Mad Jack's 4th Year AMA Thread

[Mad Jack]

I'm a 4th year DO student, ask me anything. Looking to give back to a community that's given me so much.

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[SpoiledMilk]

Are you still mad Jack or with the end near more like

?

Kidding...Congratulations, almost there!

 

[Pagan FutureDoc]

How would you compare residency interviews to med school interviews?

 

[Mad Jack]

How would you compare residency interviews to med school interviews?

Very similar to be perfectly honest. They're fishing for something, you need to know how to feel it out and emphasize those parts of yourself. Residency interviews were much more similar to job interviews than medical school interviews, however, as residency interviews were much more focused on skills and future plans, while medical school interviews were more focused on ideas and ideals.

 

[Mad Jack]

Are you still mad Jack or with the end near more like

?

Kidding...Congratulations, almost there!

Thanks lol, I'm still pretty damn eccentric and definitely not a Jack in the Box. Medical school only breaks you if you let it, and the hidden curriculum isn't as bad as many claim.

 

[Microbug]

summarize your med school journey in one sentence.

 

[Mad Jack]

summarize your med school journey in one sentence.

It was awful but then it was okay but then it was confusing but then it was okay but then it was difficult but then it was okay and overall, everything went better than expected.

 

[liquidcrawler]

If you could go back to M1, what would you do differently to prep for boards? I say this as part of the class of 2022

 

[Lucca]

You still planning on doing Psych?

 

[STcmOCSD]

One of the doctors I work with said he had to take out private loans to pay for travel to residency interviews. Do you think this is the norm or do most people pay with the loan refunds they get every year?

 

[Mad Jack]

You still planning on doing Psych?

We'll see how the match goes, that's the hope though

 

[Mad Jack]

If you could go back to M1, what would you do differently to prep for boards? I say this as part of the class of 2022

I would have stuck to my study routine a lot better. It is extremely difficult and takes a lot of discipline to study for a few months at a clip and I really struggled with it. Still did okay on Step 1, but my roommates, who had the same study plan as me but stuck with it way more strictly, blew my scores away. Just have a plan and be consistent.

 

[Mad Jack]

One of the doctors I work with said he had to take out private loans to pay for travel to residency interviews. Do you think this is the norm or do most people pay with the loan refunds they get every year?

I had a bit of cash kicking around from my prior career, so I didn't have the issues most students have. Looking at the budget, it would have been a real struggle to do with my loans, but entirely possible if interviewing in a narrow geographic region. However, if you're flying all over the country, you're probably going to need extra financial assistance in one form or another.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Did you have a strong interest in psych going into med school, or did you become interested in it during third year?

 

[Mad Jack]

Did you have a strong interest in psych going into med school, or did you become interested in it during third year?

Oh god no. Psych wasn't even on my radar, I thought I'd be a self-hating intensivist or an anesthesiologist. But my perspective changed when I realized how much psychiatrists could do for their patients in comparison to many other fields. I was also surprised at how much I enjoyed the surgical fields, though with my wrists as wrecked as they are procedural fields were sort of out of the question, so that surprise might sneak up on a few of you as well. Psych though, it just kind of hit me like a calling

 

[SuaveCardigans]

Which aspects of clinical medicine were you surprised to learn you liked/hated? Things to people starting med school this coming fall to keep an eye out for?

 

[Mad Jack]

Which aspects of clinical medicine were you surprised to learn you liked/hated? Things to people starting med school this coming fall to keep an eye out for?

So, I had a clinical background before medical school. IM was basically exactly what I thought it would be due to this, but what surprised me was just how much I liked other fields that weren't even on my radar. OB/Gyn, for instance, was a varied field that had a great mix of medicine and surgery, with plenty of opportunity to focus on either. Surgery was difficult but very enjoyable. Psych wasn't even on my radar but was an amazing experience. I guess the take away should be that keeping an open mind can really make third year more enjoyable.

Another big surprise was just how much autonomy I got. Like, depending on who you're working with and how assertive you are, you can do a lot, which was awesome. I liked that on some rotations I actually had a sense of responsibility, which I really missed.

 

[Catalystik]

How far from home did you apply for 4th-year electives? If any were not affiliated with your home institution, did you find there were many additional hoops to jump through before your application was accepted?

 

[Mad Jack]

How far from home did you apply for 4th-year electives? If any were not affiliated with your home institution, did you find there were many additional hoops to jump through before your application was accepted?

I only applied between Boston, NYC, RI, and Maine. Getting electives was highly competitive, and I ran into a few snags with PPD requirements and other small things. Overall it appeared to be more difficult to obtain aways as a DO than it was for my MD friends. Some fields are much more SO friendly for aways than others- I've got a friend in EM that was doing aways in some fairly prestigious places. IM and psych were a bit more difficult for me, at least, the former because of competition and the latter because of very limited positions.

 

[altblue]

I would have stuck to my study routine a lot better. It is extremely difficult and takes a lot of discipline to study for a few months at a clip and I really struggled with it. Still did okay on Step 1, but my roommates, who had the same study plan as me but stuck with it way more strictly, blew my scores away. Just have a plan and be consistent.

On a lower level, that about sounds like how my MCAT studying went down

I've found I can lean heavily on test taking skills but am honestly terrible at sitting down and memorizing/reading for hours at a time, which was problematic for the MCAT and would be problematic down the line. would you recommend a way to boost one's discipline?

 

[Mad Jack]

On a lower level, that about sounds like how my MCAT studying went down

I've found I can lean heavily on test taking skills but am honestly terrible at sitting down and memorizing/reading for hours at a time, which was problematic for the MCAT and would be problematic down the line. would you recommend a way to boost one's discipline?

I carry a diagnosis for ADHD, I'd recommend anyone else to use meds. I refused to use them because I knew if I used meds I'd always doubt my ability to function off of them, and would take them for basically the rest of my life. Don't know how the average person should approach things, unfortunately.

 

[bioboy23]

Do you regret anything about going the DO route? Would you do it again?

 

[Mad Jack]

Do you regret anything about going the DO route? Would you do it again?

Ask me after the match lol.

If I match well, no regrets. If I match poorly, serious regrets because I had really strong MD stats but missed the application cycle and went DO to save a year of my already slightly older life.

 

[Gilakend]

What's your take on OMM?

 

[Mad Jack]

What's your take on OMM?

Some of it works, some of it doesn't, the pseudoscience should be scrapped in areas where the mechanisms don't line up with reality. I don't plan to use it on anything but friends and family, so it's a fight I don't have much of a dog in.

 

[mwsapphire]

Ask me after the match lol.

If I match well, no regrets. If I match poorly, serious regrets because I had really strong MD stats but missed the application cycle and went DO to save a year of my already slightly older life.

Keep us posted. That's the main thing I'm wondering.

In UGrad, what kind of study habit did you have? Did you study the night before, a couple of days in advance, or plan out with a week or more? Asking because I feel like those with better planned out UGrad study habits fare better in med school than those who could get by cramming ( and still do well).

If you had decided to do surgery, do you think you could have matched as a DO? I know you're looking at psych but after the match but if any of your DO colleagues make it to surgery could you let us know?

 

[Nave]

Hi @Mad Jack, we've been members of this website for the same amount of time and I've been able to follow your journey from applying to getting into and now graduating from medical school. The only difference between us is when you were applying I was just starting undergraduate. Here's my question, how has your perception of medical school and medicine as a whole changed? Please correct me if I am wrong, but it seems as if you've become a bit surfeited.

 

[Mad Jack]

Keep us posted. That's the main thing I'm wondering.

In UGrad, what kind of study habit did you have? Did you study the night before, a couple of days in advance, or plan out with a week or more? Asking because I feel like those with better planned out UGrad study habits fare better in med school than those who could get by cramming ( and still do well).

If you had decided to do surgery, do you think you could have matched as a DO? I know you're looking at psych but after the match but if any of your DO colleagues make it to surgery could you let us know?

How I studied depended on the class. Many of my prerequisites were challenging for me, and required extensive study plans where I was putting in 20ish hours or more per week. Prior to doing my prereqs, I was always a day before the test or weekend before the test kind of student.

I have a roommate that matched ortho at PCOM (prelim accred on the ACGME side but obviously AOA, I believe) and there was a kid that matched ophtho through the military match, as well as another AOA match in ortho. No clue how my classmates will do in the ACGME match for surgery. I certainly believe surgery is possible, but you're really going to have to work hard as a DO for even general surgery due to how competitive it has become.

 

[Mad Jack]

Hi @Mad Jack, we've been members of this website for the same amount of time and I've been able to follow your journey from applying to getting into and now graduating from medical school. The only difference between us is when you were applying I was just starting undergraduate. Here's my question, how has your perception of medical school and medicine as a whole changed? Please correct me if I am wrong, but it seems as if you've become a bit surfeited.

So I had a clinical career before I started medical school, which resulted in me having a pretty serious burnout period during preclinical. I just really didn't enjoy being in the classroom and away from patients, and the whole process began to wear on me. Once I was back in the hospital, I really started to enjoy medicine again, and truly love it. I am just very up front about the challenges of medicine and letting others know it certainly isn't puppies and rainbows. It is a challenging endeavour that has the potential to make anyone that is in it and lacking that love completely miserable. You couldn't pay me enough to go through this if I didn't enjoy it.

 

[Oso]

Holy **** always thought you were an attending!! Goddamn y u so mysterious @Mad Jack ?? Excited for this thread.

 

[GrignardsReagent]

How did you know that psychiatry was "it" for you? Was it a specific interaction with patients?

 

[Mad Jack]

How did you know that psychiatry was "it" for you? Was it a specific interaction with patients?

I just felt like my psychiatry rotation days left me with more energy rather than less. Like, I loved my other rotations, but they'd suck the life out of me. Psych I could just see myself working seven days a week and still not feeling burned out, it just felt like where I belong.

 

[Nave]

So I had a clinical career before I started medical school, which resulted in me having a pretty serious burnout period during preclinical. I just really didn't enjoy being in the classroom and away from patients, and the whole process began to wear on me. Once I was back in the hospital, I really started to enjoy medicine again, and truly love it. I am just very up front about the challenges of medicine and letting others know it certainly isn't puppies and rainbows. It is a challenging endeavour that has the potential to make anyone that is in it and lacking that love completely miserable. You couldn't pay me enough to go through this if I didn't enjoy it.

Cheers, wish you nothing but the best in your future endeavors.

 

[Goro]

I'm a 4th year DO student, ask me anything. Looking to give back to a community that's given me so much.

How many interviews on the residency trail?

 

[yolkypolk]

Thoughts on the MD/DO residency merger and the future of residency matching for DOs?

 

[Mad Jack]

How many interviews on the residency trail?

9 total in psych, plus 4 IM that I didn't rank (applied IM in case I had a last second change of heart, but that never happened). Had a tenth psych interview I cancelled because it was just too far from home.

 

[Mad Jack]

Thoughts on the MD/DO residency merger and the future of residency matching for DOs?

It's going to improve training standards but lower the number of DOs in competitive fields in the short term. Long term is difficult to speculate, but I think higher standards are a win for GME as a whole.

 

[Goro]

9 total in psych, plus 4 IM that I didn't rank (applied IM in case I had a last second change of heart, but that never happened). Had a tenth psych interview I cancelled because it was just too far from home.

Good luck!!!

 

[Mad Jack]

Good luck!!!

Thanks!

 

[pstrick]

In UGrad, what kind of study habit did you have? Did you study the night before, a couple of days in advance, or plan out with a week or more? Asking because I feel like those with better planned out UGrad study habits fare better in med school than those who could get by cramming ( and still do well).

1st year here. I don't know if this is necessarily true.
You have a very short amount of time to learn a ton of info in med school. (Had a micro test on 2/23. Next micro test is on 3/2, and an OMM practical on 2/27)
Being comfortable with 'buzz words' and shortcuts for remembering the material is key. Undergrad let you spend a month studying for a test, med school doesn't.
Planning is a great way to structure studying, but it's more 'planning time to cram' than 'planning so you don't have to cram.'


@Mad Jack What do psych PDs look for during interviews?

 

[Mad Jack]

1st year here. I don't know if this is necessarily true.
You have a very short amount of time to learn a ton of info in med school. (Had a micro test on 2/23. Next micro test is on 3/2, and an OMM practical on 2/27)
Being comfortable with 'buzz words' and shortcuts for remembering the material is key. Undergrad let you spend a month studying for a test, med school doesn't.
Planning is a great way to structure studying, but it's more 'planning time to cram' than 'planning so you don't have to cram.'


@Mad Jack What do psych PDs look for during interviews?

Psych interviews are very geared toward fit and understanding who you are as a person. A heavy emphasis seemed to be placed in determining whether one has a genuine interest in psychiatry. Be prepared to do a lot of talking about yourself. To give you an idea, my IM interviews were usually 15-20 minutes and very focused on academics and specialty interests, with 1.5 hours of total interview time. Psych interviews were typically 30-45 minutes, with as many a six separate interviewers, for a total interview time of anywhere from 2.5-4 full hours. Psych interview days were 6-8 hours in length, while IM interview days were 3-4 hours.

 

[fldoctorgirl]

Likely going to be a first year DO student this coming year; I've read so many of your posts for advice, so thank you! Definitely keep us posted on how the match goes for you

How did you feel about your experience during rotations?

 

[Mad Jack]

Likely going to be a first year DO student this coming year; I've read so many of your posts for advice, so thank you! Definitely keep us posted on how the match goes for you

How did you feel about your experience during rotations?

I thought my site was excellent. They were very invested in teaching and malignant personalities were basically non-existent. I got to do basically as much as I felt comfortable with on my rotations, it was pretty fantastic. Only downside was poor charting due to ancient EMR.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

Was Doug Quaid actually dreaming in Total Recall?

 

[iforget2]

Incoming DO student in the fall! The sdn mentality seems to be to not go to class or do extracurriculars aside from research in order to study for class efficiently and study for boards. I feel in doing so I would lose out in the social aspects of meeting classmates and making friends. What was your approach to this during your pre-clinical years?

 

[W19]

9 total in psych, plus 4 IM that I didn't rank (applied IM in case I had a last second change of heart, but that never happened). Had a tenth psych interview I cancelled because it was just too far from home.

I am rooting for you...

Psych is really getting more competitive then. Do you think being a DO student hindered you from getting more interviews?

 

[Mad Jack]

I am rooting for you...

Psych is really getting more competitive then. Do you think being a DO student hindered you from getting more interviews?

Without a doubt it did. Got zero interviews in NYC or Boston, even at less competitive places.

 

[W19]

Without a doubt it did. Got zero interviews in NYC or Boston, even at less competitive places.

That is crazy with your step scores... A few programs in NY are IMG sweatshops. Maybe you did not apply to these programs.

 

[Mad Jack]

That is crazy with your step scores... A few programs in NY are IMG sweatshops. Maybe you did not apply to these programs.

I applied to them. My bet is they don't want US grads because we'll actually stand up for ourselves

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Praying for you to match your number one.