How much time can I take off after medical school?

[Billyy]

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After graduating with an M.D., what if I followed a dream full-time and built up various successful medical websites (such as a "Picture-bank" for dermatology or family med docs; or, more likely, a new online "Step 1 study resource")?

How would residency programs view such endeavors? What if it takes 1,3, 5, 7, even 10 years to get the project up and running to where I could leave it and come back to medicine?

Can I even make it back into medicine after that point?

 

[gutonc]

After graduating with an M.D., what if I followed a dream full-time and built up various successful medical websites (such as a "Picture-bank" for dermatology or family med docs; or, more likely, a new online "Step 1 study resource")?

OK so...first thing...nobody needs any more of those. There are a million of them and yours will not be any better (or cheaper or whatever) than the currently available ones. Unless you're the CEO of UWorld or Kaplan or something, this is a bad idea.

Second, unless this is an active business that is already up and running and making you money (or close to it), this would be a terrible idea.

How would residency programs view such endeavors? What if it takes 1,3, 5, 7, even 10 years to get the project up and running to where I could leave it and come back to medicine?

Can I even make it back into medicine after that point?

If it took you 1 year and you had something really cool to show for it, some residency programs would, at the least, not consider it a negative. At 3 years, you still might have a chance at Psych or FM. Beyond that, you've basically wasted 4 years (and $200K) on med school.

 

[Top Gun]

After graduating with an M.D., what if I followed a dream full-time and built up various successful medical websites (such as a "Picture-bank" for dermatology or family med docs; or, more likely, a new online "Step 1 study resource")?

How would residency programs view such endeavors? What if it takes 1,3, 5, 7, even 10 years to get the project up and running to where I could leave it and come back to medicine?

Can I even make it back into medicine after that point?

As gutonc pointed out, those sites are a dime a dozen. Kaplan is already making a fortune on the very endeavor you're describing. So I don't think any residency program will be impressed. If you must take time off after med school, I wouldn't take more than 1 or 2 years. The longer you are out of med school, the further your chances for matching decrease. And there is no way you could match into residency 10 years after graduation. Most programs have a cut-off of 3-5 years, if that.

 

[Billyy]

Thanks for the responses.

3 years? Seriously? If there's a chance I could get back into FM or Psych, that'd be great.

Are there any experiences or proof that I could get back in?

((I'm wondering if there is any way I could ask a particular residency program these same questions without looking bad and burning my bridges.))

 

[gutonc]

Thanks for the response.

3 years? Seriously? If there's a chance I could get back into FM or Psych, that'd be great.

Are there any experiences or proof that I could get back in?

There is somewhere between a 33 and 50% chance in my mind that I could make more money from building websites than I could in any other specialty--given three years to work on it. In the event that my website goals fail, I would have a decent product to show for it (probably something like one of the unsuccessful, albeit comprehensive Q-banks). After giving it a try, I would love it if I could get back into Psych or FM.

But--is there any proof that this would still be a possibility?

Of course not. But there's no guarantee you'll match straightaway either. That said, your match desirability goes down the longer you're out.

You can obviously do whatever you want but I think this is a bad idea unless you've got a product almost in hand.

 

[Top Gun]

Thanks for the responses.

3 years? Seriously? If there's a chance I could get back into FM or Psych, that'd be great.

Are there any experiences or proof that I could get back in?

There is somewhere between a 33 and 50% chance in my mind that I could make more money from building websites than I could in any other specialty--given three years to work on it. In the event that my website goals fail, I would have a decent product to show for it (probably something like one of the unsuccessful, albeit comprehensive Q-banks). After giving it a try, I would love it if I could get back into Psych or FM.

But--is there any proof that this would still be a possibility?

I think you are really overestimating your chances of making more cash building websites than practicing as a physician. An enterprise like the one you're suggesting is unpredictable. You are going to have a ton of competition from more established medical resources such as Kaplan and USMLE World. What will you have to offer that they don't? Not only do they have websites with pictures of various disease processes and online practice questions, they also offer live preparation courses for med students and residents. Furthermore, you are graduating from medical school, so you probably don't have a lot of income. Where are you going to get the capital to start your business endeavor? If I were you, I would just apply for residency and finish it. At least you would have a secure career to fall back on. If you want to go into business building medical websites, you can do it after your have completed your residency.

 

[survivordo]

I really think you need to take some busines classes. There is a HUGE risk to trying to break into the oversaturated field of medical education versus the minimal risk (at this point) of just going to residency and pulling in a solid 6 figures. Not to mention your loans will be accumulating interest etc. THIS DOES NOT COMPUTE! At most I would start something on the side but I would not lose sight of your "day job"

Survivor DO

 

[Paddington]

Terrible idea to be taking time off like that in this day and age. "Gaps" in your CV look suspicious to employers, even years later as an attending. If you want to grow such a business, your chances of succeeding at it are probably better if stick with your medical career at the same time.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Thanks for the responses.

3 years? Seriously? If there's a chance I could get back into FM or Psych, that'd be great.

Are there any experiences or proof that I could get back in?

((I'm wondering if there is any way I could ask a particular residency program these same questions without looking bad and burning my bridges.))

All you need to do is read SDN and see the threads posted by people who are 3, 4, 5 or more years out of medical school who can't find a position. There is a time limit on relevant clinical knowledge and skills when you aren't using it.

At best, by taking such time off for your plan, you look misguided and impetuous. At worst, you are unable to find a position and end up with nothing. This is a very bad idea for all the reasons listed above.

 

[notdeadyet]

For what you're describing, OP, unless you have $300-500k in capital to start the project, your chances of success are next to zero. If you do have that kind of capital, your chances of great success (I.e. tidy profit) are still single digit.

This idea is one step from "maybe I can make lots of money designing an app." If you like the work, it would be a nice side project, but not a realistic career path unless you're already well down it (like a known player in tech or web development with several similar successful and profitable sites).

And taking anything more than a year out from residency will reduce your chances exponentially with passing time.

 

[notdeadyet]

Sorry to be a downer, but was in tech and web development consulting for about 8 or so years prior to the school. If I had a nickel for every time an amateur thought they had a million dollar idea, I'd make more money than I ever did from a website.

 

[RadOncDoc21]

I wish you pursued this prior to going to college and completing med school... I'm not a dream killer but I definitely would reconsider.

 

[BADMD]

At 3 years without clinical training, you are at a substantial disadvantage when applying for residency. 3 years is frequently a hard cut off at which point programs won't even look at your applications.

As for having an educational website, especially as a business, I can assure you that programs don't care. In fact, it can be a negative factor.

 

[BrakngLyv]

Not to mention, as others have alluded to, if this is OP's business idea, it's well behind the curve. You should be thinking of something innovative and novel, not trying to incrementally improve what we have.

 

[Winged Scapula]

At 3 years without clinical training, you are at a substantial disadvantage when applying for residency. 3 years is frequently a hard cut off at which point programs won't even look at your applications.

As for having an educational website, especially as a business, I can assure you that programs don't care. In fact, it can be a negative factor.

Good point.

PDs want to know that you are devoting full-time to residency without outside distractions. Marriage and family used to be considered such. That's changed (in most places) but having a side business might be seen as a negative, implying that you aren't focusing on residency.

You have plenty of time to develop a side business AFTER you get your residency training. Right now your medical degree has an expiration date on it, if you don't enter residency soon after graduation. Unfortunately thats the hard facts.

 

[xrevision]

Do you even have the start up capital for acquiring said pictures?

 

[Iwy Em Hotep]

Remember that you also have to take all of your Step exams within 7 years.