Plans after Intern year

[phatlines]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

Currently i am a 3rd year medical student and would like some input on the feasability of my plan after i succesfully complete my Intern year.

- Finish 3rd and 4th year. I would like to do a few externships in Denver and Salt Lake City

- Complete Intern year

- Work full time at an urgent care center for 1 to 2 years at an Urgent Care Center at a large ski resort town were I would snowboard during the winter and ride my bycicle during the summer on my time off. My motives are purely based on living up my 20s....i would like to get as much use out my knees while they still work and not have to have the responsabilities of a recidency.

- Apply to Neuro or Anesth or ER Residency after i've had enough fun

It may sound ******ed to some, but i'm one of those med students that "needs to slow things down." I want to make sure that i'll be able to get into a decent residency (denver, portland, seatle) after my time off and pay my bills during my years off ($200,000 in loans). Also, I am no Med student super star....probably just average. Any input from the studentdoctor community will be greatly appreciated

 

[BigNavyPedsGuy]

Currently i am a 3rd year medical student and would like some input on the feasability of my plan after i succesfully complete my Intern year.

- Finish 3rd and 4th year. I would like to do a few externships in Denver and Salt Lake City

- Complete Intern year

- Work full time at an urgent care center for 1 to 2 years at an Urgent Care Center at a large ski resort town were I would snowboard during the winter and ride my bycicle during the summer on my time off. My motives are purely based on living up my 20s....i would like to get as much use out my knees while they still work and not have to have the responsabilities of a recidency.

- Apply to Neuro or Anesth or ER Residency after i've had enough fun

It may sound ******ed to some, but i'm one of those med students that "needs to slow things down." I want to make sure that i'll be able to get into a decent residency (denver, portland, seatle) after my time off and pay my bills during my years off ($200,000 in loans). Also, I am no Med student super star....probably just average. Any input from the studentdoctor community will be greatly appreciated

Seriously? I don't believe it. If you want a competitive residency, then this is not the way to do it. Fast forward to your interview

Interviewer: So you did an internship several years ago?
You: yes
Interviewer: And since then you've . . . . ?
You: Been living up my twenties
Interviewer: thanks for your interest in our program. We'll let you know.


Hilarious!!

 

[phatlines]

I think i would awnser the question that addresses what in the world I was doing with my 2 years off a little diffrently....

Interviewer: So you did an internship several years ago? (1 max 2)
You: yes
Interviewer: And since then you've . . . . ?
You: Working at an Urgent Care Center full time and getting married
Interviewer: ..............

 

[fang]

Why don't you finish your IM or ER residency (3 years) and then get a cool job in a great place? Your plan accellerates the fun by 2 years at the cost of taking an unusual path that may or may not raise red flags for PD's. 2 years will not leave a big dent in your ability to ski or party. Also, residency isn't prison... you'll b able to have SOME fun!

Currently i am a 3rd year medical student and would like some input on the feasability of my plan after i succesfully complete my Intern year.

- Finish 3rd and 4th year. I would like to do a few externships in Denver and Salt Lake City

- Complete Intern year

- Work full time at an urgent care center for 1 to 2 years at an Urgent Care Center at a large ski resort town were I would snowboard during the winter and ride my bycicle during the summer on my time off. My motives are purely based on living up my 20s....i would like to get as much use out my knees while they still work and not have to have the responsabilities of a recidency.

- Apply to Neuro or Anesth or ER Residency after i've had enough fun

It may sound ******ed to some, but i'm one of those med students that "needs to slow things down." I want to make sure that i'll be able to get into a decent residency (denver, portland, seatle) after my time off and pay my bills during my years off ($200,000 in loans). Also, I am no Med student super star....probably just average. Any input from the studentdoctor community will be greatly appreciated

 

[QuinnB]

I agree...if you want to have a good time, go into EM and work part time at a hospital in denver...that way you could ski in colorado and bike in moab...

 

[Tired]

- Work full time at an urgent care center for 1 to 2 years at an Urgent Care Center at a large ski resort town were I would snowboard during the winter and ride my bycicle during the summer on my time off. My motives are purely based on living up my 20s....i would like to get as much use out my knees while they still work and not have to have the responsabilities of a recidency.

I would imagine that, even if such places as you describe hire GPs (which is essentially what you are with only a PGY-1 year done), they would be fairly popular with the EM and IM folks.

 

[Bertelman]

You'd seriously be limiting your chances for future residencies by willfully delaying PGY-2. Scratch Denver, Portland, Seattle off your list. Think Duluth. While you're at it, scratch anesthesia off your list, and EM, too. Think FP, maybe IM.

Let's try again...
Them: "Why did you choose to begin working at a clinic after completing only one year of post-grad training? Did you originally match into a full program?
You: "No, I chose my path so that I could slow it down a little, and enjoy my 20's boarding and biking."
Them: "I'm not sure you will be able to handle the workload of our residency program."

 

[BigNavyPedsGuy]

Currently i am a 3rd year medical student and would like some input on the feasability of my plan after i succesfully complete my Intern year.

There is no feasability. It's a stupid plan.

 

[VelociDoc]

There are several issues related to simply completing your internship and then going working in an urgent care center. As a physician owner/partner in a chain of nine urgent care centers (Physicians Immediate Care) and in an (urgent care software company), I would share the following thoughts:

1. Preparedness: Urgent care is not a simple job. Of the board certified physicians that we have hired over the years, most have either admitted that the pace and complexity of urgent care medicine is much more difficult than they expected. Some have quickly left to work in a less challenging environment. The challenges of working in an urgent care center include evaluating chest pain, suturing lacerations, drilling out corneal rust rings, reading difficult x-rays, evaluating depressed and even suicidal patients, and treating fractures can leave even an experienced physician mentally exhausted at the end of the day. In order to make up for the missing elements of typical residency training the Urgent Care Association of America is sponsoring fellowship training in urgent care medicine for physicians who have completed full residency training. The first fellowship opened last year at University Hospitals in Cleveland, and the second fellowship will start this year in association with the University of Illinois.
2. Marketability: We frequently run into physicians who want to work in our centers but are not board certified nor board eligible. Although they may be very well trained and excellent physicians, the reality of today's marketplace is that in many cases managed care organizations will refuse to credential physicians who are not board eligible future nor board certified.
3. Your future: Now I'm going to sound like your Dad, but he is probably not that much older than I am. The truth is that so many doctors have tried what you are envisioning. They get hooked on living at a modest physician salary and never return to residency training. Over the years they have become less-and-less marketable and they regret their decision many times over. If non-board-eligible physicians struggle today, in ten years those physicians are likely to find themselves forced to return to residency around the age of forty with school-aged children. That is no time of life to struggle with the stresses of residency and dramatically reduced salary.

So those are my thoughts. That said, after I finished residency, I spent the next four years getting a masters degree in theology and doing church work. They were great years, and I never regretted it. So whether you do residency or snowboard, my recommendation is that you do it with eyes wide open, fully informed of the risks, helmet on and slamming down the mountain of life at full speed. Enjoy the ride!

 

[Hoya11]

hey im a fellow ms3
seems like a lot of other people dont like the plan and for good reasons, but i can understand wanting to take some serious time off. how bad do you need it? like drop out of school bad? if so then what are your other options? but i do believe it will raise red flags for the reasons mentioned above, and shoudl be avoided if possible. but i dont think it would KILL you for getting into a residency especially from a good name US school if that is the case. i cant imagine the cities you mentioned being super competitive, and especially a neuro residency or FP or IM should be attainable. Anesthesia and EM may be harder but i dont think impossible if u would go anywhere.
bu you have to come up with a better story if that is your route. maybe "do research" and just do it for a few hours a week and say you just wanted to do some research.. or go to some doctors without borders like program? you can just do better than the urgent care center idea i would think if your looking for free time to do whatever

 

[dynx]

Interviewer: ..............

Is this supposed to represent the pregnant pause while they reach for thier revolver or the dial tone of the phone they pick up to find out who didn't screen the goddamn applicants?

 

[deleted109597]

This idea borders that of the 17 year old girl who wanted to go to a foreign school simply because she would get out sooner.

 

[AmoryBlaine]

Career and financial suicide.

Career = all the reasons have be said above. Good luck trying to find a PGY-2 spot in Gas or EM. They like to have fun but there are limits....

Financial = UC docs don't make much, and you want to be part time. I don't know how much headway you're going to make on your loans while "living it up." Then, you can go back to residency and cut your income by half again. Spend another 2-3 years not paying anything on your loans and come out 3 years behind.

Dude, trust me, I feel your pain. But being a good doctor and "living it up" in your 20s are mutually exclusive goals.

 

[quideam]

Here's a thought - how about taking a year off after 3rd year instead? You could try to arrange some sort of project to do near where you want to be - maybe some kind of sports medicine research or wilderness medicine thing, etc.? This way, you could have a year to ski, bike, enjoy life, etc., while also actually helping your application, especially if you're going into EM. I have some of the same feelings that you do - wanting to enjoy being single and in my mid-20's and being frustrated at the thought of another 3-4 years of school/training after finishing med school. So, I'm taking a year off after completing 3rd year (only 5 months to go!) and doing an international EM project in India followed by a few trauama/EM electives in S. Africa... all of which my EM advisor thinks is an excellent idea and absolutely no problem for residency.

Anyway, it's a thought, but do consider it... it's not the perfect solution, I know, but going this route may help you get what you want, at least to some extent, without having to significantly compromise your career. Good luck!

Q

 

[babyruth]

I agree with the idea of taking time off now, as said above, maybe international rotations, etc.

Also you have to think about your loans. They only defer if you do a residency; if you don't they expect you to start making payments after the grace period ends (usually 6 months). Think about what your monthly payments are going to be.

I can understand the pressure both ways, the pressure of finishing your obligations and that of not missing out. But I know plenty of people that do both. Pick a profession, perhaps EM, rads, derm, anes, etc. that will let you have that time off. Even in residency I know people that still work hard and play hard. Residency isn't the end of the world.

 

[docindi1]

Hey, how about looking at some very resident friendly programs where I am sure you will not regret not taking a year off! Do your research and find out which ones!!!

 

[Pinner Doc]

So, I'm taking a year off after completing 3rd year (only 5 months to go!) and doing an international EM project in India followed by a few trauama/EM electives in S. Africa... all of which my EM advisor thinks is an excellent idea and absolutely no problem for residency.

Wow, Q- sounds awesome!