transfer or stick with it?

[annski]

HI everyone!

i have come to a major crossroad and would very much appreciate any advice, opinion or just share an experience that chould help me out a bit would be great

so basically i am a U.S. citizen and did my undregrad here but after my 3rd year i desided to go to a 4 yr M.D. program in Poland, i figured.....hey i don't need my MCAT, i get to travel, they are taking me in early so save a whole year and lets face it my GPA what not great to get into a Medical school in the states so why not take the leap and i went. well i have just finished my second year there (can't complain did well and school teaching was not bad) but getting back is harder then i, and i am sure most people that made same decision, thought it would be.
i am now taking time off to prepare for the Step 1 and figure out what route to take to better my chances in my dream job. so i did research with the direct residency programs and know that most of them require or preffer USCE......well.....no problem, my school offers that BUT only about 6 months and the rest i must do in Poland or UK do to some regulations and the few hospitals we have in states.
i found that only caribean schools would possibly take my credits and i could do all my clinicals in the U.S. but is it worth this transfer on my record? or should i just stick with it and do what ever my current school allows me to do in the states?

thanks for the help

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[KluverB]

Stay. Kick ass on Step I & II. Don't take time off, if you can avoid it. Do some rotations in the U.S. as soon as you're done with your 3rd year classes (wherever it is you are). Do a rotation in the specialty you're applying into so you can get an LOR from a US physician. Transferring will only complicate matters, and you will always have to explain yourself as to why you did, as well as file paper work for licensing, boards, etc etc. They'll just as soon assume the negative, ie. you failed, etc. You don't need to do more than 6 mo. clinicals in the U.S. anyways. If you're trying for something competitive like derm or rads, you may have quite a steep mountain to climb. Otherwise, plenty of ppl in your situation have done quite well for themselves. Good luck.

 

[annski]

Thanks KluverB for the advice, i do not want to do anything competetive, plan to get into internal medicine and then eventually do a fellowship. it seems the step scores are way preffered over experience.

 

[KluverB]

Thanks KluverB for the advice, i do not want to do anything competetive, plan to get into internal medicine and then eventually do a fellowship. it seems the step scores are way preffered over experience.

Which fellowship? Cards? HemeOnc? Some fellowships are more competitive than others, as well. And for some programs, USMLE scores, including I&II, still matter.

Most programs will obviously take a well rounded individual. Still, a good USMLE score goes a long way. It's often used as an "automatic" filter, probably more so if you're an IMG. Try to score high. It's totally doable. An LOR from a N.American physician definitely helps your application. Doing rotations in N.America also introduces you to the medical system. Some ppl also use it as an opportunity to try and score a position at the place that they rotate at. However, this can be a double-edged sword, as it can potentially expose your weaknesses, and therefore work against you. If there is a particular place you have your eye on, you should first try to rotate at some other institution so you can at least get your feet wet and know what is expected.