Do medical schools offer a break between 2nd and 3rd year?

[LoveBeingHuman:)]

I would argue this is extremely important. Med Students are burnt out like crazy after the second year with conclusion of Step 1. And third year is crazy hectic.

Do some schools at least offer a break in between second and third year?

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[Lannister]

Nope, not mine. You can take Step 1 early if you wish, but most people don't take more than a week off between M2 and M3.

Edit: and I should add, I think one week is plenty. I can barely go two days without studying or being productive, med school has made me a workaholic.

 

[Catalystik]

I would argue this is extremely important. Med Students are burnt out like crazy after the second year with conclusion of Step 1. And third year is crazy hectic.

Do some schools at least offer a break in between second and third year?

You might petition to be allowed to, eg, take a year for research or to complete, say, a MPH, but if you can't make it look like that year was productive, it may raise orange flags in the minds of Program Directors when it comes time for the residency match.

 

[Med Ed]

I would argue this is extremely important. Med Students are burnt out like crazy after the second year with conclusion of Step 1. And third year is crazy hectic.

Do some schools at least offer a break in between second and third year?

You work like a dog for two years. Buckle down and get kicked in the face with Step 1. Then you take a couple of weeks to recover and start clinicals. Many have done it and lived to tell the tale.

 

[Lawpy]

You might petition to be allowed to, eg, take a year for research or to complete, say, a MPH, but if you can't make it look like that year was productive, it may raise orange flags in the minds of Program Directors when it comes time for the residency match.

You work like a dog for two years. Buckle down and get kicked in the face with Step 1. Then you take a couple of weeks to recover and start clinicals. Many have done it and lived to tell the tale.

This is probably school specific, but does taking a year off happen usually after 3rd year? Apparently, MS2 and MS3 go together because Step 1 knowledge can be applied smoothly and directly to clinical scenarios. A gap between MS2 and MS3 is susceptible to knowledge decay.

It happens for MD/PhD probably because the graduate years tie nicely with preclinical years and the final graduate year has a smooth transition into clinical years. But a gap for any other reason seems impractical and vulnerable to knowledge decay.

 

[CyrilFiggis]

I would argue this is extremely important. Med Students are burnt out like crazy after the second year with conclusion of Step 1. And third year is crazy hectic.

Do some schools at least offer a break in between second and third year?

Not much time time that you can take off. If you want to do any away rotations fourth year you need to have all your core clerkships done by late summer/early fall. Our program has 4 2-week electives third year and you can take 1-2 as vacation blocks. Also, you plan your STEP date so that you have time off as well. I have a 10 day window between STEP and 3rd year. Not sure what I would do with much more time other than start to forget things.

 

[Nucleophile1]

People at my school typically have 1-2 weeks off. I think most people go take a vacation and come back ready for clinicals.

 

[Ismet]

This is probably school specific, but does taking a year off happen usually after 3rd year? Apparently, MS2 and MS3 go together because Step 1 knowledge can be applied smoothly and directly to clinical scenarios. A gap between MS2 and MS3 is susceptible to knowledge decay.

It happens for MD/PhD probably because the graduate years tie nicely with preclinical years and the final graduate year has a smooth transition into clinical years. But a gap for any other reason seems impractical and vulnerable to knowledge decay.

Not sure about this "smooth transition" you speak of...having been on rotations with MD/PhD students fresh off their PhD years, it's anything but smooth. And really, Step 1 knowledge is just that...Step 1 knowledge. It doesn't do much for the clinical skills or clinical judgment you develop in your clinical years. Yeah you need that basis of knowledge, but you basically shift gears completely when you start the clinical years.

Most people who took a gap/research/MPH year at my school did so between MS2 and MS3. That's when the PSTP program does their research year. A smaller group took a year for research between MS3 and MS4, but those were in our CSTP program which is a more clinical-focused research year rather than a basic science research. I'd argue that it's much more disruptive to take a year off between years 3 and 4. When you come into MS4 you have to hit the ground running with sub-I's, aways, ERAS, and interviews.

 

[Med Ed]

This is probably school specific, but does taking a year off happen usually after 3rd year? Apparently, MS2 and MS3 go together because Step 1 knowledge can be applied smoothly and directly to clinical scenarios.

Ha! Not trying to be snarky, but going from MCQ land of zebras to the wards is anything but smooth. That's typically when you find out that praying to the altar of First Aid, Sketchy, and Pathoma does not a competent physician make.

 

[SpoiledMilk]

UT-Dell Medical School's curriculum gives its students a 3rd year to do research, get a joint degree, or other.

 

[Med Ed]

UT-Dell Medical School's curriculum gives its students a 3rd year to do research, get a joint degree, or other.

Dell can also attract students who are capable of releasing the Kraken.

 

[STcmOCSD]

UT SOM San Antonio gives students 4 months to take Step 1 and do whatever else they want. This stuck out to me from my interview there.

 

[Piglet2020]

There’s no summer vacation between Year 1/Year 2?? Guess I’ll have to make the most out of the upcoming summer before matriculation. No wonder med students get burnt out

 

[PreMedMissteps]

People at my school typically have 1-2 weeks off. I think most people go take a vacation and come back ready for clinicals.

This seems to be common. Some schools end the second year early to give students time to study for Step 1.

 

[WingedOx]

As one medical school professor likes to tell his incoming M1 students:
you are in med school now. Assume you wont see the sun, the beach or the snowboarding slopes for at least 7 years

During M3 I drove to the Poconos on a random Sunday I had off on the last day of the season because dammit, I wasn't going to break my streak of skiing every winter since I was 5!

/finally broke that streak intern year.

 

[longhaul3]

There’s no summer vacation between Year 1/Year 2?? Guess I’ll have to make the most out of the upcoming summer before matriculation. No wonder med students get burnt out

Many (most?) schools do have a summer off between first and second years. Not between second and third, though.

 

[PreMedMissteps]

Many (most?) schools do have a summer off between first and second years. Not between second and third, though.

This seems right. About a month between first and second years.
As mentioned above, I've seen some schools end second year around April, but the purpose is to allow 6-8 weeks of Step 1 prep. Some students may take Step 1 in early May, but that may be to allow time for an internship/research experience during June.

 

[ciestar]

There’s no summer vacation between Year 1/Year 2?? Guess I’ll have to make the most out of the upcoming summer before matriculation. No wonder med students get burnt out

Depends on the school. School's with condensed pre-clinical curricula, no way.

 

[PreMedMissteps]

4th year looks like a vacation

4th year can be like a vacay, but it's also stressful. Waiting for residency interview invites, trying to schedule them in some sort of logical geographical manner (often a fail) squeezing in remaining obligations, etc. if your specialty requires an internship year, then that can mean going to a lot more interviews. From Match on it can seem like a vacay.

 

[Catalystik]

Many (most?) schools do have a summer off between first and second years.

For schools which have a longer, say, three month break, one can electively (after submitting a proposal and undergoing a competitive application process) engage in a stipended research project. Of course, if you do that, it's not much of a vacation.

 

[reaction mechanisms]

Nope, not mine. You can take Step 1 early if you wish, but most people don't take more than a week off between M2 and M3.

Edit: and I should add, I think one week is plenty. I can barely go two days without studying or being productive, med school has made me a workaholic.

Undergrad has made me this way too. I go stir crazy during breaks. So I’m sure med school will be the same for me.


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