Applying for Residency years after medical school?

[SomeRandomGuy]

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If you decided to delay residency after graduating from med school and getting your MD, for lets say 2 to 3 years. What are your chances of matching into a residency slot? I mean can you even apply for the match that many years after graduating?

Seriously, being IN medical school does not mean I know **** about anything lol... I'm still confused about the whole matching system I guess...

 

[SomeRandomGuy]

Okay I realize that I probably should have posted this in the General Residency board instead... well not too late for that I suppose.

 

[njbmd]

This is not a sound idea. Most residency programs have rules about delays in between graduation and starting residency. A better bet would be to take your delay after completing residency.

 

[shreypete]

I have a question too. I'm a foreign medical student (in a 6 year program) but I want to take a 3 year gap before applying to a residency because I want to do my pHD (just to get one/ore research publications.) in the country where I'm studying (and the university actually allows the students to formulate a thesis during the 4th year of med school).

Would this be an ideal option if, say, I wanted to get into a residency in General/Ortho Surgery? I'm planning to do a lot of externships from the next year on and hopefully from the 5th year, I'll start doing some core-electives in the US (depending on my USMLE status).

 

[njbmd]

Again, make sure that you don't apply to programs that have a limit on the number of years since medical school graduation.

 

[SomeRandomGuy]

Thanks for your help njbmd. I want to spend a year abroad to learn a foreign language, fend for myself for a while, and learn more about their healthcare system and practices. To be honest, this doesn't have much to do with research or bettering my application... it's stuff I've always wanted to learn and I want to do it before my brain begins to fail me. Now looking at the possibility that it's going to hurt me in the match, I'm thinking it might not be such a good idea. Well damn, life ain't fair right? 😉

 

[aloepathic]

What about research fellowships?

 

[Dral]

Also, keep in mind that LoR's carry a lot of weight in the whole process. If one would do something for a few years without exposure to attendings, it might be difficult to get good ones.

Some fields like FM or IM? Maybe. ROAD specialties and such? Problems.