Never wanted to quit

[Chabble]

Hi there,

I am a new member, though I was a member many years ago. I am writing now because of a situation I am in, and there really is no way out of it anymore. During my time in medical school, I was faced with just about every personal crisis a person could have (for example, my mom died during first year, I got divorced from an abusive guy--and there were many others) and all of this never caused my grades to suffer much, believe it or not. Unfortunately, because of all these things I was convinced to take an LOA after my second year, and used it to pursue an MPH. I did well in the classes, I enjoyed my year off, and when I went to be readmitted in med school and schedule for Step 1 I was told that I was supposed to take it the year before (NOT told to me when I took the LOA) and was promptly brought in front of the USMLE committee, and told I needed to take it in the next 2 weeks and pass. At this time, I was still in class for the MPH and also working part time as part of a tuition assistance. I studied the 2 weeks, barely got any sleep, and felt somewhere between hopeless and hopeful as I've always been a good test taker, but 2 weeks to study and PASS??? As it turns out, I did not pass (by 7 points) and am now up for dismissal. I have never once doubted medicine as my career path--it's unfortunate really, but at this point I really don't have much choice but to withdraw or get dismissed, and all the fun options that come with a dismissal (like not being able to attend the school I am at ever again).


Anyway, that's my sad story lol. I have come through all of this as a stronger person, though a bit dismayed by the lack of options given to me by the school. What I am planning now is to apply for the Nurse Practitioner program, after finishing the Masters in Public Health. I am writing this for guidance, hope and honest advice about my chances in getting into the NP program. If there is anyone out there who has done a similar thing, please, please give me some advice about how to present myself during the interview etc. I still want more than anything to work in medicine, and I wanted to be a Family Med doc anyway, so I think the NP program is a pretty good fit.

And thanks in advance for any and all responses, even those negative ones I'm sure to get 😉

 

[primadonna22274]

I think your situation is sad and a bit vague. (That's OK, we don't need all the details.)
Consider that you will need to go to nursing school first to become an NP. This will take MORE time and more money. There are some direct-entry NP programs, true, and perhaps there is some kind of bridge with your MPH, but I'm not sure. Have you talked to a local nursing program about how this would work?
What kind of appeal process is available for you at your medical school? I don't know if you have exhausted your options...but if not, I would certainly try that route first. It would be less expensive and get you to your end-goal of becoming a physician.
IMO, it would be a tough transition from almost-physician to NP. I'm sure folks have done it...but I tell you honestly, it is frustrating to run up against the limits of your knowledge--not to mention scope-of-practice--on a daily basis in family med where you have to know a little about everything.
I've done family med for the majority of the last decade as a PA (along with EM and teaching PAs) and it is no cakewalk. I like it for the variety and procedures but it is truly an underappreciated field of medicine.
(Notice I haven't even touched the PA issue at all, although I'm biased and believe you would get a much more reliable primary care education as a PA, but if you have an ugly transcript from med school I think it would be a very long haul to get into PA school these days as our standards are getting higher and higher every day.)

 

[Chabble]

Thanks for replying. I know this is only a second best option, but I have gone through the appeals process, and because I was past the original due date for taking the exam, I am not allowed to take it again. The next meeting is for dismissal, and I can beg for withdrawal or something else but I'm not sure if I feel like taking my chances.

I am at a school where I can go from a BS in Biology into the NP program, so I would not have to get an undergrad degree in nursing. All I want to do at this point is just keep moving, stay in school and get a degree and start working. I am not leaving because I didn't like medical school...I thought it was a great niche for me. I have communicated all these things to the committee and to the Deans, but they cannot find a loophole for me. I even asked to take the boards again, before the next meeting, so that I could possibly have a passing score to show them, but was denied this chance because of my academic standing.

I understand what you are saying about trying to stick it through with medical school, but that is not an option any longer, and not by my choice. I am certain I can be happy in another area of medicine, I just need to find a way in.

 

[cecilia]

I am so sorry to hear all the stuff you had to go through. It just doesn't seem fair.
Are you able to transfer to another med school? even if it means going to the caribean?