Help this train wreck!

[DrWatsonMD]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I need some serious help to pull a survivor from thr train wreck that is my medical career. Ill save the excuses and give pure facts. I took two rotations off before 3rd yr, took step 1 which I failed. Passed my medicine rotation, took 8 weeks off to do step1 landed a 208. So at this point I won't be able to use 2014 match to start residency in summer 2014. Question is how can I match general surgery in 2015? What should I do about my schedule? Also I'm not at a top 40 med school but its in the US and I have a first author gen surg paper

 

[maxheadroom]

I would recommend that you go into the lab for two years.

 

[navymd]

Pray!

 

[Consigliere]

Family practice.

 

[DrWatsonMD]

Is there no way this is possible?

 

[Buzz Me]

Ill save the excuses and give pure facts. I took two rotations off before 3rd yr, took step 1 which I failed. Passed my medicine rotation, took 8 weeks off to do step1 landed a 208.

Why did you take two rotations off?

A Step 1 score significantly lower than the mean (around one standard deviation, IIRC) and any other red flags on your app will make matching into a categorical Gen Surg spot quite difficult.

Do you have other strong features to your app? LOR, other research, Step 2 CK, away rotations?

 

[DrWatsonMD]

Why did you take two rotations off?

A Step 1 score significantly lower than the mean (around one standard deviation, IIRC) and any other red flags on your app will make matching into a categorical Gen Surg spot quite difficult.

Do you have other strong features to your app? LOR, other research, Step 2 CK, away rotations?

I took one off because I was have a daily headache and basically didn't want to take the exam until my dr figured out what's wrong. Unfortunately he failed to do so and two rotations went by between the workup.

I have strong letters and lots of gen surg research. My publication is in gen surg. As for aways, I haven't done any yet nor have I taken step 2.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Is there no way this is possible?

Its not impossible, but what others are trying to tell you is that you are in a real predicament.

1) took extra time off during medical school;
2) took extra time off and failed Step 1;
3) took additional time off and when you passed Step 1, you did so with a low score;
4) although you are a 3rd year student, and you should be ready to apply for match 2014, you are telling us you won't be ready until 2015; that means that you are taking *more* time off (either before or after graduation); extending your education is generally looked askance at

Strong letters are great, but everyone has those.

First author is a boon to your application IF programs see it. You will be screened out at many programs based on your fail and below the mean Step 1 score.

My thoughts:

1) you are going to be best received at programs that know you best; that is, your own medical school program or places where you do audition rotations. You will have to be the rare candidate that programs will take in spite of the above problems. The hard part is getting them to see past your numbers
2) do not do audition rotations at programs where you honestly have no chance; no matter if you are Albert Schweitzer in person, you are most likely not going to be offered a residency position at Hopkins
3) do whatever you have to do (except take more time off) to get an above the mean Step 2 score
4) consider doing more research, if it will generate more publications
5) have a Plan B: taking a Prelim position, SOAP, and another specialty as a back-up

Best of luck.

 

[Buzz Me]

WS beat me to it. As always, hard to add much to her excellent post, but here goes:

(1) By "lots of gen surg research," hopefully you meant you were productive and have more than just a paper to show for it. A first-author paper in a Gen Surg journal is certainly respectable, but ideally you'd have other things to further advocate for your strong research background. Abstracts? Posters? Presentations? Otherwise all that time and energy spent doing research hopefully also resulted in some networking/strong LORs? If you have lots of research "stuff" on your CV, you may be able to paint yourself as more research-oriented (to compensate for the low Step 1 score).

(2) As stated earlier, it is critical that you knock Step 2 CK out of the park. If you pass the initial screen/minimum criteria with your Step 1 score, you've got a shot.

(3) Did your headaches end up being migraines (or something more serious)? Hopefully not...and feel free to ignore this question if it's too personal. But I would definitely have an articulate, reasonable explanation for the two rotations that you missed as well as the low Step 1 score other than just "I was having headaches." There are just too many applicants with personal/health issues who also have great scores and no big red flags on their apps. It's a very competitive world out there.

(4) Again, as alluded to above, it behooves you to shine at your home program (other rotations, electives, sub-Is, etc) or at away rotations. You need to do everything you can to show you're better than how you appear on paper.

You've definitely got your work cut out for you. Hopefully your health issues are resolved and you've got a good plan on how to crush Step 2 CK. Best of luck.

 

[DrWatsonMD]

First, thanks all of you for replying. I have about 10 posters/ presentations from med school which might help me play the research card. What do you think if I have my first two rotations off put down as medical leave? Will that improve the situation? My phsycian actually wrote me a note for medical leave but never followed through because I wasn't sure how it would look.