This posting will be my first in years and much has changed since I initially posted. From 4/2014-3/2016, I performed in-house Medicare risk assessments, which did not entail any clinical management. Finally in 4/2016, I caught a break and returned to clinical medicine in various locums assignments in family, urgent and correctional medicine through 8/2019. With that experience, I joined the Bureau of Prisons in 9/2019 as a Medical Officer and later became Clinical Director of a facility with 2000 inmates. I am now in the process of joining the US Public Health Service to open opportunities in public health while also practicing clinical medicine. In all six years of practicing medicine, I have not had any adverse outcomes or any medical malpractice claims. I am now posting again to gather guidance about completing my training. As I mentioned in my initial post, I am a USIMG and completed 21 of 36 months of family medicine residency training before my contract was terminated due to late charting and late arrival to work on several occasions despite multiple warnings. After review of preventive medicine program requirements, I am only eligible to apply to a single program due to not meeting the 24-month criterion for residency training. As for family medicine, I have likely exceeded the CME funding limits due to completion of part of my residency. In my present position, I have assumed more professional responsibility as a physician than in residency and have performed strongly. However, the credentialing issues still will interfere with my ability to match and complete my training. Once in the PHS, I will have options to practice in the IHS and possibly VA system, so part of me doesn't see the point of mounting an unlikely application when I could practice medicine at a high level of competence, have stability, excellent compensation, ability to finally start a family and leave behind my nomadic life in the PHS. Yet, I also acknowledge that without BC, many doors will remain closer forever. I have plenty of drive and although no longer young, I still have the intellectual curiosity and work ethic to complete residency training. If my recent work load is often greater than my demands in residency and I have exceeded expectations, I don't see why I should not be able to complete residency training. I understand that eligibility criteria exist for a reason, but I am hoping that programs could consider where I am today as well as my previous setbacks. I would like to hear thoughts about how to proceed.
PS to shikima- Thank you for your guidance so many years ago. Your comments kept a flicker of hope alive in me and helped to salvage my medical career.