For all you competitive people...

[DOCTORSAIB]

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Sorry buddy...nothing against you personally....

But during my rotations...I just hated to see some snobby DO students...act like they went to Harvard....maybe that's why I have such an angry attitude.
(btw...the DO girls are the hottest!!!!! no doubts about that)

Most of them were just fine..and humble.....and if you know me in real life.....i dont have the "i'm better" attitude....rather....i am very down to earth and humble.

As far as COMPLEX and PLAB....I shouldnt compare it....but I know both tests have a lot of questions on mere recall of info...rather than thinking of a 3 step process like the USMLEs do...thats all......

For the 2nd time, it's COMLEX, not COMPLEX. Don't think for a second that the COMLEX is just a straight recall test. Anyone who told you that either isn't a DO student or is a 2nd year setting themselves up for disaster when they get man-handled with the slew of 3rd year-esque questions on the COMLEX. None of which are "mere recall." I'm telling you this as an FYI so you can sound intelligent in the future. Please don't turn this into a debate about the differences between the USMLE and the COMLEX. And yes, I've taken both exams...😉

For the record, being snobby has less to do with your degree and more with your personality. I love snobby 3rd years b/c I have them for dessert during case discussions or on the wards. You should be humbled by what you don't know- not by the little that you do know!

I'm telling you these things b/c I've also noticed some of your comments in other posts about DO's, FMG's, etc, etc. Blanket statements are seldom correct bro.

Carry on people...

 

[DO_2007]

For the 2nd time, it's COMLEX, not COMPLEX. Don't think for a second that the COMLEX is just a straight recall test. Anyone who told you that either isn't a DO student or is a 2nd year setting themselves up for disaster when they get man-handled with the slew of 3rd year-esque questions on the COMLEX. None of which are "mere recall." I'm telling you this as an FYI so you can sound intelligent in the future. Please don't turn this into a debate about the differences between the USMLE and the COMLEX. And yes, I've taken both exams...😉

For the record, being snobby has less to do with your degree and more with your personality. I love snobby 3rd years b/c I have them for dessert during case discussions or on the wards. You should be humbled by what you don't know- not by the little that you do know!

I'm telling you these things b/c I've also noticed some of your comments in other posts about DO's, FMG's, etc, etc. Blanket statements are seldom correct bro.

Carry on people...

AMEN bro.!!! I've noticed the same thing from his posts also. He hates snobby DO's but likes snobby MD's from Harvard. I rotated with students from Harvard and found the majority of them down to earth. It does not matter what you have on your badge (DO, MD, PhD,...). What it really matters, who is carrying that badge. I've also noticed on one of his posts saying he always wanted to be MD not a DO. I think we all wanted to be physicians. Man I think he could not get into a DO school, that is why he hates the snobby DO's!!!

 

[Shah_Patel_PT]

AMEN bro.!!! I've noticed the same thing from his posts also. He hates snobby DO's but likes snobby MD's from Harvard. I rotated with students from Harvard and found the majority of them down to earth. It does not matter what you have on your badge (DO, MD, PhD,...). What it really matters, who is carrying that badge. I've also noticed on one of his posts saying he always wanted to be MD not a DO. I think we all wanted to be physicians. Man I think he could not get into a DO school, that is why he hates the snobby DO's!!!

i interviewed and was accepted...i did not want to be the only DO in my family.......of 15+ MDs.....btw....I will have my MD (< 1 week) and I matched into a very good university program and I am very happy......

 

[DO_2007]

It is really amazing, i do not hear that story about MD and DO from allopathic MD's, neither from FMG's from overseas. In all my rotations for the last 2 years, it is always about FMG's from the Carib. they all have the same question; why did you go to a DO school? when you ask them the same question: why did you go to a Carib. school? "I wanted to be MD" insted of I wanted to be a Doctor. Have you ever noticed that DOctor starts with DO....LOL.

 

[DOCTORSAIB]

i interviewed and was accepted...i did not want to be the only DO in my family.......of 15+ MDs.....btw....I will have my MD (< 1 week) and I matched into a very good university program and I am very happy......

If being an MD is that important to you (and your family), then so be it. You made the right choice by going to the Caribbean.

One thing is clear, both from your story and the countless number of stories of DO's and FMG's matching at the residency/program of their choice- NO ONE can stop you if you have your eye on the prize. Difficult, yes. Impossible, NO!

Congrats on the recent match and on finally getting your MD..😉

 

[Mixmaster]

For some reason I personally feel that it is wrong for someone to choose the carib just to get the MD. Especially when most of the Allo world knows that the DO closer to the quality of the US MD education then the Carib MD is.

I would point something out to shah Patel. Look at the IM (and other) matches for the DO's and compare them to where you other carib's matched. I have no doubt that the DO's did better. Names like Mayo, CC , UofC, Hopkins, NW, UofF, UCLA, SUNY --- come to mind for anesthesia, IM, surgery, neurosurgery. I know that the FMG's do well but I dont know if they do that well....

 

[snips44]

FMG's are a blessing to mankind.

 

[worriedwell]

To the OP...the irony is that in medical school, we all think being a dermatologist or ENT is prestigious and highly coveted and impressive. But when you hit the real world, and you are a doctor and actually deal with doctors on an everyday basis (not to mention laypersons and other staff), there is no one more well respected than a good internist. That experienced, kind, and brilliant internist who walks the halls is revered by every specialty. He accumulates so much knowledge that he actually knows everything that all the specialists know (for the most part, save for how to manually do the procedure). Its mind blowing. If you want prestige in the hospital and in the general world, being a great internist is the absolute top of the food chain. As intellectuals, they are unmatched. And some of them make boatloads of money too if they go down the boutique or out of pocket route (with a bit of hospital work and academics on the side).

In addition, getting into the Brigham or another big time medicine residency is equally as hard as getting into even the most competitive specialties at top places. I know people rejected at Brigham for medicine who then matched NYU derm (a top derm program).

If your goal is to avoid IMGs and be around elite thinkers and hard workers (even if your stereotypes are completely unjustified), going into IM at a top place gets you to where you need to be to stroke your ego. Now whether being a medicine resident for three years is the kind of fun you want to have to get to fellowship vs deciding to immediately go into a specialized procedural field is another question. That question is legitimate if you find yourself procedurally oriented in the first place, because doing IM residency is long and grueling.

But believe me, on a day to day basis in the hospital (and I go to an ivy league residency where I interact with very well educated and smart people) nobody sits around in awe of the ENT resident and mocking the IM resident because people perceive one as smarter or more accomplished than the other. That is truly laughable. It really is just YOUR ISSUE if that is how you think. Narcissism is a legitimate diagnosis that would go along with that type of thinking. But the funny thing is that when you actually go through it, you realize that even that narcissism is misplaced.

Best,
Worriedwell (an unashamed psychiatrist with great board scores)

 

[wraith777]

I was just wondering whether the prospect of doing 3 years of internal medicine bothers anyone. Not for any practical reason (I think IM is great from a substantive standpoint), but from, I suppose, a somewhat petty egotistical standpoint.

Personally, I worked really hard in college to get into an excellent medical school. Now that I've been admitted, I'm taking out a boat-load of money in loans to pay for it, when I could have gone to a state school for almost nothing (relatively speaking). So now, in order to get to where I want to be, I need to first spend three years in internal medicine: a residency that's comprised of more than 50% IMGs (according to freida) and many other students who were out partying or something while I was hunched over my books for four years. I forewarned you that it was petty, but still I can't help but let it bother me.

Anyone else tempted to apply to something like radiology or ENT just to do justice to how hard you've worked and to your achievements up to this point? I just can't help thinking that, with cardiology, I'll be first entering a field that I could have entered had my MCAT score been 8 points lower, my GPA been a whole integer lower, and my step 1 been 50 points lower.

Just wondering if anyone else has thought at all about it. Thanks.

I agree with worriedwell. I also realize the misguided point you’re trying to make, Caulfield, so I’ll give you some words of wisdom:

I worked hard in high school, and went to an Ivy League college. I also studied hard there (and played hard too) and went on to a reputable medical school in the Northeast. I am currently a 4th year medical student, just matched in Internal Medicine at a reputable academic program here in the Northeast. I must admit, the word “competitive” caught my eye when I saw this thread.

I’ve always worked hard to maintain good test scores and grades throughout the years. However I’ve come across plenty of my peers whom I’ve outscored, who’ve displayed outstanding clinical competence. I would not label them “slackers” by any means. I’ve also sent the reverse. You’ll always encounter all ends of the spectrum in any hospital, in any specialty. I’ve seen enough to know this, and I haven’t even begun residency yet. What I’ve also seen, Caulfield, is that the best physicians are always the all-rounders--one’s who can “bring it” in the exam hall and on the wards, as well as gain the love, respect, admiration, and trust of patients and colleagues alike.

Here’s the point, Caulfield: If you’re really that good, you’ll be able to distinguish yourself in more places than one. If you’re really that good, you should feel confident that even in a residency class of 30-50 people, you’ll be able to distinguish yourself as a future leader of medicine, as someone truly exceptional, among a sea of competent residents. Same should go for your cardiology fellowship. I doubt any head of cards or big wig attending in cards or any other specialty, with AOA plaques and teaching/research awards on his wall, is sitting around griping about how he shouldn’t have worked so damn hard.

Now, if you’re NOT that good, you just might have cause to complain…..

 

[tum]

wow... the original poster is a huge gunner tool. glad i didn't go to med school with him.

yeah man... go into ENT or rads. i'd hate to be on the wards with a hater like you.

maybe you did 🙂

 

[snips44]

To the OP and the SDN Community at large,

Maybe it's just me, but I've noticed that alot of the AMGs on SDN are really into how competitive of a residency they can land. I could be wrong, since my experience on SDN is limited, but that's just the general perception.

My theory is that because the American system is so long, arduous, and tedious (get straight A's in an otherwise meaningless Bachelor's Program...just to qualify for a decent med school...get straight A's here with AOA, etc. so you can beat out the competition), that kids get burnt out by residency time. Somewhere along the way, helping others and doing what you love took a back seat to being better than everyone around you and making big money.

The benefit of the American system is that it weeds out the weaksauce candidates by making the process so hardcore. But, as I mentioned before, it kind of de-sensitizes a person, turning medicine into a business rather than an art.

I'm positive that a majority of the kids in the States don't function this way; I'd like to think that only the most competitive people come on these forums, and that's why this mindset is so prevalent...because it's a sad, long, empty life you will lead if all you're after is prestige, acceptance, and $. True happiness and fulfillment only comes when you do what you love.