So if i take five years off after graduation...

[ekimsurfer]

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and then apply for residency, what are they gonna say?

in those five years, i'll likely not accomplish anything academic but rather take a job out in the mountains somewhere.

 

[DrDre']

If you haven't started school yet- take time off before med school matriculation. Do something like be a paramedic and you'll look like you have a lengthy interest in medicine.


I would think if you took 5 years off, did nothing academic, medical or of note, they wouldn't be too impressed. I wouldn't be if I was a PD.

More importantly, your knowledge will have quickly atrophied and you will remember very little as you will not have had a lot of time to integrate it into your truly "permanent" long term memory.

It really seems to me from your other posts that you really have no interest in medicine, or that you are not ready to pursue it currently. It doesn't have to be an all-consuming passion for all of us but it sure helps when you are wondering why you are suffering all these years for a gain WAY down the road!

By the this is written by someone who would love to be a ski bum!
Best of luck

 

[NinerNiner999]

Find another career. You're wasting your time of you are looking to waste time for five years.

 

[beary]

I believe that all 3 steps of the USMLE have to be taken within a set period of time (7 years?) So if you take step 1 at the end of your M2 year and plan on taking five years off after med school, you won't be able to take step 3 within the time limit.

 

[ekimsurfer]

what about then only taking a year or so off? would that be acceptable.

and i like medicine, i just want to have some time to sow some oats, you know.

 

[MoosePilot]

Do an internship or whatever the minimum is to get licensed and work as a doc somewhere adventurous. I'm sure they need docs at ski lodges or state parks or something.

 

[ERMudPhud]

I'm betting from your posts you are 3rd year or earlier. See if your school will let you take a year off between 3rd and 4th year. Some will let you register for a few rotations and then withdraw for the rest of the year thus allowing you to keep your loans in deferment. Use the couple of rotations to try out a few of the fields you are looking at. Do an EM elective somewhere fun to play and where they aren't "triage nurses" (Denver is a good example) If at the end of that rotation you still think EM is mostly triage and you can't deal with being in a "lesser" specialty than EM probably isn't for you. Then do a preceptorship with a surgeon or surgical subspecialist in a field you are interested in who also happens to have the lifestyle you want (I know one surgeon who is an ultramarathoner and wilderness racer and another who recently summited a lesser known peak in the Himalayas) Then you'll see if surgery is enough of a lifestyle field for you. Then spend the rest of the year finding yourself. You'll come back to 4th year knowing better which if any field of medicine is for you and if your lucky the two elective you did will count toward 4th year thus giving you some more time off 4th year.

Also, keep in mind that life doesn't end at 30. I'm well past 30 and I can still get down anything on the mountain on one board or two and still have fun and look decent doing it. I can also get to most out of bounds terrain I would want to try. I still canoe, kayak, and backpack and best of all now I can afford to do it when and how I want to.

Good luck

 

[LADoc00]

Is the plan to smoke out for 5 years on a beach in Costa Rica? That MIGHT raise eyebrows. Not sure tho.

 

[ny skindoc]

Do an internship or whatever the minimum is to get licensed and work as a doc somewhere adventurous. I'm sure they need docs at ski lodges or state parks or something.

I agree with this.A year should be no problem if you take it after an internship with a good performance or while in med school.People do take some time off for various reasons and come back to residency,depending on the specialty. It's not a good idea to take a few years after med school. Your knowledge base and skills will atrophy.It shows a lack of motivation. In practical terms the liklihood you will ever really return to the rigors of residency training after five years of doing almost anything else is remote.

 

[NinerNiner999]

Further, most licensing boards require a documented and chronological explanation of any gap in medical practice of more than 6 months, often times with the need to document proof. If I were you, I would apply for and become licensed in any state you would remotely consider ever practicing in in the next ten years if you leave after your intern year. In fact, you need to take (and pass) step III during or after your intern year (depending on state) before you can even apply for a state license which, after credentialing, can take 6 months or so to obtain. Which means you may be 6-7 months out of your internship before you are even licensed (assuming your step III scores are back in time). Then, you will need to pay between $200-$600 per year (depending on state) to maintain your license in each state you have been approved in. And you need to avoid the temptation to ever treat anyone for anything medically related unless you are willing to pay malpractice insurance in each state you choose to practice. If you ever (God forbid) should get sued in the five years you take off and are found guilty, you may lose your license in the state you practice.

My $0.02 - don't go into medicine unless you willing to commit 10 years of your life to finish school and residency.

 

[kungfufishing]

taking the time off is a bad idea, I concur with the above. I am pretty sure you havent started medical school yet, looking at your other posts (double major in florida or something like that). See what you think once youve started your hospital rotations. Lots of people, especially in EM it seems, have plenty of clinical experience before starting their rotations, but it is really quite different being on the physician end. I bet you change your mind about taking time off - if you dont, you probably should find another career.

 

[swedcrip]

and then apply for residency, what are they gonna say?

in those five years, i'll likely not accomplish anything academic but rather take a job out in the mountains somewhere.

I think it all depends on what residency you're considering. Some aren't very competitive at all and will still want you if you're at UF.

You might have to take the step's again (they're long exams!). And 5 years is pushing it as far as keeping up to date. Definitely find out if licensing boards would approve.

Some program directors might really not like the idea. But I'd bet some wouldn't care.

 

[DrDre']

I was waiting for someone to confirm my suspicions.
It seems from prior posts that the OP is trying to get into a postbac program to overcome his GPA.

OP, you have gotten very well balanced and respectful responses despite your inflammatory and insulting, sophomoric tone.


Coming from a non-traditional M3, medicine is NOT worth the time and commitment if you have the concerns you have. I love medicine and I still wonder why I am going through this.


Become a paramedic or RN. If you love it, work your way through further schooling whether med, PA, NP or CRNA school.

And at 33, I don't feel like life is over- close but not yet!

 

[ekimsurfer]

i appreciate all the responses and i must admit that i did not know all the politics/examinations/licenses that must be sequenced and taken into account. Perhaps i'll look into a post 3rd year break and then go from there... but i do appreciate all of the real-world advice.

as far as those who have deemed my prior comments as inflamatory, i did not mean for that (even though i can now see that they may have been insulting, they were not mean as such)

also to address Dr. Dre i am a 2nd year, and this is a shared sn.

 

[tofurious]

I say take 5 years off. Each person needs to be accountable for his or her own decisions.

 

[DrDre']

OP,
If you are set on taking a year off, I would take it off between 3rd and 4th year. It will be easier to get a residency spot and fewer questions will be raised. Maybe you could find an "easy" research job where you could work part time and still "progress" while having a lot more fun?


Good luck with your decisions.

 

[prlester]

OP,
If you are set on taking a year off, I would take it off between 3rd and 4th year. It will be easier to get a residency spot and fewer questions will be raised. Maybe you could find an "easy" research job where you could work part time and still "progress" while having a lot more fun?


Good luck with your decisions.

why is 3-4yr better than 2-3yr? Also, is it possible to take two years off in one of those slots? I was thinking research one yr then something unrelated.

 

[backontop]

i definitely would have guessed 2nd yr., if not that , 1st.

you are reaching a peak level of intensity where you are being forced to become a professional memorizer. Have you noticed that the primary activity you're doing 24/7 is studying? Sure, you're eating, sleeping, driving (often to a place to study), but basically it is an non-stop barrage of exams.
it's within normal range to be down at this point in med school. However, if you feel how you feel now, you'll only get worse as the summer approaches (after all, you'll be taking the most important exam of med school, esp. important when you are considering ultra-competitive surgical specialties, which provide a lifestyle that is considered "good" in the world of surgery.)

do you have any idea how few spots there are in uro? it looks bleak....

i suggest you see these next six months as a time to buckle down, and make the best of the upcoming situation. you can look forward to the best part of third year i.e. lack of exams (at the expense of hours working), but at least you'll be able to see if you like it or not. if during third year, you hate it, then you can still buckle down for two years and finish with what is considered by many, the best degree...

if you do like it though (which is the majority), then you'll thank me for telling you to buckle down. and you'll have a good chance for whatever field you are going into.

remember though: never ever ever drop out of school/ your degree has potential income of multiple times your debt.

 

[prlester]

If I took time off between first-2nd or 2nd-3rd to do humanitarian work, medically related, or research, would that actually strengthen the application for residency? if so, would two years off be pushing too much? right now i am ms1

i am not doing too well. if i failed this year. how would that change the formula? could i take time off and try to explain that time as maturing or getting over a bad time?
thanks

 

[DrDre']

IMHO taking time off between 3-4th year is better. You have done a year of clinicals and engrained some clinical skills and actually integrated medical knowledge. You will forget a lot but far less than if you take time off after M2.

As to humanitarian work, it will be something to talk about at an interview. It might be a tie breaker w/ another candidate BUT I think that kind of stuff goes a much shorter distance that for med school admissions.

Research or an externship is better.

Faling classes is not an insurmountable problem. That said, work your tail off to try not to (as if you didn't know that).
I am sure that in all but the least competitive specialties, failing classes will lower your chances unless you have other strengths.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Essentially adding my "ditto" to the good advice you've gotten above.

5 years is too long IMHO. The match rate for those far out of medical schools is pretty dismal, and the issues with licensing are valid.

A year or two is doable and I'd agree - better to do during medical school. If your time off is spent doing something research based, medical or humanitarian (ie, Habitat for Humanity, Doctors without Borders, etc.) all the better. A year off spent surfing is much more likely to be looked upon with disdain. Its not that most faculty and PDs don't enjoy those things in life but they expect the same commitment to medicine and its practice from you that they gave themselves.