Failed histology+anatomy; a red flag for pathology residency?

[Fluffyone]

Hi, im currently a third year student whos interested in applying to pathology residency. However, during the first 2 weeks of med school my school only offered 2 weeks of a histology course and one or two tests in it and I was just starting anatomy and going through some personal things and I failed both I ended up successfully retaking both and I really like histology but i just didn't give myself enough time because of my situation. I did well after that semester and got good evaluations and shelf scores so far. Do you think ill be okay for pathogy residency? Thanks!

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[EthylMethylMan]

I don't think it'll be a deal-breaker. Pass the rest of your classes, pass COMLEX levels on your first try, and do well on some path electives in MS3/4. Pathology isn't very competitive, and from what I've read (I'm not a pathologist) people have come back from worse positions and matched successfully. I would encourage you, however, to learn some better coping skills. I don't need to know the details of your personal issues, but I can tell you that personal stuff is going to come up again in the future, and it's not going to be mindful of your school/work schedule. Though every school is different, most are not going to be happy once the number of course failures exceeds one. So it's going to be critical that you learn how to at least get by despite personal difficulties. If something comes up again in the future, and you're seeing signs that you won't be able to perform adequately until it's taken care of, look into taking a leave of absence.

 

[DOVinciRobot]

Had a person in my class match a good path residency after failing and having to repeat entirety of 1st year. Path isn’t competitive.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Hi, im currently a third year student whos interested in applying to pathology residency. However, during the first 2 weeks of med school my school only offered 2 weeks of a histology course and one or two tests in it and I was just starting anatomy and going through some personal things and I failed both I ended up successfully retaking both and I really like histology but i just didn't give myself enough time because of my situation. I did well after that semester and got good evaluations and shelf scores so far. Do you think ill be okay for pathogy residency? Thanks!

Everyone loves a good comeback story. I failed the class for which I'm doing fellowship now. It's not a deal breaker at all