't know their situations.
c) My third attempt - I made many changes on this round.
1) I met with a highly recommended clinical psychologist who revaluated me for my previously diagnosed "Learning DO NOS" - the old documentation was outdated so now I got a more detailed H&P and we poured over all of my old documentation to administer tests that might hone in on my deficiencies. I was officially diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, and YES it may be over diagnosed but NO not in this case. I am a great example of genetic involvement in ADHD.
2) I was referred to a neurologist who specializes in adult treatment of ADHD who was able to adjust my medications.
3) I met with a Learning Specialist who specializes in learning disorders as they affect medical board examinations. The specialist was able to explain to me that my ADHD actually causes me to process material too quickly and thus miss the big picture. Additionally, my hyperactive nature requires intense focus to slow down and concentrate, and that it causes me to get more easily fatigued than the average student. These two conditions create quite the conundrum when sitting down for a long timed exam. We worked to find a solution and we were further able to establish that I have a good working knowledge of Level I content.
4) I followed a study plan that involved some material review with a heavy focus on doing the COMBANK questions. I averaged about 50/60%.
7. 1 week before I was scheduled to take my 3rd attempt, I suffered a severe injury that required immediate surgery. This injury not only derailed my study plans but also delayed my return to rotations and forced me to reschedule the Comlex for a month later.
8. Having previously been denied accommodations by the NBOME and NBME (I took the step as well), I now had time to request them again. The NBME granted my request but the NBOME did not. Because of my injury, there was a lot of pain involved during the test that affected my concentration when I took it again one month later.
9. Regardless of all the pain I was in during the exam and the pressure to return to rotations, and despite the lack of accommodations from the NBOME when the NBME clearly saw a need, my school has dismissed me after my 3rd failure on the COMLEX. 2 FREAKING POINTS!
To say that this dismissal has been traumatic and devastating is to put it mildly. I have dedicated my life to medicine because I feel a calling to help people. I have spent thirteen years on this mission to serve as a physician and to lose it now, under circumstances that prove I would be an amazing physician with really bad exam taking abilities - just makes it worse. I'm called to this life. I'm already trained for this life. And it has taken ample sacrifices (lets just say i'm not in my 20's anymore). But will someone out there believe in me any further? Let's just say my school is more about the numbers than the student, and while the dismissal is hard, I certainly won't miss that school.
What do I plan to do?
1. I plan to seek legal advice regarding accommodations for the 4th attempt, though all my research shows that I would spend way too much money on attempting a lawsuit and would not win if it were against either the NBOME for accommodations or my school for dismissing me.
2. I plan to meet again with the Learning Specialist who has some additional approaches in mind.
3. Should I take the Level I a 4th time??? The NBOME allows a student 4 chances to pass the exam (not 3) and based on statistical trend alone, it is reasonable to assume that my 4th attempt will be successful, with or without accommodations. So - should I take the exam a 4th time? Can I even do this if i'm not enrolled?
4. Call other osteopathic schools (i'd like to keep my D.O. training if at all possible) and ask if I can join the Class of 2014 in July to repeat my 3rd year. Does anyone have any suggestions on schools that might allow me to attend if I do pass the exam on the 4th try? I don't mind starting my 3rd year all over again. That would be preferred to starting medical school all over again. Things are complicated by my spouse being in the 1st year of a 3 year residency, though my spouse is very understanding!
I could really use some sage advice right now. I feel incredibly lost.
[To those who have read this far, thanks a ton. It means a lot. For those who have negative or unsupportive comments, pretend you wrote them and move on. I've already heard more than enough of them from my school and they don't benefit anyone but you and your own need to vent.]
**UPDATE 1** I have registered for a 4th COMLEX Level I - I am still technically enrolled and am unsure if I would be able to register once I'm not enrolled, so I went ahead and did it while I still can. I am taking the exam in the very end of May. I figured if I can rock the exam, I have one month to call around and ask schools to let me into their 3rd year class. But scores take a month to come back, so I'm feeling pressured to move that date up. Perhaps I can just get an acceptance on the contingency that I passed the exam. I know i can do well on/pass this exam - to be honest, I have NO IDEA why it hasn't happened already. I know this stuff!!
**UPDATE 2** So I'm now going to wait until I get my results back from my Level I to call and beg for a chance at other schools. Probably won't get them until about June 30, but some students take a vacation month to study for their exam and then start rotations in August so I think it's still doable. Against the advice which i even agree with, i'm trying to find a lawyer in my area who deals with this kinda stuff but i have no idea where to start - I really do feel like I have a case based on a few points specific to my situation. As for my school changing my dismissal to a leave of absence to help me out, I don't think they'd go for that simply because that would actually be kind and helpful. That's not really their focus.
**UPDATE 3 (May 15, 2012)** No actual update here, just saw the posts wondering what the status was. As it stands, I take the COMLEX for a 4th time in about 2 weeks. I have a plan for what actions I will take after that, but it's just easier to post those updates when they occur.
**UPDATE 4 (Oct 11, 2012)** Sorry for the long delay. Here is what has happened thus far. I was scheduled to take my 4th COMLEX on May 25th. I got an email from the NBOME on May 20th saying that my test had been cancelled. I made a phone call and after a little digging, discovered that my school had actually called the NBOME about me specifically to make sure that it was clear I was not enrolled and thus could not take the exam. What I have not mentioned yet is that on my exit interview I mentioned to the Dean that I was going to take it again for at least personal satisfaction, and he made some pretty condescending comments. Yes, it is customary practice for a medical school to email the National Board every year with a list of students eligible to take the exam, but it is NOT routine practice to single out any students. Anyways, what matters is that in the end I did not get to take the exam after studying for a month. So my next step was to find a lawyer - and it has taken me 6 months, 5 referrals (each one telling me that this was a complex case outside their scope of practice or experience), and countless hours of internet searches and phone calls to find the right lawyer. And I finally have. I have found a lawyer that has been highly successful in these type of cases in the past, and this lawyer thought I had a fair case. So - I am currently mid-lawsuit and fighting for my right to take the test with the proper accommodations. Once we have a decision there, we intend to approach the school. Until then, I have gotten a job in the medical field that will help me keep material fresh and still pay bills. If anyone you know is having this sort of trouble, please tell them to CONTACT ME FOR THIS LAWYER'S INFORMATION - this is such a niche' aspect of law and time can be critical, so I'd really like my efforts in finding this lawyer to help others too.
**UPDATE 5 (Dec 23, 2013)**So it has been over a year since my last update and I don't want to post any details until things are finalized. A Lawsuit is currently in progress with hopes of getting wrapped up very soon. Once things are settled, I will put more details on here. For now however, I'll just say that despite the incredibly long timeline, i have NOT given up NOR WILL I. When you find your place in this world, what you are good at, where you are happy - you must hold on with a death grip. Again - please contact me IF YOU NEED MY LAWYER'S
**UPDATE 6 (May 16, 2014)** My lawsuit against the NBOME was settled within the last few months and we are very pleased with that outcome. However, my school still refuses to readmit me for the purposes of taking the exam. Currently, I am suing my school and we do expect this to be a full blown trial because I am unlikely to settle now, after they have had multiple chances to appeal their decision. It does appear that the school has some sort of personal grievance with me that I am unaware of, but I have faith that it will resolve justly. That is it for now. Again - please contact me if you need a lawyer that specializes in this niche sort of law.
**UPDATE 7 (June 13, 2021)**
Long Awaited Update 7 years later. I’m afraid things did not end well for me. We settled with the NBOME which had a very favorable outcome, but the sole stipulation to retake the exam with accommodations was that I had to be actively enrolled in an osteopathic medical school. So we asked my school, (TCOM in Fort Worth, TX) to simply reinstate me so that I could sit for the exam again. If I fail, no loss on their end just reinstate my dismissal - but if I pass then either re-enroll me or give me a chance at a transfer (which can only be done if a student is enrolled aka “in good academic standing”). The school refused again citing their 3-strikes-you’re-out policy (which makes the NBOME 5 attempt policy pointless) so we pursued the lawsuit against them. The judge’s final verdict came out of left field, basically declaring that I have no disability… which wasn’t even the issue on the table. That’s right folks, if you have a disorder that affects learning but you manage to make it into graduate level programs, they will claim that you must not have a learning disorder because clearly that cannot coexist with intelligence (note my sarcasm). The truth is that ADHD, while classified as a learning disorder, is in reality a chronic disease of impaired executive functioning skills whose effects go far beyond simply making it hard to endure an 8 hour exam. And the general population as a whole is grossly lacking awareness about the reality of ADHD and how hard it makes life. You can’t just pop a pill and make it go away - you can treat some of the symptoms to make them more manageable but this is an unfixable disorder.
Well - that ended the entire case right then and there. So for every piece of proof, documentation dating back to high school and clinical psychology evaluations validating my ADHD plus accommodations, there is someone out there who will disagree and no amount of proof can beat their decision if they hold enough power. And that y’all, is the lesson. It’s an unfortunate one and 10 years after the dismissal, my heart is still broken. I’m now divorced (horribly traumatic story where my now ex-husband, a practicing physician, had a mental breakdown - but can still practice somehow) and raising a child alone with no terminal degree but a mountain of debt to remind me of my grave mistake in chasing my dream. Let me be a cautionary tale - the Villain CAN and DOES WIN, far more often than society leads us to believe. So have a backup plan in case you shoot for the stars only to discover that gravity is a B****. Sorry I couldn’t report better news, but the last decade has left me lost in a philosophical black hole of crisis. Good luck to those who need it.
p.s. for those who might ask, allow me to answer - NO you cannot just crossover into PA programs or Nursing programs. Their pre-requisites and entrance exams are all different, scores expire after 3-5 years, 120 hours of graduate level courses won’t transfer for 3 hour undergraduate requirements, and so much more impressively idiotic obstacles that I’ve encountered while trying to see where/what I can do with an M.S. (yes, the very same degree awarded to Physician Assistants). Turns out - nothing. Higher Education has more red tape than the American Government and the field of Medicine is unbelievably fragmented and clique-ish.
I'm a 3rd year Osteopathic Medical Student and I've just been dismissed for failure of the COMLEX Level I 3 times. I've got so much training (and debt) and passion for this that I'm trying to find a way back in. "But you failed out No way they should let you back in!" ... yes, but let me explain.
This is long, so in hopes of weeding out the ignorant comments, let me first state that I absolutely accept full responsibility for my failing scores and under no circumstance do I mean to shift accountability onto any other person. I am writing this in hopes that the details of my circumstances might provide a more thorough picture so that someone reading this can offer me hope or help. Because NO - my scores do NOT reflect my abilities as a physician, and my knowledge has CERTAINLY been confirmed via rotations so i'm not a liability to patients.
1. MCAT score was weak - 25. High school gpa 4.0. B.A. gpa 3.5. M.S. gpa 3.3.
2. Got into med school - 1st year went fine. I was an average student.
3. During my 2nd year, I failed a course that was remediated successfully. I then failed a 2nd course but this was due to a very controversial exam that more than 50% of the class failed. It turned into a political battle and there was conflict of interest and it was handled very poorly on the school's part. Nonetheless, many students failed but I was one of the few who had to repeat the year due to 2 overall failures.
4. I repeated 2nd year of medical school with no failures, studied my butt off for the Level I and moved on to 3rd year feeling very confident about my performance on the Level I.
5. Rotations - During 3rd year, I completed 3 rotations in-between studying for my Level I retakes. I scored very highly on all 3 rotations, passed the COMAT exams, and even got letters of recommendation from attendings who were impressed with my love for learning and patient skills. Best part though, was the many patients who remarked on how much it meant to them that I loved my job. I've even been requested by returning patients. Plus, the research I've looked at shows that third year academic performance is a strong indicator of Comlex Level II scores. So it looks like Level I really is my last hurdle.
6. The Level I scores: 375, 380, 398 (400 is passing). So what went wrong?
a) My first attempt was 12 hours in the library 7 days a week for 6 weeks with a group of friends. I went through the entire USMLE World Q Bank (2,072 questions) and took notes in First Aid. As recommended by the creators of that Q Bank, I used it more as a learning tool than an assessment tool. Additionally, I used Savarese to study for the OMM content.
b) My second attempt - I paid for a Review program where I expected to learn things I somehow missed or had not previously understood. While taking classes with other students, I discovered instead that my knowledge base was rather thorough and needed only light reviewing. Moreover, I was scared by the lack of knowledge displayed by the other students who are now somehow still in medical school, but I don't mean to judge because I honestly don't know their situations.
c) My third attempt - I made many changes on this round.
1) I met with a highly recommended clinical psychologist who revaluated me for my previously diagnosed "Learning DO NOS" - the old documentation was outdated so now I got a more detailed H&P and we poured over all of my old documentation to administer tests that might hone in on my deficiencies. I was officially diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, and YES it may be over diagnosed but NO not in this case. I am a great example of genetic involvement in ADHD.
2) I was referred to a neurologist who specializes in adult treatment of ADHD who was able to adjust my medications.
3) I met with a Learning Specialist who specializes in learning disorders as they affect medical board examinations. The specialist was able to explain to me that my ADHD actually causes me to process material too quickly and thus miss the big picture. Additionally, my hyperactive nature requires intense focus to slow down and concentrate, and that it causes me to get more easily fatigued than the average student. These two conditions create quite the conundrum when sitting down for a long timed exam. We worked to find a solution and we were further able to establish that I have a good working knowledge of Level I content.
4) I followed a study plan that involved some material review with a heavy focus on doing the COMBANK questions. I averaged about 50/60%.
7. 1 week before I was scheduled to take my 3rd attempt, I suffered a severe injury that required immediate surgery. This injury not only derailed my study plans but also delayed my return to rotations and forced me to reschedule the Comlex for a month later.
8. Having previously been denied accommodations by the NBOME and NBME (I took the step as well), I now had time to request them again. The NBME granted my request but the NBOME did not. Because of my injury, there was a lot of pain involved during the test that affected my concentration when I took it again one month later.
9. Regardless of all the pain I was in during the exam and the pressure to return to rotations, and despite the lack of accommodations from the NBOME when the NBME clearly saw a need, my school has dismissed me after my 3rd failure on the COMLEX. 2 FREAKING POINTS!
To say that this dismissal has been traumatic and devastating is to put it mildly. I have dedicated my life to medicine because I feel a calling to help people. I have spent thirteen years on this mission to serve as a physician and to lose it now, under circumstances that prove I would be an amazing physician with really bad exam taking abilities - just makes it worse. I'm called to this life. I'm already trained for this life. And it has taken ample sacrifices (lets just say i'm not in my 20's anymore). But will someone out there believe in me any further? Let's just say my school is more about the numbers than the student, and while the dismissal is hard, I certainly won't miss that school.
What do I plan to do?
1. I plan to seek legal advice regarding accommodations for the 4th attempt, though all my research shows that I would spend way too much money on attempting a lawsuit and would not win if it were against either the NBOME for accommodations or my school for dismissing me.
2. I plan to meet again with the Learning Specialist who has some additional approaches in mind.
3. Should I take the Level I a 4th time??? The NBOME allows a student 4 chances to pass the exam (not 3) and based on statistical trend alone, it is reasonable to assume that my 4th attempt will be successful, with or without accommodations. So - should I take the exam a 4th time? Can I even do this if i'm not enrolled?
4. Call other osteopathic schools (i'd like to keep my D.O. training if at all possible) and ask if I can join the Class of 2014 in July to repeat my 3rd year. Does anyone have any suggestions on schools that might allow me to attend if I do pass the exam on the 4th try? I don't mind starting my 3rd year all over again. That would be preferred to starting medical school all over again. Things are complicated by my spouse being in the 1st year of a 3 year residency, though my spouse is very understanding!
I could really use some sage advice right now. I feel incredibly lost.
[To those who have read this far, thanks a ton. It means a lot. For those who have negative or unsupportive comments, pretend you wrote them and move on. I've already heard more than enough of them from my school and they don't benefit anyone but you and your own need to vent.]
**UPDATE 1** I have registered for a 4th COMLEX Level I - I am still technically enrolled and am unsure if I would be able to register once I'm not enrolled, so I went ahead and did it while I still can. I am taking the exam in the very end of May. I figured if I can rock the exam, I have one month to call around and ask schools to let me into their 3rd year class. But scores take a month to come back, so I'm feeling pressured to move that date up. Perhaps I can just get an acceptance on the contingency that I passed the exam. I know i can do well on/pass this exam - to be honest, I have NO IDEA why it hasn't happened already. I know this stuff!!
**UPDATE 2** So I'm now going to wait until I get my results back from my Level I to call and beg for a chance at other schools. Probably won't get them until about June 30, but some students take a vacation month to study for their exam and then start rotations in August so I think it's still doable. Against the advice which i even agree with, i'm trying to find a lawyer in my area who deals with this kinda stuff but i have no idea where to start - I really do feel like I have a case based on a few points specific to my situation. As for my school changing my dismissal to a leave of absence to help me out, I don't think they'd go for that simply because that would actually be kind and helpful. That's not really their focus.
**UPDATE 3 (May 15, 2012)** No actual update here, just saw the posts wondering what the status was. As it stands, I take the COMLEX for a 4th time in about 2 weeks. I have a plan for what actions I will take after that, but it's just easier to post those updates when they occur.
**UPDATE 4 (Oct 11, 2012)** Sorry for the long delay. Here is what has happened thus far. I was scheduled to take my 4th COMLEX on May 25th. I got an email from the NBOME on May 20th saying that my test had been cancelled. I made a phone call and after a little digging, discovered that my school had actually called the NBOME about me specifically to make sure that it was clear I was not enrolled and thus could not take the exam. What I have not mentioned yet is that on my exit interview I mentioned to the Dean that I was going to take it again for at least personal satisfaction, and he made some pretty condescending comments. Yes, it is customary practice for a medical school to email the National Board every year with a list of students eligible to take the exam, but it is NOT routine practice to single out any students. Anyways, what matters is that in the end I did not get to take the exam after studying for a month. So my next step was to find a lawyer - and it has taken me 6 months, 5 referrals (each one telling me that this was a complex case outside their scope of practice or experience), and countless hours of internet searches and phone calls to find the right lawyer. And I finally have. I have found a lawyer that has been highly successful in these type of cases in the past, and this lawyer thought I had a fair case. So - I am currently mid-lawsuit and fighting for my right to take the test with the proper accommodations. Once we have a decision there, we intend to approach the school. Until then, I have gotten a job in the medical field that will help me keep material fresh and still pay bills. If anyone you know is having this sort of trouble, please tell them to CONTACT ME FOR THIS LAWYER'S INFORMATION - this is such a niche' aspect of law and time can be critical, so I'd really like my efforts in finding this lawyer to help others too.
**UPDATE 5 (Dec 23, 2013)**So it has been over a year since my last update and I don't want to post any details until things are finalized. A Lawsuit is currently in progress with hopes of getting wrapped up very soon. Once things are settled, I will put more details on here. For now however, I'll just say that despite the incredibly long timeline, i have NOT given up NOR WILL I. When you find your place in this world, what you are good at, where you are happy - you must hold on with a death grip. Again - please contact me IF YOU NEED MY LAWYER'S
**UPDATE 6 (May 16, 2014)** My lawsuit against the NBOME was settled within the last few months and we are very pleased with that outcome. However, my school still refuses to readmit me for the purposes of taking the exam. Currently, I am suing my school and we do expect this to be a full blown trial because I am unlikely to settle now, after they have had multiple chances to appeal their decision. It does appear that the school has some sort of personal grievance with me that I am unaware of, but I have faith that it will resolve justly. That is it for now. Again - please contact me if you need a lawyer that specializes in this niche sort of law.
**UPDATE 7 (June 13, 2021)**
Long Awaited Update 7 years later. I’m afraid things did not end well for me. We settled with the NBOME which had a very favorable outcome, but the sole stipulation to retake the exam with accommodations was that I had to be actively enrolled in an osteopathic medical school. So we asked my school, (TCOM in Fort Worth, TX) to simply reinstate me so that I could sit for the exam again. If I fail, no loss on their end just reinstate my dismissal - but if I pass then either re-enroll me or give me a chance at a transfer (which can only be done if a student is enrolled aka “in good academic standing”). The school refused again citing their 3-strikes-you’re-out policy (which makes the NBOME 5 attempt policy pointless) so we pursued the lawsuit against them. The judge’s final verdict came out of left field, basically declaring that I have no disability… which wasn’t even the issue on the table. That’s right folks, if you have a disorder that affects learning but you manage to make it into graduate level programs, they will claim that you must not have a learning disorder because clearly that cannot coexist with intelligence (note my sarcasm). The truth is that ADHD, while classified as a learning disorder, is in reality a chronic disease of impaired executive functioning skills whose effects go far beyond simply making it hard to endure an 8 hour exam. And the general population as a whole is grossly lacking awareness about the reality of ADHD and how hard it makes life. You can’t just pop a pill and make it go away - you can treat some of the symptoms to make them more manageable but this is an unfixable disorder.
Well - that ended the entire case right then and there. So for every piece of proof, documentation dating back to high school and clinical psychology evaluations validating my ADHD plus accommodations, there is someone out there who will disagree and no amount of proof can beat their decision if they hold enough power. And that y’all, is the lesson. It’s an unfortunate one and 10 years after the dismissal, my heart is still broken. I’m now divorced (horribly traumatic story where my now ex-husband, a practicing physician, had a mental breakdown - but can still practice somehow) and raising a child alone with no terminal degree but a mountain of debt to remind me of my grave mistake in chasing my dream. Let me be a cautionary tale - the Villain CAN and DOES WIN, far more often than society leads us to believe. So have a backup plan in case you shoot for the stars only to discover that gravity is a B****. Sorry I couldn’t report better news, but the last decade has left me lost in a philosophical black hole of crisis. Good luck to those who need it.
p.s. for those who might ask, allow me to answer - NO you cannot just crossover into PA programs or Nursing programs. Their pre-requisites and entrance exams are all different, scores expire after 3-5 years, 120 hours of graduate level courses won’t transfer for 3 hour undergraduate requirements, and so much more impressively idiotic obstacles that I’ve encountered while trying to see where/what I can do with an M.S. (yes, the very same degree awarded to Physician Assistants). Turns out - nothing. Higher Education has more red tape than the American Government and the field of Medicine is unbelievably fragmented and clique-ish.
Last edited:
