Totally lost. Need serious advice

[Actinium24]

So I’m currently about half way through my third year and feel absolutely panicked moving towards 4th year. I’m an IMG at one of the big 4 Caribbean schools and have a low (201) step 1 score. I also repeated my last year on the island after failing my last term pushing my graduation back a year. Clinicals haven’t been going too well either and I need to retake an NMBE shelf ironically in the specialty I was most interested in (OBGYN). It feels so draining getting up each morning thinking about how dismal my residency prospects are. Even though my evaluations have been decent for the most past, sometimes I honestly wonder if it’s even worth continuing. Are there even any specialities that would consider taking someone with such a poor history on top of being an IMG. I feel like I can really use some advice on how to structure the approach to my remaining clinical rotations/board exams to give myself the best chance possible moving forward. Any input from the community would be greatly appreciated.

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[AlteredScale]

So I’m currently about half way through my third year and feel absolutely panicked moving towards 4th year. I’m an IMG at one of the big 4 Caribbean schools and have a low (201) step 1 score. I also repeated my last year on the island after failing my last term pushing my graduation back a year. Clinicals haven’t been going too well either and I need to retake an NMBE shelf ironically in the specialty I was most interested in (OBGYN). It feels so draining getting up each morning thinking about how dismal my residency prospects are. Even though my evaluations have been decent for the most past, sometimes I honestly wonder if it’s even worth continuing. Are there even any specialities that would consider taking someone with such a poor history on top of being an IMG. I feel like I can really use some advice on how to structure the approach to my remaining clinical rotations/board exams to give myself the best chance possible moving forward. Any input from the community would be greatly appreciated.

In rotating with a few IMG's here with similar barriers as you have experienced, I have seen all of them apply FM, IM, or PMR. In each case they all apply to 200+ programs and will yield a good amount because of the sheer app overload and attend every interview even if they are super small programs in rural areas.

You can match. You just have to really really not have an expectations when it comes to regional or academic preference.

 

[Actinium24]

In rotating with a few IMG's here with similar barriers as you have experienced, I have seen all of them apply FM, IM, or PMR. In each case they all apply to 200+ programs and will yield a good amount because of the sheer app overload and attend every interview even if they are super small programs in rural areas.

You can match. You just have to really really not have an expectations when it comes to regional or academic preference.

Do you think pathology would be at all possible? Aside from OBGYN (which doesn't seem like I have too much of a chance at regardless of how I do on CK), this is a specialty that I have some interest in that apparently is somewhat forgiving to IMG status/low board scores based on my research.

 

[AlteredScale]

Do you think pathology would be at all possible? Aside from OBGYN (which doesn't seem like I have too much of a chance at regardless of how I do on CK), this is a specialty that I have some interest in that apparently is somewhat forgiving to IMG status/low board scores based on my research.

Would try to to maybe post in pathology forum to see what ur standings are as an IMG

 

[Giovanotto]

Do you think pathology would be at all possible? Aside from OBGYN (which doesn't seem like I have too much of a chance at regardless of how I do on CK), this is a specialty that I have some interest in that apparently is somewhat forgiving to IMG status/low board scores based on my research.

Why even bother with that struggle. At this point if it were me I'd pray for FM somewhere, and then once you're an attending see lots of gyn patients.

 

[Actinium24]

Why even bother with that struggle. At this point if it were me I'd pray for FM somewhere, and then once you're an attending see lots of gyn patients.

Good point. This has crossed my mind many times

 

[Dr G Oogle]

I don’t think obgyn is within reach, potentially a small community program in a non enviable area such as Kansas or Nebraska, but fm and path are; you’ve certainly invested enough effort and time into this to see it through. You can make a very decent living in pathology, one of my relatives is one and she makes substantially more money than I do as a urogyn, but she’s in a small group in a rural area; FM the same if you go to a rural area you will make a nice living and probably have a better quality of life.