What fields do dumb medical students that like to work with ther hands go into?

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Okay, going to be quick and honest - Got 2 C's in the first 2 years, probably in the bottom half of the class, Step 1 is below national average...originally thought about doing ENT as well as some other "competitive" fields but at least on cursory survey, not matching is a very realistic possibility with my current credentials (I honestly think many programs may not consider me for interview. For example, neurosurgery at my home school only interviewed people with Step 1s >250). What type of fields are out there for someone that enjoyed their surgery rotation (and disliked medicine rotation) and considers themselves a "hands on" type of person? I've looked at the "charting the match" PDF and the only thing that comes to mind OB/GYN (I have that rotation in the spring).

edit - I made a thread about dumb medical students and I have a typo in my thread title...oh the irony
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teaching.

just kidding.

sorry, i really have no good input.
 
dont think "dumb" is a good word to describe what you're saying. depending on how low your step1 was, general surgery residency isn't all that hard to get into. of course you wont' have your choice of program but there will probably be a spot somewhere in the u.s. for you if you're interested
 
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agreed, dumb isn't the right word. you are average in a sea of highly intelligent/capable medical students.

gs and obgyn are your best bets but if you disliked medicine, gs might be more your field. obgyn felt more medicine like with all the clinic, reassuring patients, etc.. gs tends to use a lot of im concepts (an internist that operates).
 
I echo what has been said above about you not being dumb. Residencies don't really look at grades as much as they do your Step scores. Blow step 2 away and I think you have a great shot at General Surgery!
 
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vicinihil said:
I echo what has been said above about you not being dumb. Residencies don't really look at grades as much as they do your Step scores. Blow step 2 away and I think you have a great shot at General Surgery!
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Why is it that SDN's solution to poor prior academic performance is stellar future performance? Why don't we all just rock the MCAT, crush Step 1 and blow away Step 2?
 
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Huh? I thought EM was just FP with shiftwork for the uninsured where the biggest dilemma is "Admit" or "Discharge".

:laugh:



BTW, I guess I'm another "dummy" that likes surgical type stuff. :)
 
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I saw the thread involving "dumb" med students and I had to jump in!

MS3 here with a dilemma. A combination of not working as hard as I should have + not being brilliant has led me to being a weak candidate in general. I'm going to be honest:

Pre-clinical years = a sea of Ps
Step 1 = 200/87, passed 1st try

I'm about 6 months into 3rd year and I'm pretty open about what to do. I used to be in love with EM, then it changed to Neuro, and now I'm leaning heavily towards IM or FM. I don't really care about procedures, though I'd want to do a fair share of office-based ones, nothing huge. I haven't had my surgery block yet, but it's fair to say I don't have the personality nor do I enjoy the lifestyle that I perceive to be the "surgery personality."

That said, again, I'm leaning towards FM or IM. I have a passion for medicine and all, but I'm being realistic and telling you that I don't expect to go and devote my heart and soul into IM's subspecialties (cards, GI), hence, I expect myself to end up in primary care (FM) or general IM.

I guess I just feel a bit discouraged by the whole process. Being a weaker applicant kind of pushes you into the "less desired" specialties. That's ok with me, as I'm thrilled to be here at all.

I go to a decent medical school, I'm fairly certain it is considered to be in the top third of all allopathic schools (not top 25, maybe top 50?) I am confident I can get decent letters of rec, as I am fairly capable in the clinical setting. I am just a weak test-taker, and have always struggled with standardized tests.

My draw for FM and IM is that for either specialty, I have a wealth of potential residency programs to apply to that are all within my state or only a state away (I am interested in remaining nearby where I went to med school). FM has somewhat more options than IM in terms of location and # of programs, but I want to figure out what I want to do more first. That matters more than the future of either field. I'd be completely satisfied with a mid-tier program.

So, competitiveness? Think someone with these "credentials" has a fair shot at matching into IM at a mid-tier program?

I feel I'm at a critical juncture in my decision-making process. I choose an advisor soon and begin thinking about residency apps. Any input would be greatly appreciated, thank you!
 
Thanks for everyone's input! I used "dumb" because I know that's how a lot of us feel when we see our grades...not only did I get my first C in medical school, I praised the holy bath water of baby Jesus when I saw I had passed :laugh::laugh:

If there is one bright spot, I end third year on psych and family medicine, both of which are considered "easy" rotations and fam med doesn't even have a shelf, so I will start studying for step 2 and hopefully I can make up for a less than stellar performance on step 1.
 
TheProwler said:
Why is it that SDN's solution to poor prior academic performance is stellar future performance? Why don't we all just rock the MCAT, crush Step 1 and blow away Step 2?
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Probably because it's a lot easier to change future performance than past performance.
 
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KeyzerSoze said:
Probably because it's a lot easier to change future performance than past performance.
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:laugh:

That and until we invent time machines, there's not much else that can be done.
 
KeyzerSoze said:
Probably because it's a lot easier to change future performance than past performance.
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Your point is well-taken, but given the inertia of academic performance, it's pretty hard to make a huge change. Especially if you have been working hard and giving a good effort all along.
 
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Are you a guy? do OB, you will be fought for everywhere:)
 
Well GI is a good field in terms of hands on, not as much so as surgery or OBGYN, but better lifestyle for sure during and after training with better pay. Only thing is the 3 years of IM which you stated you didnt like. Its actually a VERY straight forward field, even "dumb" as some GI fellows will even tell you. Pretty much plumbing (even though hepatology can get a little dicey). Thats why I like it, simple, to the point, and good mix of procedures and medicine. Something to consider, and its not hard to get an IM spot.
 
IM itself is not competitive, but GI is very competitive and to get a fellowship it often is helpful to get into a university based IM program (which tend to be more competitive than community IM programs).
Family Medicine is not competitive, and if you find the field enjoyable then it might be worth investigating.
 
Im not in medschool but I read most the specialty boards every couple weeks. Sounds like physiatry has alot of hands on work (especially some sub-specialties) and isn't particularly competitive.
 
Ouch! EM is NOT shift family medicine. Or if it is, man I sure as hell didn't see that many people who "accidentally fell and got that object stuck up their rectum" at the IHS clinic I rotated through. I feel like there's a lot more procedural stuff you get to do --- granted its not surgery, but if you're happy with intubations and stitches and generalized staunching of spurting, bleeding stuff.
 
omgwtfbbq? said:
Ouch! EM is NOT shift family medicine. Or if it is, man I sure as hell didn't see that many people who "accidentally fell and got that object stuck up their rectum" at the IHS clinic I rotated through. I feel like there's a lot more procedural stuff you get to do --- granted its not surgery, but if you're happy with intubations and stitches and generalized staunching of spurting, bleeding stuff.
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Well, I hope that my EM rotation actually IS EM...rather than seeing countless patients that come in with "chest pain"...that turns out to be heartburn or "a stroke" that was just...well...not a stroke. Or worse...coming in for colds, flu (maybe), etc...

Maybe I've just had bad experiences in dealing with ED's...or being in "ED's".
 
Can one really compensate for a mediocre performance on step I by doing well on step two??? My understanding was that Step I is the end of the line... either u do well or your outright elimated from certain residencies.
 
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working with your hands? well, you dont have to be a surgeon to do that think of a procedural based subspecialty of IM: gi , cards come to minds fam med also do many procedures in clinic others mentioned GS and OB anesthesiology, rad onc, and radiology also have many opportunities to work with your hands just be sure you pick something that you like to do and that you are likely to match into things you might not like(idk if youve done rotations, jsut going by what you said): psych, primary care,geri take care
 
Doc01234 said:
Can one really compensate for a mediocre performance on step I by doing well on step two??? My understanding was that Step I is the end of the line... either u do well or your outright elimated from certain residencies.
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you have to show a big improvement, like 20-30pts to make it count and extra work(research, pubs, strong lors) this is all ezier said than done, depending on the field you want to op : EM was another i forgot about
 
Holy crap. OB/GYN is not for me. I guess I'd better have fun in general surgery or the scramble will be knocking on my doorsteps.
 
I think it might be referring to the fact that a lot of radonc patients, well, die. But I might be in the dumb category as well ;)


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Deanis said:
I think it might be referring to the fact that a lot of radonc patients, well, die. But I might be in the dumb category as well ;)


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thats not funny at all. well maybe a little
 
i asked a friend who matched rad onc and he said it was because they have great hours and arent at the hospital nearly as much as other residencies
 
Momentum70 said:
i asked a friend who matched rad onc and he said it was because they have great hours and arent at the hospital nearly as much as other residencies
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or it could be that it's just a small and specialised field not many med students have heard of it? At least not til you rotate through oncology or a related service
 
drowsy12 said:
i dont get the rad onc cartoon?
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It's implying that the quiet people who you have no idea who they are (but probably did well in school) end up matching into rad onc. The ones who blend in like furniture. I think.
 
I'm pretty sure by being a medical student that doesn't make you "dumb".
Most programs definitely looks at clerkship grades and board score more than the first two years anyway, unless you are going into something extremely competitive.

Gen surg programs are less competitive, as is OB. If you end up having to scramble, might be wise to go into IM then try for a GI fellowship- although they are competitive, if you prove yourself during residency, it's a possibility.
 
SurgGal128 said:
I'm pretty sure by being a medical student that doesn't make you "dumb".
Most programs definitely looks at clerkship grades and board score more than the first two years anyway, unless you are going into something extremely competitive.

Gen surg programs are less competitive, as is OB. If you end up having to scramble, might be wise to go into IM then try for a GI fellowship- although they are competitive, if you prove yourself during residency, it's a possibility.
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If we want to use Prowler's inertia notion, GI makes no sense because at some point the OP is going to need to "crush" tests and evals down the road to get into a competitive subspecialty. Fields where you primarily work with your hands that aren't that competitive (1) OBGYN, (2) a FP that incorporates obstetrics, (3) EM, (4) GS, (5) pathology, (6) PM&R. Of this grouping GS and EM are probably more competitive than the others these days.
 
I'm not sure about the US, but in Canada, EM is definitely competitive. It's one of the harder specialties to get into, similar to radiology.
 
vicinihil said:
I echo what has been said above about you not being dumb. Residencies don't really look at grades as much as they do your Step scores. Blow step 2 away and I think you have a great shot at General Surgery!
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You better believe residencies care about more than just your step one score. MS3 grades and letters of reccommendation are a big deal.

Also agree with the others RE: "blowing step 2 away." As if it's like flipping a switch.
 
I wanted to add and suck on step 3 like a lolly pop and chew it away hoping there is bumble gum inside :)

Quote: Why don't we all just rock the MCAT, crush Step 1 and blow away Step 2?
 
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