Residency out of the question for me?

[palma]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hi guys,

I am a student at a vet school in Canada and entered veterinary medicine with a strong mind to one day enter small animal surgery residency. I know it is very early to make such a decision, but I do have family in vet med both in general and one specialist. I have shadowed him for years and worked in his clinic. My experience watching him left a strong appeal within me to pursue a specialty as well. My problem at this point though is that my first year grades were extremely poor. Some mid 60s and mid 70s with an average near high 60s only. I have to say that my work ethic in first year was quite poor and I know I can work harder and get good grades (I had solid grades entering vet school, probably in top 10 students). I would like to know if it would be possible for me to recover from that and get myself in shape for an internship and residency or is already too late. If it is not, how much have I hurt my chances at this point. I don't have a preference for an academic setting to complete my internship or residency. I would be perfectly fine entering a residency spot at a private clinic setting. Your advice in the matter is much appreciated.

Thanks,

 

[palma]

Over 150 view and not a single response....please advise...feeling very confused and distressed.

 

[No Imagination]

Good day,

First off, I know nothing of the Canadian system, so I am going to assume you are interested in traveling to the states for your internship(s)/residency.

Now, SA Surgery is one of (if not) the most competitive residencies out there, so yeah, your grades matter. But I don’t think it is too late to turn things around. While your grades matter (tremendously), your evaluations and LoR from clinicians while doing your internship(s) can carry considerable weight. Keep in mind, most residences do at least two internships (one general, one surgery specialized) prior to getting accepted into a surgical residency.

While we’ve had the discussion in the past, about Canadian vs. US grading; I don’t remember how it ended. I can say that your grades, in a US school would have been enough to get you kicked from most programs, so perhaps your grades need to be explained in more context before we can evaluate (in the US, more then 1-2 D's is usually enough to get booted, and 65 - 70 = D (for the most part)).

Sorry to do this from a US perspective, but it’s all I know.

Good luck to ya.

 

[Mangause]

Have you tried directly asking a faculty member about this? I am sure they will be able to give you a better idea about your grade range.

I agree, you can totally turn things around, you are just in your first year! Good luck.

 

[azilebeth]

I can't help you because I'm still in vet school as well, (but my first year GPA scares me as well!!) but for those who might be of assistance if they understood the system:

The OP is getting Bs and Cs with a C+ average; so maybe a 2.3-2.7 GPA depending on course credits and GPA scale at their school. (Basically add at least 10% to an American grading scale)