I am going to be a med student grad of 2011. It seems these days that every time I fall asleep a month goes by and the real world or residency and a job gets that much closer. I suppose I really haven't taken the time to sit down and decide what to do with my post-grad life and now I'm feeling the pressure. I know there are several fields of medicine that just are not for me. For instance, I cannot see myself doing IM for 30+ years and running clinics to manage DM followed by HTN day in and day out.
My competitiveness as an applicant is also beginning to worry me. I have decent Step I score of 228/96. My grades in class are pretty average at mostly B's. I will say that overall I am a terrible test taker compared to the average MD student. I think my clinical performance far exceeds the scores I have achieved on paper i.e my knowledge is much greater than I can prove on a test. I have achieved high pass or honors on all clinical rotations thus far, and most of the comments on my Dean's letter are pretty flattering in my opinion.
I think the biggest factors going against me at this point are: 1. Not coming from a big name school 2. My age - as I will be 23 when I graduate in '11 (Some attendings outside my school seem to really dislike this or assume that I am "immature"). If I had to pick a residency this very second it would be a toss up between EM or Radiology with the intent of pursuing a VIR fellowship. I am however open to suggestions of other fields to check out. My only requirement in a career path is that it be a fast paced field and that my work seems to make a difference in patients lives. I will also say that thus far I am not a fan of surgery...of any kind.
I am a pretty good in the interview setting; my concern is getting to the interview stage via my paper representation. With these things in mind my question is how do I make my resume "sparkle"? What alternative specialties should I take a look at? Do I need to be more realistic about my options at this point? In other words are super competitive fields such as rads out of my reach?
I realize a higher Step I score would be optimal but unfortunately there are no "do-overs". Would taking Step II's early help my cause at all? I have no research or publications as there are limited opportunities at my school...any suggestions for a solution there? I do have a pretty strong extra-curricular history being in a fraternity for 4 years which allowed me to participate in multiple volunteer and charity events. Any suggestions on how I can improve my resume or how best to present my current achievments would be appreciated.
Thanks for your time and thought
My competitiveness as an applicant is also beginning to worry me. I have decent Step I score of 228/96. My grades in class are pretty average at mostly B's. I will say that overall I am a terrible test taker compared to the average MD student. I think my clinical performance far exceeds the scores I have achieved on paper i.e my knowledge is much greater than I can prove on a test. I have achieved high pass or honors on all clinical rotations thus far, and most of the comments on my Dean's letter are pretty flattering in my opinion.
I think the biggest factors going against me at this point are: 1. Not coming from a big name school 2. My age - as I will be 23 when I graduate in '11 (Some attendings outside my school seem to really dislike this or assume that I am "immature"). If I had to pick a residency this very second it would be a toss up between EM or Radiology with the intent of pursuing a VIR fellowship. I am however open to suggestions of other fields to check out. My only requirement in a career path is that it be a fast paced field and that my work seems to make a difference in patients lives. I will also say that thus far I am not a fan of surgery...of any kind.
I am a pretty good in the interview setting; my concern is getting to the interview stage via my paper representation. With these things in mind my question is how do I make my resume "sparkle"? What alternative specialties should I take a look at? Do I need to be more realistic about my options at this point? In other words are super competitive fields such as rads out of my reach?
I realize a higher Step I score would be optimal but unfortunately there are no "do-overs". Would taking Step II's early help my cause at all? I have no research or publications as there are limited opportunities at my school...any suggestions for a solution there? I do have a pretty strong extra-curricular history being in a fraternity for 4 years which allowed me to participate in multiple volunteer and charity events. Any suggestions on how I can improve my resume or how best to present my current achievments would be appreciated.
Thanks for your time and thought
