An Annoying Residency Question

[ejjman]

This is kind of for those who read this forum that are residents, but med students can give me any input you might have:

So I'm a first year and I just had a dismal semester gradewise. Not bad enough to wind up on academic probation but bad enough that it will dent my GPA. I found it extremely hard to focus last semester most likely owing to the fact that my Mother passed away a week before it began. I know that I have to bring my grades up this next semester but my question is this: will the residency programs take my situation into account? I'm sure it's up to the individual PDs but maybe someone here has had a similar situation or has had experience with it. This may be a moot point though since I am also considering a military scholarship...

Thanks in advance to anyone who has some input.

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[Winged Scapula]

Course grades and gpa from your preclinical years are way down on the list of things that faculty and PDs look at when evaluating residency candidates.

Your school may not even specify grades by semester in its MSPE. Even if they did, only the more astute would probably pick up on and then likely only ask you about it if you failed to improve in your later grades.

As long as you continue to do better, do well on the USMLEs and your clinical rotations (the most important things in residency evaluation), this will be but a distant memory, IMHO.

 

[PeepshowJohnny]

I'd only be concerned if you were interested in Derm or Plastics where they're just looking for something to rule you out on. And even then, preclinical grades are so far below good Step 1 and Clinical grades that it probably won't even matter there.

Even then, what's done is and done and all you can do is carry on as best you can. I'm sorry to hear about your loss though.

 

[OncHeme2B]

Come on. There are rare cases of people who were dismissed/expelled from medical school for failing classes, eventually went to another medical school and got their M.D., did really well on step 1, and got a residency. If they can do it, why can't you?

 

[Law2Doc]

Come on. There are rare cases of people who were dismissed/expelled from medical school for failing classes, eventually went to another medical school and got their M.D., did really well on step 1, and got a residency. If they can do it, why can't you?

I assume the OP is concerned about what doors might be closed, not just the possibility of getting "a" residency (although I agree with you that if the OP passes everything and is realistic s/he will likely end up someplace). As prior posters have indicated, first year grades are very low on the totem pole of what's important and there is tons of time to turn things around at this juncture and still end up in something fairly competitive. The key is to figure out what didn't work and change things. If your studying didn't pan out, totally revamp. Med school (and any professional schooling actually) is about adapting. What worked in college may no longer work -- the smart change to something that does.