Advice about year off

[helenb02]

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Hey all,

I am currently a third year student and my boyfriend of 3+ years is a year behind me at another medical school. We would really like to do residency in the same city since we have been 2 hours away from each other during med school. We are both willing to do whatever it takes so that we don't have to sign on to multiple more years of long distance. SO my question to you is what do any of you know about taking a year off after 4th year?? Does that make matching very difficult? Do residencies dislike the idea of taking someone who isn't coming straight from 4th year?

 

[napoleondynamite]

Here are the ideas I would consider for a year off:

1) Get a consulting job (like with McKinsey in Boston)

2) Get an MPH

3) Travel

What are you going into? If you're going into something that isn't very competetive, I don't think this will be an issue. But if your heart is set on Derm or something, you probably better do research for a year. Good luck.

 

[helenb02]

I'm gonna do Peds; I have a feeling my boyfriend will do Surgery, possibly Ortho. So you don't think doing the match while not enrolled in med school makes it somehow really difficult?

 

[Tired]

I'm gonna do Peds; I have a feeling my boyfriend will do Surgery, possibly Ortho.

Are you really hot? Because everyone knows Ortho residents have wicked hot women crawling all over them 24/7.

If you're looking for stability, you might be better off trolling for IM guys. Chicks don't really like IM guys, so they're less likely to cheat . . .

 

[amyl]

OP, i KNOW you don't want to hear this but... marry him or don't and don't change your life for a BOYFRIEND. seriously, more than half of marriages end in divorce...and you aren't even married. make decisions for YOU! you will end up being mad at yourself and resenting decisions made now later if you don't do what is best for you. if he wants ortho he will have to apply a lot of places, so you might have to go with him. if thats what you want, great, but if he means that much to you, you should marry him first (before you let him factor in your life decisions).

 

[DarksideAllstar]

OP, i KNOW you don't want to hear this but... marry him or don't and don't change your life for a BOYFRIEND. seriously, more than half of marriages end in divorce...and you aren't even married. make decisions for YOU! you will end up being mad at yourself and resenting decisions made now later if you don't do what is best for you. if he wants ortho he will have to apply a lot of places, so you might have to go with him. if thats what you want, great, but if he means that much to you, you should marry him first (before you let him factor in your life decisions).

This is BS. My girlfriend and I have been together for 5 years (4 long distance), we ARE NOT married, and we picked my (as in our) residency programs based on where we would like to be. If the relationship is serious, then you should plan your life accordingly. BTW, we have no immediate plans to get married.

 

[Doc Oc]

Whether you should get married or not, and base decisions on his need if the current answer is still "not" or "not yet" isn't the issue. You obviously plan to figure in your SO's needs in this decision, so my answer is in accordance with that. (Although I agree with amyl, but that's beside the point)

Before taking a year off to couples match with your boyfriend, get some advice from PDs (there are several on here) on how that will be viewed when you explain your reason. In general, the year off isn't usually the issue, the reason and what PDs think it says about your personality and your potential is what could be potentially damaging and make it harder for you to match with your boyfriend, not easier.

I took two years off for health and to have a baby. I didn't get hassled for this during residency interviews at all, but at all of my interviews, I was told that they were relieved that my time off was not "just because". I dont' know what that means, but I take it to mean that there are reasons that are viewed as acceptable and those that are not.

Anyway, make sure that this reason isn't a "not" by asking people who will be making this type of judgement. I suggest looking up BKN or aProgDirector and sending them PMs. Even if you do research or whatever, it's not the reason for the year off, it's just what you did instead.

Clinical stuff is hard to come by. Your role will be limited by your lack of malpractice insurance and lack of actual affiliation with a training entity. You are not a student, and not a resident, and definitely don't have a training license. I tried to join the AAFP, and they wouldn't allow it because I'm not a student and not a resident!

 

[helenb02]

Ah thanks so much. I am not worried about my relationship's future, but I understand the concern. Really I just wanted to know about the logistics of taking a year off. And I realize having a good reason - not just wanting to relax or figure out if medicine is for you - is imperative.

 

[Doc Oc]

You just apply through ERAS like you normally would. Contact your school around June to make sure you get a token sent to you.

Programs will see your ERAS and just contact you through ERAS. You'll interview as you normally would.

You'll register for NRMP, but as a graduate you will probably be considered an "independent" applicant. The process is the same, you just check a different box.

Make sure your school has your letters. You probably will have to request a transcript again in the couple months before ERAS opens. Send your school an updated photo. Some schools have release forms and crap like that to fill out. My school made me fill all this out all over again (I initially entered the match as a senior student, but withdrew due to illness).

My letters, though two years old, were not looked down on by PDs because of their age.

As far as I know, I was not considered differently. Everyone was very supportive. One person was kind of a ball-buster, out of six interviews.

I applied to Family. I got interviews from everywhere I applied to, within a couple weeks of submitting my ERAS. The time off didn't seem to affect my ability to get interviews.


The only thing I can think of that is harder when applying as a graduate is being disconnected from your classmates and not hearing what others are going through and having people to discuss this with.

The thing that could be the worst would be not matching and doing the scramble from another location away from your school. I now live over 1,000 miles from my school. Alot of people scramble from their Dean's office and have help during the process. I'll be doing this all on my own if I don't match, and am not really too sure what I need to do other than what I read on NRMP, and on here.

I hope that answers the logistics questions. It has been surprisingly easy so far despite the time off.

Good luck to you.

 

[deleted50478]

It'd probably be better to do a prelim or transitional year rather than taking a year off. Doing that would make you a stronger applicant, give you a decent income, and allow you to get an in-training deferment on your loans.You could do it in your boyfriend's city and still be able to apply for the match with current letters of recommendation the following year. Plus, if you do a transitional year you could do some peds rotations, and you might be able to apply them toward your residency and finish early/less late.

 

[Winged Scapula]

The logistics of matching as an Independent Candidate (which includes graduated physicians) is not all the different or difficult, so that shouldn't worry you, as long as you remain in contact with faculty (to get LORs) and admin at your medical school (to send transcripts, etc.).

Progams *may* look askance as someone taking a year off for the reasons you describe. However, this can be significantly abated because Peds tends to be more sensitive to family issues (or perhaps that's urban legend) and as long as you do something "productive" with your time.

Frankly, while it sounds great to finish with your class, me thinks it might make most sense to take a year off btwn 3rd and 4th, do some research and couple's match - you would avoid the "stigma" of not matching right out of 4th year and it might be a nice break for you.

 

[Doc Oc]

It'd probably be better to do a prelim or transitional year rather than taking a year off. Doing that would make you a stronger applicant, give you a decent income, and allow you to get an in-training deferment on your loans.You could do it in your boyfriend's city and still be able to apply for the match with current letters of recommendation the following year. Plus, if you do a transitional year you could do some peds rotations, and you might be able to apply them toward your residency and finish early/less late.

You can defer your loans anyway (federal ones). You don't need to be intraining.

My private lenders have let me defer for the whole two years too.

 

[helenb02]

Thanks guys, I really really appreciate the help. Is it not possible to do the couple's match as an independent candidate?

And, DocOc, can you translate this for me:

"I suggest looking up BKN or aProgDirector and sending them PMs"? I have no idea what that means...

Thanks!

 

[Doc Oc]

Thanks guys, I really really appreciate the help. Is it not possible to do the couple's match as an independent candidate?

And, DocOc, can you translate this for me:

"I suggest looking up BKN or aProgDirector and sending them PMs"? I have no idea what that means...

Thanks!

BKN and aProgDirector are two SDN members who post frequently on this site who are actually program directors. You can do a search with their names and click on their profiles and send them private messages through this site. You can describe your situation, and they will give you valuable anonymous advice about how program directors may view your decision, and on which of the year off options available to you would be viewed in the most positive light.

BKN is an ER prog director.

I don't know what specialty aProgDirector is in.

 

[deleted50478]

You can defer your loans anyway (federal ones). You don't need to be intraining.

My private lenders have let me defer for the whole two years too.

Anyone can defer but with my lender at least, you lose your 1% bonus for consecutive on-time payments if you get a hardship deferment rather than an in-training deferment. With loans as large as mine were, 1% over thirty years adds up to a significant amount. I don't know about the op's lender or loans, but it's something to consider.

Two things are better about graduating and doing a prelim year vs. taking a year off between third and fourth years: 1) Better pay, 2) the extra year could be spent in your boyfriends town. The down side would be working a lot harder.

 

[helenb02]

My loans are all federal, if that means anything. The prelim year does make sense, but I agree, an extra year of residency isn't too appealing. Especially if most of it isn't even Peds related. Most likely, I'll just go ahead and match next year but I just wanted to check. Thanks everyone. I'll update with what my advisor say, but I know our Dean doesn't really recommend taking a year off after 4th...

 

[NotAProgDirector]

Just for the record, I'm an IM program director.

I personally don't think there's a big deal about taking a year off. It depends on what you do with that year. If you work at Burger King, or go surfing, that won't go over that well. If you do a research year, especially if you maintain some clinical exposure, I don't think that will hurt you much. I get the sense that you are not "gunning" for the super-top-of-the-line residency programs, where this might be an issue.

Some issues:

1. Matching into a prelim year is problematic. First, you'll have to interview for categorical spots during your prelim year, never an easy process. YOu might be able to get a PGY-2 spot in IM (getting credit for your prelim year), but there is no guarantee and it's complicated as your SO will be in the match and you would not (if you are looking for a PGY-2).

2. Can you split your fourth year of med school? Many schools allow students to split the 4th year over two years, and charge you only 1/2 tuition for each year. This would make you match the same year. Also, you could do a year of research next year, and then your fourth year -- again you'd be a student the whole time and this makes keeping your clinical skills current much easier.

Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss specifics.

 

[hattie]

I took a year off between 3rd and 4th year, to live in another part of the country to live with my husband (we'd lived apart for years) to just hang out with him and to get our careers back in synch (he isn't in medicine but is in a job with specific timelines of its own). Anyway, I have been interviewing/matching into peds this year and while it may have been recieved negatively at a program or two (one place was a little eager to get people who'd been straight out of school and without family plans - not sure why they even interviewed me, in retrospect), most places really didn't have any issue with it at all and even said that they'd appreciate a candidate with some "real world" experience (I taught during my year off).

My advice would be to take a year between 3rd and 4th year and do some combo of working with kids/teens (think headstart, Y, etc) in the city where he is and maybe take some classes there or work on some clinical research at his children's hospital to keep up the "academic" side. You might not make a ton of money but you'd have the opportunity to learn tons about development and child/adolescent behavior (could be great experience for your primary care clinics), plus you'd have the raw material for a great personal statement, and many places would think it was cool, promise!

I do have one friend that did the matching post-graduation thing and it was a pain in the butt... really ask your administration if they will be there for you one year post graduation and take their answer very seriously. After seeing the hoops she had to jump through, I'm glad that I'm trying to match as a 4th year and not as a grad.

Also, I would personally be a little worried about taking a year off and going straight into intern year... I forgot a ton of stuff while I was away and it took me a little while to get back up to speed when I came back, which I think would be scary as an intern!

Really, it's up to you and what's best in your situation, but I thought I'd share my experience since a couple of years ago I was trying to make a similar decision. And good luck with whatever you choose!

 

[gwen]

i didn't read the posts before me...so sorry if i'm repeating anything.

i'd suggest that you take a year off and do research. it will really help you with getting a good residency, and especially in a city of your choice then.

 

[EUA]

I think everyone's given good advice, but agree mostly with Kimberli Cox in that your reasons for taking a year off may appear frivolous to some, including me. Especially since it's your "boyfriend", a word that provokes images of senior prom. Don't get me wrong -- I'm no fan of marriage -- but as long as he's "just" your "boyfriend", I wouldn't even dream of discussing that with future potential PDs. I agree that taking the time off between 3rd and 4th years to research and then couples match would be ideal.

 

[helenb02]

Thanks guys. I recently had a long talk with a 4th year at my school who is taking a year off after her 4th year to wait for her fiance (I agree, that sounds much more legitimate) who is in his last year of his fellowship here. She makes it sound very manageable, although of course she has yet to try to match. Is it possible to couple's match as an independent candidate? I am assuming so...

If I do it, I would plan to spend at least a few months volunteering overseas which I think could potentially give me some worthwhile clinical experience.

 

[helenb02]

Btw, does anyone know of international clinical work that can be done with only an MD? Even volunteer work?