How to turn med school into a 5-6 year experience?

[Mdude]

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For personal reasons, I'm wondering if somebody can enlighten me as to the options available if one wishes to remain in the location of their med school for 5 to 6 years rather than the traditional 4 years?

Here are some options I know about:
a) Take a year off, do research.

​

-Is this paid? If so, roughly how much?
b) Get a Master's.

​

-I know it's common to do this b/n M2 and M3. How about b/n M3 and M4?
c) Graduate from med school in four years, and obtain a "transitional year" in the same city/medical institution.

​

-Can one opt to do a transitional year no matter what specialty he/she is choosing, or are they tied to your ultimate residency specialty? For example, a friend of mine is doing a transitional year this year in city A, before moving to city B next year to start his Ophtho residency

​

-Also, is it similarly impossible to predict where you would get this transitional year the way it's impossible to predict one's residency placement? Or is obtaining a transitional year more straightforward and is there flexibility and choice involved?
d) Ideas I haven't thought of?

Ultimately, I don't want to shoot for residency in the same city, but I might need to "stall" for a year or two as my wife might need to stay because of her studies. Ideally, I'd like those "extra" years to be money-earning rather than money-spending years (ie, transitional year > master's). What's the best way for me to progress my career (and start paying back loans) while waiting for her to finish up? Any thoughts? Thanks!

[I posted this originally in the pre-allo forum but got few responses, and realized I'd get more informed feedback here]

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

For personal reasons, I'm wondering if somebody can enlighten me as to the options available if one wishes to remain in the location of their med school for 5 to 6 years rather than the traditional 4 years?

Here are some options I know about:
a) Take a year off, do research.

​

-Is this paid? If so, roughly how much?
b) Get a Master's.

​

-I know it's common to do this b/n M2 and M3. How about b/n M3 and M4?
c) Graduate from med school in four years, and obtain a "transitional year" in the same city/medical institution.

​

-Can one opt to do a transitional year no matter what specialty he/she is choosing, or are they tied to your ultimate residency specialty? For example, a friend of mine is doing a transitional year this year in city A, before moving to city B next year to start his Ophtho residency

​

-Also, is it similarly impossible to predict where you would get this transitional year the way it's impossible to predict one's residency placement? Or is obtaining a transitional year more straightforward and is there flexibility and choice involved?
d) Ideas I haven't thought of?

Ultimately, I don't want to shoot for residency in the same city, but I might need to "stall" for a year or two as my wife might need to stay because of her studies. Ideally, I'd like those "extra" years to be money-earning rather than money-spending years (ie, transitional year > master's). What's the best way for me to progress my career (and start paying back loans) while waiting for her to finish up? Any thoughts? Thanks!

[I posted this originally in the pre-allo forum but got few responses, and realized I'd get more informed feedback here]

I don't think you should bank on the transition year option.
(1) There aren't very many programs with transition years available - prelim years (which are in general more difficult) are more common.
(2) Transition years likely won't "count" towards your residency requirements unless you are going into one of a few fields - you might be looking at doing 2 intern years by going this route
(3) Applying for a transition year is by no means a sure thing - you might end up stuck with nothing to do for a year (and have to explain that to PDs in the future)

If you really need to stay in school for a longer period of time, then stay in school (i.e. do a research year, get an MPH, etc) - graduating early will just cause a headache as you either have to try and match or have to explain to PDs in the future what you did with that year.

 

[Jolie South]

There are some schools that do a decelerated first year, making it 2 years instead of 1.

You could also do a MBA, MPH, or Master's in Ethics. Those are all options at my school that would add a year onto your program.

 

[Doc Henry]

My school allows you to do what they call "expand" any year. On my interview day the current students said that a fairly large percentage of people do it (they estimated around 10%)

Basically you just don't take a full load, so you go part time and make any year take 2 years instead

 

[MediumDef]

I think that most schools will allow you to extend your training by a single year by either decelerating, research year, or 2nd degree. In terms of financial options there are several research programs that are funded for the year and at the same time you are not paying tuition to your school so if you are literally just looking to kill time that might be your best bet.

As for 6 years I don't know how easily that can be done and may raise a few eyebrows if you actually do stay in school for 6 years (e.g. by some combination of the above methods) so you would have to do a little tap dancing in terms of how you explained it. Likewise I wouldn't count on spending a single year of residency anywhere since it severely limits the types and breadth of programs you could apply to-not only would you be geographically limiting yourself but then any specialty that was categorical in nature would be closed to you.

Edit: In terms of pay for a research year I think they're inching ever closer to the 30,000 mark

 

[Captain Fantastic]

In addition to the thing suggested above, my school has a number of different "post-sophomore fellowships." We can spend a year rotating through pathology -- something like a year long Sub-I -- for example.

You have lots of options if you want to stretch it out.

 

[Blesbok]

There is another option...get a residency within relative driving range and realize that intern year is going to suck anyways, so you might as well be apart through distance and tough it out rather than put it off for two years and be apart due to time commitment anyways.

I personally would rather tough out a long distance relationship for a little while and proceed with my residency so that I would be that much closer to being through with it.

 

[Blesbok]

In addition to the thing suggested above, my school has a number of different "post-sophomore fellowships." We can spend a year rotating through pathology -- something like a year long Sub-I -- for example.

You have lots of options if you want to stretch it out.

Why the heck would anyone want to do that? That is like asking a resident to voluntarily repeat their intern year.

 

[Sora]

Why the heck would anyone want to do that? That is like asking a resident to voluntarily repeat their intern year.

Yeah, maybe it borders on the insane, but I could see how an in-depth knowledge of the path lab would complement some specialties. Am I wrong?

 

[Blesbok]

Yeah, maybe it borders on the insane, but I could see how an in-depth knowledge of the path lab would complement some specialties. Am I wrong?

So would going through multiple residencies, but that doesn't mean it is any less insane.

 

[Sora]

So would going through multiple residencies, but that doesn't mean it is any less insane.

Right, that's true, but doing a masters or research in a field you don't enjoy might be just as insane.