Pet Loss in M1 - Failed

[NucleotideNomad]

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I'm from the south and just started medical school this year in the north. I moved away from my fiancé and family and am living alone until he can get a job up here. I've been having a difficult time adjusting to the environmental change, and my 12-year old dog became sick at the end of one of my blocks. For the last 2-3 weeks of that block, I was spending as much time with her as I could, but I was having trouble studying because taking care of her was demanding. She got worse quickly, and I ended up having to make the decision to euthanize during the first week of the following block. I tried taking antidepressants, which did help with my mood, but the brain fog was intense and I think the stress and brain fog made studying incredibly inefficient. Catching up and keeping up on the material was difficult and I ended up not passing the first block, and failed the second block by 0.5%. I haven't yet met with my school's progress committee, but I think I will likely be placed on leave, if not dismissed.

I'm beginning to have more regular meetings with a therapist, but I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced something similar, or if anyone can give me advice. I feel like I'm emotionally weak and I'm having thoughts that I'm not cut out for medical school; shouldn't I be able to handle something like this and still focus on my studies/career? I want to be a doctor more than anything else, but I'm feeling so derailed by the death of my dog.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

First, sorry that you're going through this.

You should reach out to your school proactively. Just avoiding the issue makes it look like you're not taking it seriously. Don't wait for them to come to you -- you should go talk to them. Tomorrow, or Monday.

Failing is failing. Arguments like "I was only 0.5% below the pass" won't hold much water. Good schools are concerned about students who pass just above the fail line, and try to help them improve also.

Your best option is to ask to restart M1 next year. Trying to remediate this is almost certain to be a mess. You'd need to be studying all this old material while new material is being covered. Chance of getting this approved is probably greater if you are proactive about the situation.

 

[NucleotideNomad]

First, sorry that you're going through this.

You should reach out to your school proactively. Just avoiding the issue makes it look like you're not taking it seriously. Don't wait for them to come to you -- you should go talk to them. Tomorrow, or Monday.

Failing is failing. Arguments like "I was only 0.5% below the pass" won't hold much water. Good schools are concerned about students who pass just above the fail line, and try to help them improve also.

Your best option is to ask to restart M1 next year. Trying to remediate this is almost certain to be a mess. You'd need to be studying all this old material while new material is being covered. Chance of getting this approved is probably greater if you are proactive about the situation.

Thank you so much.

I was in contact with one of the advisors before winter break, and I have an appointment with my direct academic advisor for next week, which was the earliest available. I'm thankful that my school does care about students who are on the cusp of failing, and there is a good support system from the faculty. I think I mentioned how close I was for the second exam because I significantly failed the first, so I was improving, but not enough. You're right though, my grade is what I earned and our grading system is fair, so I won't challenge anything.

I was also thinking about petitioning to remediate both exams and continue on with the rest of my class, but your advice is having me reconsider. Thank you again.

 

[picklelittle]

Thank you so much.

I was in contact with one of the advisors before winter break, and I have an appointment with my direct academic advisor for next week, which was the earliest available. I'm thankful that my school does care about students who are on the cusp of failing, and there is a good support system from the faculty. I think I mentioned how close I was for the second exam because I significantly failed the first, so I was improving, but not enough. You're right though, my grade is what I earned and our grading system is fair, so I won't challenge anything.

I was also thinking about petitioning to remediate both exams and continue on with the rest of my class, but your advice is having me reconsider. Thank you again.

I think you are smart to meet with your advisor and they will help guide you. Really reflect if you are in the mental space to remediate both exams. I failed two blocks. My school only allows you to remediate one. During that time, my mom was dealing with heart stuff and having surgery and my nephew passed away. I was going to fight to keep going but decided not to. I decided my head wasn't in it and went home to my family.

 

[Smurfette]

I'm from the south and just started medical school this year in the north. I moved away from my fiancé and family and am living alone until he can get a job up here. I've been having a difficult time adjusting to the environmental change, and my 12-year old dog became sick at the end of one of my blocks. For the last 2-3 weeks of that block, I was spending as much time with her as I could, but I was having trouble studying because taking care of her was demanding. She got worse quickly, and I ended up having to make the decision to euthanize during the first week of the following block. I tried taking antidepressants, which did help with my mood, but the brain fog was intense and I think the stress and brain fog made studying incredibly inefficient. Catching up and keeping up on the material was difficult and I ended up not passing the first block, and failed the second block by 0.5%. I haven't yet met with my school's progress committee, but I think I will likely be placed on leave, if not dismissed.

I'm beginning to have more regular meetings with a therapist, but I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced something similar, or if anyone can give me advice. I feel like I'm emotionally weak and I'm having thoughts that I'm not cut out for medical school; shouldn't I be able to handle something like this and still focus on my studies/career? I want to be a doctor more than anything else, but I'm feeling so derailed by the death of my dog.

Obviously you are adjusting to a lot---starting med school, moving far from home, leaving behind loved ones, etc.
Definitely get ahead of this like NaPD advises.
Will also throw out there---what can you do to make it easier to cope with other events in the future to have less impact on your school or job performance? There are always things happening that can make life difficult, and figuring out what you can do to process these is going to be helpful moving forward, especially as the stress increases in rotations and residency. Having a plan or better "tools" to be able to cope moving forward may also help you justify getting another chance to the progress committee.