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I dont know if you want to continue medical school. Do what you wish, but I have seen many ppl go through school (Carribean) who went through and graduated and were having problems with the USMLE exams. You really need to consider the possibility of going further into debt and having issues academically down the road. If you had trouble passing step 1 you will have issues with Step 2 and 3 and then boards down the road. Good luck with whatever path you choose.
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It took the OP two times to pass Step 1, and they have completed 2.17 actual years of med school in 4+ years.
I do not understand why everyone is saying go Carribean where the odds are already stacked against you, after having failed Step 1? Podiatry school - while OP may get accepted, first 2 years of curriculum are almost identical to med school, with a few exceptions. PA school is also very demanding and highly competitive to get into. DO school - also doubt they would be likely to get accepted and if so, I'd be more concerned about being successful.
OP, sorry about your circumstances, but it's time to look for another career. It sounds like your med school gave you multiple opportunities already if you've been there that long and it makes no sense to rack up more debt at this point.
Best of luck.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the IBR will be pretty brutal if he is married and filing jointly with a radiologist. I was told the IBR is reliant on your tax status, so his payments will be substantially more with an extra 300k+ to base his IBR rate off of...
He would file taxes separately from his wife.
A
Apollo8
Thanks again to everyone for the advice and encouragement. Just for some clarification I have never had any professionalism issues. It has been all academic. I believe that ADHD is a legitimate medical condition and that my having it has caused me academic difficulty, especially during high-stakes exams. However, I do not think it is fair that anyone get special testing conditions on the basis of having ADHD. Perhaps I should have swallowed my pride and asked for such accommodations. I am intelligent but if I get flustered during an exam its a downward spiral that I can not pull out of. I would take practice MCAT exams in loud stressful environments to train myself to tune it out. I somehow managed to stay in the zone when I took the actual test and did very well. I guess I thought I could just muscle through medical school with the same determination. I lost focus the first time I took step 1 and the whole day was just a mess. I honestly couldnt remember reading half of the questions. I happened to be feeling comfortable the day that I retook it and I passed by far. I should mention that this phenomenon is limited to sitting at a computer screen reading long question stems. In the real world I am drawn to trauma and emergency medicine and in the midst of chaos is when I am at my prime. My school sets 10th percentile as passing for shelf exams and somehow I managed to get less than that on two of my first three rotations. The associate dean talked me into voluntarily withdrawing as he thought the academic committee would certainly dismiss me. I wonder if this was in my best interest. My future wifes salary will provide for both of us and I am grateful for that. I have been doing the stay at home thing and our relationship is healthy but Im already going stir crazy. I am supposed to do big things and I have invested so much into medicine that it doesnt feel like I am ready to walk away. It is very difficult to watch her progress in her professional achievements while I have traded in the white coat for the worlds best husband mug. It really sucks having to answer friends and family when they ask how school is going. Some people in my personal life are telling me to be persistent and try to get in at another school or find some way to keep this dream alive. However I am struggling with finding motivation to do that as deep down I doubt weather that is a realistic goal. Others are telling me to just give up and get a job which I guess I will eventually have to do but I just feel like once I do that I will have officially given up. I have looked into other things like being a cop for instance, it just seems like any job other than making whoppers requires a good bit of planning and training. As the doctor said maybe going into business for myself would suit me down the road, so thanks for that suggestion. Oh well, I guess I can still laugh in the mean time. I had a hearty chuckle when I read that post about rubbing the mineral oil. Thanks
1) Put a ring on that finger.
2) Work for a nonprofit for 10 years and have your fed loans d/c.
Do not go back to medical school anywhere. If you have this much difficulty with med school, you probably won't survive residency.
2) Work for a nonprofit for 10 years and have your fed loans d/c.
Do not go back to medical school anywhere. If you have this much difficulty with med school, you probably won't survive residency.
Apollo, I'm not a doctor, but have you thought of looking into anxiety treatments? I have ADD (diagnosed), and when I was younger I am pretty sure I'd get what would be considered massive panic attacks during tests. This was never diagnosed/confirmed, but from hearing other people talk about their actual diagnosed anxiety attacks, it sounds like what I'd do during tests, which sounds pretty similar to what you do. I grew out of it and learned to cope (ADD meds helped a lot until I found strategies to do without).
This affected my work in the real world as well as school, so even if you don't go back to school this may be helpful.
This affected my work in the real world as well as school, so even if you don't go back to school this may be helpful.
I was going to ask, OP, what the hell happened. But ADHD is a serious learning condition, so I think it's mostly explained now. The other users' recommendations - public service position and IBR - sound good. If you need 1-2 years of school to go that route, go for it.
Don't go to the caribbean. You're not going to be a doctor, but you still have a chance to have a good life.
Don't go to the caribbean. You're not going to be a doctor, but you still have a chance to have a good life.
Does your transcript say "withdrawal" or "dismissal"? If you have withdrawal on your transcript, then you likely have more options at other professional or graduate schools.
Agreed.
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