Has anyone failed multiple classes and made it through?

[Leadership Doc]

Curious if anyone has or knows someone who has failed a class or even multiple classes in pod school and turned their bad luck around. Not interested in hearing people's opinions on people who have failed a class. I understand the issues that revolve around this matter, but I know a few people who have failed 1 or 2 courses in their first year and are quite lost as to what to do. It would be great to hear any success stories from someone who started off with a struggle.

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[EK18]

Not sure if it's like this at all the schools, but here at Scholl if you fail a class you get a chance to remediate it. If you pass remediation (with any grade, even if you ace the remediation exam) then you get a C in the class and it's basically as if you simply got a C in the class to begin with. Unless I've been misinformed, nobody knows that you had to remediate (except you and the people you tell) and isn't recorded on your transcript (just says you got a C).

If you fail remediation, then you either repeat the course the following year (probably what happens if it's just one course) or get dismissed (probably what happens if it's multiple courses). Hope that helps.

 

[Shoestring]

I failed two classes my first year, Biochem and neuroanatomy, I matched this year at my #1 spot, which in my opinion is a pretty good, but under the radar program. I had two other programs tell me after interviews that I had a spot with them if I wanted it (I understand that this may or may not have been true, but I know with fair certainty that one of them was being honest). I don't think it is a death sentence, I think what I did on my clerkships had a much greater impact on the whole selection process then the grades did. I'm not even sure if my program knew I failed, all my school does is put an Astrix next to that class grade (which is whatever you get on the retake, but for GPA it is counted as a 70). At my school, you fail once, you remediate over the summer, you fail that and your out, you can fail two your first year and one your second year (not sure about years 3 or 4).

 

[Podophile]

"Turn around their bad luck"? I don't wanna be a jerk, but nobody fails a class due to luck. It always comes down to lack of preparation.

That being said, failing a 1st year class is much less a death sentence/red flag than failing a Podiatry or your Lower Extremity Anatomy course.

 

[itsallgood19]

Shoestring can I ask what school you attend?

 

[Shoestring]

DMU

 

[streetsweeper]

It's do-able. But you also have to know your own self worth. Just be honest with yourself and have a real assessment. Did you fail because you can't handle the pressure?

I failed a class in my first year. Had no real good excuse .. I was working, didn't make time for studying. Long story short, I was given a chance to remediate the course over the next summer. Once that was over, I moved on with my life. Passed boards.....Landed a residency. Maximized my time in residency...even became the model resident.

Guess what? I just recently signed a contract into a big multi-specialty group. I'm starting at $225 base with incentives. Wasn't a high powered residency.. didn't do a fellowship. Yet, I have all the tools I need to practice sound podiatric medicine and surgery. I know what I can handle and what I can't. I would do well in private practice or an ortho group if they offered a better package. I can go either way because I work very hard. It's all do-able if you really focus and apply yourself. Be honest with yourself. Cut out the crap in your life...like the side job, for example.

Good Luck

 

[streetsweeper]

Streetsweeper, I'm interested to know if the contract you accepted is with a multi-specialty group in the city, suburbs, or in a rural area. I've come across several residents who either accepted jobs or had friends who accepted jobs similar to yours but these jobs were in rural, under served areas. Some residents were recruited by hospital systems in these rural areas.

You said you worked "very hard and applied yourself" during your residency training, can you clarify that? Did you just really focus on your training, such as going to a lot of courses, or did you do a lot of research or did you focus on making connections or was it a combo of all three?

I think both students and soon to be residents would love some insight on your impressive job offer.

I will be in the suburbs. 40 mins away from a major US city.

I did all of the above. At my program, it was pretty "hands off." I emulated the MD residents in what were expected out of them in their specialty when I was on my off-service rotations. I stayed late at night to cover orthopedic cases even though that was just an option and outside of my usual work shift and call duties. I've kept up with the literature. I performed research...presented at conferences...Nobody really telling me what to do. I just did it because.... i'm getting paid to learn. Meanwhile, I stayed humble, smiled a lot..... Had patients asking for my business card before I even had a practice! And attendings took notice...both MD and DPM. I'm nearing the end of my residency now and I really didn't "try" to look for a job. I was approached by people recommending me to other people. Before I accepted my current job offer, I was reviewing 3 different jobs that I had a lock on. One was an orthopedic group.

 

[streetsweeper]

What kind of program was your residency? Was is it a level 1 or 2 trauma center? Was it a community hospital? What is a university based hospital system affiliated with a medical school? Not trying to actually figure out where you went but trying to understand the kind of training atmosphere you were in.

Intuitively I feel the university based, level 1 trauma center setting offers residents a lot resources in terms of surgical training, funding for research and the obvious connections since residents are usually involved in very strong off-service rotations with an abundant of other medical specialties. But again I'm not at the point in my career where I've signed a contract yet. I could be totally wrong.

Just trying to understand the kind of training environments some residents are graduating from who sign these impressive contracts.

Sure... Don't want to reveal too much as I can lose my identity. Our program is a level II, for-profit teaching hospital. No ortho residents so we pretty much cover all the foot and ankle surgery at our institution. We have a foot and ankle ortho attending who specifically uses us as his residents and prefers having us around as opposed to having PA's. Off service rotations are excellent. Side by side with MDs. Not a high powered place but we get our numbers and then some.

Our program also has an affiliation with the medical school across town where there is a level I trauma center....we don't take call there though...although, they welcome us to set up a formal rotation for it. They have orthopedic residents and their own foot and ankle ortho surgeons. These surgeons are pro-podiatry and welcome us into all their cases and clinic any time even though their ortho residents may resent that. I don't mind the animosity...i get to put on delta frames on pilons over there so they can playa hate all they want. I once put on a circular frame on a former chief of orthopedics who was very anti-podiatry during the 80s. Ironic, huh? Again, this is all self driven... nobody is really telling us to cover these cases. The opportunity is there to take it. Same thing with research. But our priority is our home institution...we only cover cases at the medical school if it's relatively quiet at the home institution.

 

[willingdoc]

That's why it's important for pre podiatry students to know such rules when interviewing at the schools. At ksucpm, if you fail two classes in a year(fall, spring, summer) you're out. You can fail one class and remediate in the summer, but if you fail the remediation you're out. I think at Barry if you fail one class you're out. If Shoestring or the student from Scholl who failed 3 classes second year had been at ksucpm, they would have not been allowed to continue. While one shouldn't ever plan on failing, it's good to know the rules in case a mishap occurs.

 

[itsallgood19]

does anyone know the rule at NY?

 

[newfeet]

In my day... NYCPM let you take an exam if you fail the class after the final. If you passed your grade would be C-*. The * meant you took the retest exam.

 

[itsallgood19]

Thanks for the reply! So what happens if you don't pass the retest? Do you have to take the course over again from scratch or are you dismissed?

 

[pacpod]

My general understanding (no matter what school you are at) is you have to apply to enter with the class behind you if you fail the remediation.

 

[PatchAdamsFan]

At NYCPM you need a 60% mark in the class to qualify for a retest. Some students who fail remediation can jump to the January class 2 years below them (the standard option move into the class below, or not continue with podiatry school, are options as well).

 

[dtrack22]

Guess what? I just recently signed a contract into a big multi-specialty group. I'm starting at $225 base with incentives. Wasn't a high powered residency.. didn't do a fellowship.

Two questions.

1. Physician owned Multi-specialty clinic where you can become a "partner"? Or are you an employee forever?

2. What happened to all the attendings who used to poop all over salaries like yours and talk about $200k being impossible out of residency? In a weird way, I miss that.

 

[streetsweeper]

Two questions.

1. Physician owned Multi-specialty clinic where you can become a "partner"? Or are you an employee forever?

2. What happened to all the attendings who used to poop all over salaries like yours and talk about $200k being impossible out of residency? In a weird way, I miss that.

i was trying to give the guy some hope but people are fixed on my job offer lol.

1. Yes to the first question.

2. I've been reading those posts from attendings for years on these forums... I was actually expecting to get low balled. Nope, never happened. I'm a little disappointed actually. My co-resident who is graduating the same year didn't have the same drive I did and he certainly won't be doing any crazy reconstructive surgeries but he got a job offer north of 150k with incentives. I'm never listening to advice from these forums again.

 

[newfeet]

i was trying to give the guy some hope but people are fixed on my job offer lol.

1. Yes to the first question.

2. I've been reading those posts from attendings for years on these forums... I was actually expecting to get low balled. Nope, never happened. I'm a little disappointed actually. My co-resident who is graduating the same year didn't have the same drive I did and he certainly won't be doing any crazy reconstructive surgeries but he got a job offer north of 150k with incentives. I'm never listening to advice from these forums again.

I also got an offer in the 150s as hospital based podiatrist at a hospital in rural Northeast. I turned down an offer in the 200s because I didnt want to leave the state I live in now. And I'm definitely not from a high powered residency. It's doable.

 

[Leadership Doc]

Thanks for all of the replies on this! This has been much more beneficial than I ever imagined and it answered more than just the original question. To Podophile, I wasn't even going to take the time to respond, but I think it's important to understand life is more than school, and that no one can control or plan for unexpected issues. One main reason for posting this is because I know of someone who had multiple deaths in their family within the same week. To me, in a situation like this, lack of preparation means nothing. I could have that material memorized down to every period or comma, but my mind wouldn't care about that exam or that class.

Moving on from that though, thanks for the great replies. It's good to know how different schools handle it, and that it can be done. Hopefully this can help both future pod students and current ones who may encounter something along these lines. Thanks for the success story from Shoestring! Extremely beneficial and great to hear!