Disappointed

[FutureStork]

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I have expressed my interest in Ob/Gyn at my medical school. I've been very active and have started new projects and new research in Ob/Gyn. I was slapped in the face with very disturbing information from my advisor. She was very rude to me in an email. She may have had a bad day, but I really feel that I didn't deserve her negative and untrue comments (and I've checked with others- they too feel that the faculty member was in the wrong). I have such a bad taste in my mouth. Now, I can't help but not want to do Ob. I know, I know, don't let one person discourage you. But I have to match at my program for personal reasons, and I'm left wondering if others are just as mean as this faculty member is. I feel so turned off, disappointed, hurt, and discouraged. Feedback anyone? 🙁

 

[Wednesday]

Hmm. You might be in trouble if you have to attend that program and have a faculty member against you. Maybe you should talk to her and try to get things straightened out. It may be that you misperceived her tone, that's easy to do in an email.

It's really hard to just pick one program and say that you have to match there. Unfortunately the match is a lot more random than that. If this is a necessity, you need to make sure everyone there LOVES you, including the residents, because it's likely that everyone has a say in who they rank and how high. As for changing to a different specialty, if you want ob/gyn, you gotta do a residency in it. Changing specialties means you won't be an ob/gyn, a simple concept, but important if you're going to change you career path because of one person who wrote one email. Good luck with your situation, I hope you get things worked out.

 

[kauai]

Don't be discouraged! Consider who this faculty member is and how much influence they have in the residency selection process. Also, is this the only faculty advisor available to you--every department has some bad apples who are not always as welcoming or encouraging to students as we might like. Also consider the possibility that your advisor may have been trying to give you some honest advice that may have not been pleasant to hear, but may really help you in the long run. For example, at my school, most students rely on one particular faculty member for advice (she is the clerkship director and associate director of the residency program) she is the nicest, most supportive person you would ever want to meet and very enthusiastic and helpful to any student who wants to apply for ob/gyn. However, she is also very honest with students who may have problems matching (usually academic issues), at the program that they would like to match at (including at our own program). If I were you I would seek out additional advice and identify the faculty members who will be supportive of you, and if you want to stay at your own program, identify the faculty members who are likely to play a significant role in the residency selection process and do your best to make a positive impression on them. Finally, don't let one person's bad attitude have a significant effect on your life--to the point of changing career decisions!