Anyone return to residency after years away?

[thatwillnotfly]

Hi!

I'm participating in the match this year following a years-long hiatus from medicine. I have not taken Step 3. Assuming I match, I want to be a competent intern. Has anyone else returned to do a residency after time away? How did you prepare for intern year?

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[smq123]

Hi!

I'm participating in the match this year following a years-long hiatus from medicine. I have not taken Step 3. Assuming I match, I want to be a competent intern. Has anyone else returned to do a residency after time away? How did you prepare for intern year?

How long of a hiatus? And at what point in training did you leave?

 

[thatwillnotfly]

About five years. I became ill during my fourth year of medical school, but I was able to finish and graduate.

 

[BADMD]

How long has it been since you took step I? It 7 years have passed, it complicates the picture. If not, you need to take Step III ASAP.

Five years from medical school is getting to be tough as well. That is quite a bit of time since having structured clinical contact.

 

[thatwillnotfly]

How long has it been since you took step I? It 7 years have passed, it complicates the picture. If not, you need to take Step III ASAP.

Five years from medical school is getting to be tough as well. That is quite a bit of time since having structured clinical contact.

The seven years limit is not an issue in my state for licensing purposes, but yes. And yes.

 

[gutonc]

The seven years limit is not an issue in my state for licensing purposes, but yes. And yes.

How do you know that's the state you'll wind up training and practicing in? Is it the only state you applied/interviewed in?

 

[thatwillnotfly]

How do you know that's the state you'll wind up training and practicing in? Is it the only state you applied/interviewed in?

It's my best evidence-based guess. And yes.

 

[BlondeDocteur]

Many programs have explicit guidelines regarding time away from medical school; these are programs which typically receive applications from FMGs who need to spend time after graduation preparing for and taking the Steps, getting USCE, and applying--usually a minimum of 2 yrs. A lot of primary care programs have a 5 yr cutoff (must have graduated med school no more than 5 years before internship start date). However, as an AMG you might be cut a bit of slack. Anyway, every year FMGs sucessfully match with clinical training gaps of 3-5 yrs, though not into competitive fields.

Are you at all interested in pathology? As a field they are much less reliant on time since graduation (many programs have a 10-yr cutoff) and obviously it relies less on clinical skills which would have absolutely atrophied since you finished. After all, it's been more time out of med school for you than in it.

 

[thatwillnotfly]

I appreciate the thoughts. I guess I should clarify a couple of things: I already participated in the match, so that ship has sailed for better or worse. I did choose a clinical specialty. I was surprised (happily) by how well my applications were received, and I am confident that I will match. I'm really looking for stories or advice about re-integrating into clinical medicine after a period of being away. Shadowing is not a practical option for me, although I agree that would be ideal. Books are good, but not enough. Anyone know of any (free) online resources with videos of physical exam techniques, or something similar? Does such a thing exist?

 

[gutonc]

I appreciate the thoughts. I guess I should clarify a couple of things: I already participated in the match, so that ship has sailed for better or worse. I did choose a clinical specialty. I was surprised (happily) by how well my applications were received, and I am confident that I will match. I'm really looking for stories or advice about re-integrating into clinical medicine after a period of being away. Shadowing is not a practical option for me, although I agree that would be ideal. Books are good, but not enough. Anyone know of any (free) online resources with videos of physical exam techniques, or something similar? Does such a thing exist?

Not sure about physical exam techniques but there's a great NEJM procedure video series you should check out.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Not sure about physical exam techniques but there's a great NEJM procedure video series you should check out.

http://www.nejm.org/multimedia/medical-videos