Should I take a medical leave of absence?

[Guitarist Doc]

Hey everyone! So this is my first post on the student doctor network...I made an account because this issue is that important to me. I'm a first year and things have not turned out very well for me this semester (just a warning, I'm about to rant).

This year I was super excited for medical school but the apartment I was moving into failed to mention that I would be unable to move until 2 weeks after medical school started. My LEASE started long before this date but apparently they have to clean/refurnish my room before I can move in which takes a while...they failed to mention this to me (what a load of crap). Luckily I had some awesome friends in town that let me stay with them but it definitely was a stressful situation. It was so stressful that I actually got really sick which really affected my studies. At my med school we also get to have a dental screening as part of our first year and I found out my teeth are in really bad condition (this also added to my stress) and I would need to get a lot of cavities filled and my wisdom teeth cut out ASAP. I still haven't had the time to get this done. When test time came around, I did sort of poorly (got a 74).

Since this first test, I've gotten in a car wreck, had car problems over the course of a few weeks, been sick half the time, and have only made test scores in the 70's. I still didn't really consider a leave of absence until I visited my ENT doctor Friday who said I needed surgery on my sinuses. I've had sinus problems my whole life and apparently there is a long list of things wrong with them which requires a three hour long surgery to fix (and explains why I get sick with sinus problems a lot). Hypothyroidism also runs in my family and I'm thinking about getting that checked out as well because I've had a lot of issues with not having much energy. I should have gotten all of this checked out in undergrad but I never realized how serious it was until now.

I really don't want to come off as some whiney first year med student because I know life happens sometimes but I feel like a clean slate would serve me well. I've talked to my parents and the dean about it and they all feel like this is a good idea. My question to you all is how you feel about my situation and if taking a leave of absence is the best choice. Also if I do, what should I do on my time off? I've always wanted to be a doctor but this semester has been a very trying time for me. I want to be 99.9% sure that this will help me out in the long run and that things will work out better next year when I'm healthier.

Also chances are that I will fail at least 1 of my classes or maybe two depending on how well finals go. Failing two classes = remediation.

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[HoboCommander]

I really think you can pull through this. Your problems don't seem that bad. You're also at the easiest portion of medical school. It only gets worse.

 

[Guitarist Doc]

You think so? I've been battling with whether or not to throw in the towel for this semester. I feel like best case scenario, I will only fail one class but the rest of my grades will still be pretty low (high 70's).

I can't blame these problems for causing all of my low grades, but they haven't helped. I still need to find time to get my wisdom teeth cut out and my sinus surgery done (the doc is booked for winter break).

 

[HoboCommander]

You just need to find a way to pass though. I've had all 4 wisdom tooth taken out and not missed any study time. You can study in the hospital after your sinus surgery. Even with high levels of dilaudid in your bloodstream you can study just fine.

Don't worry about your grades, just find a way to pass. Taking a semester off is nice if you really have a lot to do, but you could only do it once before it makes your residency application really crummy, so you should reserve that option for later.

 

[Guitarist Doc]

I appreciate the input....I think my plan will be to take my next two tests and see how everything pans out. I talked to my dean about everything and he said if things are looking grim after these two tests that I could withdraw and it wouldn't affect my grades. Hopefully I will get the grades I need to pass! If not, I will probably go with plan B (medical leave of absence) since I would need to repeat anyways.

I feel like I am so behind, though. I really hope I can pull through.

 

[medstudent7860]

Honestly, I don't think it matters if your grades are low/borderline, all that matters in the end is passing and just getting through. Even if you're getting 70s, that's fine, it happens to many (it's med school!).