Posted this quandry in the pre-MD forum but would love to hear from this forum

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neural84

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Apologies in advance if you have read this in the other forum. I would love to gain the perspective of students who have applied to, are currently enrolled in, or have graduated from a Carib school.

Here's the basic info on me: 23, recent graduate with a BS in Psychology with honors/ minor in Bio..... 3.43 GPA, 2.76 BCPM----I'm the typical story of steady incline in GPA (4.0 during my last year). Member of multiple honor societies; published in Journal of Neuroscience; presented posters at Society for Neuroscience and Cognitive Neuroscience Society; 5 years research in 3 very prestigious neuroscience labs; Battelle Foundation, Department of Energy, Duke summer program and NIH/MARC Fellow; 2.5 years as a medical assistant; various campus achievement awards.

Facing the music: I thought I was going to do PhD only, but research jaded me enough to think that I will never be happy with PhD. Realized medicine was for me while volunteering at a clinic. My BCPM and MCAT scores will be too low to be competitive for most US MD or DO programs, so I am not applying for fall '08 admission. However, I am applying for Fall '08 Carib admissions to the big 4 schools (St. George, Ross, SABA, AUC).

Great opportunity: offered a tech position in the department of Neurosurgery at an IVY school that is located in a city that I've always wanted to live in. They want a 2 year commitment, so perhaps that would give me enough time to bone up my MCAT scores.

Issues:
1.) I don't think I need more research experience or any more recommendation letters (I already have 5 lined up for me).
2.) I've read on some other boards that for each year you delay your application, in the long run, it will cost you $. For example, if you end up as a doc whose salary is $ 150K, then each delayed year will cost you $150 K/year. So by taking this job, I could be costing me a few hundred K's.
3.) Do I want to be the guy who turned down a prestigious department to go attend med school outside of the US? Is starting the foreign education worth whatever network benefits I could have attained via contacts at the IVY school? However, I did set up a very nice network at Duke, so perhaps the "prestigious institution contact dream" has been accomplished?

A part of me feels that I should go on and further my education and waste no more time delaying the inevitable; but the other half says I'd be crazy to turn down this opportunity, and that I should try my best and take as much time as reasonably possible to get into a US school.

Thoughts? Different perspectives?

Thanks in advance!

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2.) I've read on some other boards that for each year you delay your application, in the long run, it will cost you $. For example, if you end up as a doc whose salary is $ 150K, then each delayed year will cost you $150 K/year. So by taking this job, I could be costing me a few hundred K's..


just to make your decision harder:

the possibly better residency (ie: higher paying) youd most likely get as a US grad will pay more in the long run than if you got a lower paying residency coming from the carib. of course, you can spank your boards and come out with a good residency either way...so yeah, there a whole lot of nothing for you :cool:
 
You are only 23 years old and have plenty of life ahead of you. Once you finish med school, your life will be medicine (or medicine related research). Two years will not make a difference in the course of your life (especially when you only consider something as superficial as money).

Take the opportunity to network and gain experience at the prestigious research center. That may afford you the opportunity to open more doors in the US (whether it be MD or DO). No matter what, you always have the Carib for med school so take this opportunity and enrich your life and resume.
 
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Thanks, shwin. I was aware of this. But in all honesty, any salary from 90K on up would be comfortable for me. I don't plan to be on MTV Cribs, Medicine Edition, hahaha.
 
Where do you get your information? You are dead wrong about salaries. No matter where you go to school, the salary will be the same.

If you don't know what you are talking about then refrain from replying with false information.


just to make your decision harder:

the possibly better residency (ie: higher paying) youd most likely get as a US grad will pay more in the long run than if you got a lower paying residency coming from the carib. of course, you can spank your boards and come out with a good residency either way...so yeah, there a whole lot of nothing for you :cool:
 
Where do you get your information? You are dead wrong about salaries. No matter where you go to school, the salary will be the same.

If you don't know what you are talking about then refrain from replying with false information.

i should have explained better. i meant if he was able to land something like surgery versus IM because he was a us grad
 
i should have explained better. i meant if he was able to land something like surgery versus IM because he was a us grad

Then I take back what I said. Although, to be precise, residency pays all residents (in one hospital) the same (40k-50k), but your salary will be much different after residency.
 
Thanks, McGillGrad.

You two explained the issue I should have elaborated on. I have a variety of Carib med school documents showing the match and fellowship successes. And just by looking at the graduates' departments, it seems as though the Carib schools were good for preparing their grads for IM. So it has been my perception (perhaps wrong?) that a residency in Neurology would be very hard to get as a foreign graduate.

(of course I am not knocking on IM...in fact the doctors who inspired me to pursue medicine were general practitioners and awesome family doctors; in fact, I could see myself as trustworthy GP.... I just see myself continuing my love affair with the brain)
 
Neurology is actually one of the easier residencies to match into, currently.

I do not know the reasons, but neurology is almost guaranteed coming from the Carib. Now, the quality of the program will vary depending on your stats, LORs and interviews.




Thanks, McGillGrad.

You two explained the issue I should have elaborated on. I have a variety of Carib med school documents showing the match and fellowship successes. And just by looking at the graduates' departments, it seems as though the Carib schools were good for preparing their grads for IM. So it has been my perception (perhaps wrong?) that a residency in Neurology would be very hard to get as a foreign graduate.

(of course I am not knocking on IM...in fact the doctors who inspired me to pursue medicine were general practitioners and awesome family doctors; in fact, I could see myself as trustworthy GP.... I just see myself continuing my love affair with the brain)
 
O wow. Very cool! Thank you, very much.

I had recently heard abut the decline of neurology as a competitive field. Some physicians have opined that it is directly correlated to the rise of radiology as a very competitive field; one has even gone far enough to say that neurologists have lost the prerogative to certain techniques that have been gained by radiologists. I don't know if I should trust those claims though. Is it often that specialties "steal" the right of tools/techniques from others specialties?
 
The competitiveness of specialties is very cyclical. For example, many years ago radiology was not very competitive. Anyone had a good chance of matching. Now, it is competitive.

Different factors shift the focus of new med grads, so it is important to go after what you really love.



O wow. Very cool! Thank you, very much.

I had recently heard abut the decline of neurology as a competitive field. Some physicians have opined that it is directly correlated to the rise of radiology as a very competitive field; one has even gone far enough to say that neurologists have lost the prerogative to certain techniques that have been gained by radiologists. I don't know if I should trust those claims though. Is it often that specialties "steal" the right of tools/techniques from others specialties?
 
The competitiveness of specialties is very cyclical. For example, many years ago radiology was not very competitive. Anyone had a good chance of matching. Now, it is competitive.

Different factors shift the focus of new med grads, so it is important to go after what you really love.

True that.

Also, it's my opinion (and the opinion of others) that neurology will have an increase in competition as the years progress. Neuroscience is an extremely hot field right now, and is progressing at a good pace. I don't forsee neuro becomeing derm or plastics in the near future, but I don't think it'll be on the low end of the totem pole anymore.

Maybe neuro's position can be likened to a path residency? Not exactly the hardest thing to get into (with a decent Step 1 score, if you're not a total idiot, you'll probably get in somewhere even if it's Podunk, IA) although it's not exactly psych or family medicine (pulse + pass = match).
 
For reference, here's a good thread about Step 1 scores and residencies as of now.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=436334

"Step 1 averages of those that matched (based on March 15, 2007 Match)

1. Plastic Surgery, Step 1= 243 Step 2= 246
2. Dermatology, Step 1= 240 Step 2= 240
3. ENT, Step 1= 239 Step 2=240
4. Diagnostic Radiology, Step 1 = 235 Step 2= 238
5. Radiation Oncology, Step 1 = 235 Step 2=237
6. Orthopedic Surgery, Step 1 = 234 Step 2= 236
7. Transitional Year, Step 1 = 233 Step 2=231
8. Internal Medicine, Step 1=222 Step 2=228
8. General Surgery, Step 1=222 Step 2=228
8. Pathology, Step 1=222 Step 2=226
11. Medicine-Pediatrics Combined, Step 1=221 Step 2=233
11. Emergency Medicine, Step 1=221 Step 2=228
13. Anesthesiology, Step 1=220 Step 2=224
14. Neurology, Step 1=218 Step 2=226
15. Pediatrics, Step 1=217 Step 2=226
16. Ob/Gyn, Step 1=213 Step 2= 224
17. Family Medicine, Step 1=209 Step 2=219
18. PM&R, Step 1=208 Step 2=214
19. Psychiatry, Step 1=208, Step 2=213"
 
Neurology is actually one of the easier residencies to match into, currently.

I do not know the reasons, but neurology is almost guaranteed coming from the Carib.
Now, the quality of the program will vary depending on your stats, LORs and interviews.
A large part of it is due to curent trends in reimbursement, and "lifestyle" issues. As you correctly pointed out in another post, Radiology is currently competitive. As is anesthesia,and the remainder of the ROAD specialities, the so-called "lifestyle" specialities. These are also procedural in nature and thus currently are reimbursed better than fields such as Neuro (LPs anyone?), which are more diagnosis and chronic managenment of things such as stroke, parkinsons,and other vascular and neurodegenerative processes.
Interesting the way money,lifestyle and competition are all so nicely intertwined, eh?
 
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