USMLE Dumb Question

[MDgonnabe]

---

Members don't see this ad.

What happens to those who fail it? (I'm prepared for some wisecracks on this one, but honest answers are acceptable... just this once. 😀 )

 

[Winged Scapula]

Originally posted by MDwannabe:
•What happens to those who fail it? (I'm prepared for some wisecracks on this one, but honest answers are acceptable... just this once. 😀 )•

You take it again. If your school requires you to pass it to continue onto 3rd year, I suppose you will be barred from starting your clinical rotations until you do pass the darn thing.

 

[MDgonnabe]

Originally posted by Kimberli Cox:
•

You take it again. If your school requires you to pass it to continue onto 3rd year, I suppose you will be barred from starting your clinical rotations until you do pass the darn thing.•

😱 Some schools don't require you to pass it for rotations???... So THAT'S where Dr. Nick came from. 😉

 

[ckent]

Hi MD, getting a little ahead of ourselves aren't we. At my school, University of Maryland, when the school finds out who failed it, they pull them out of rotations during 3rd year in September or so and let them retake the test around October. They don't have to stay behind a year, they just start their first rotation later then everyone else, the time is taken away from elective time everyone has during their fourth year. This is not the way they do at every school though, I know that at Duke, you don't even have to take the USMLE before starting rotations.

 

[deleted4401]

I know at Tulane you don't have to pass your boards ... I think that's a little strange. So, at this year's match, some kids went unmatched because they didn't pass their boards!! What were they thinking???

Simul

 

[Popoy]

Retake it.... You have to pass the boards before continuing to your rotations.... 😀

Tulane doesn't require it!!! That's a shock.... Good thing they at least pull them out of rotatios until they pass it.... strange "non-requirement"....

Any other schools that don't require it for their students?

 

[turtleboard]

Well here at the "illustrious" State University of New York (Downstate) College of Medicine, in their ever-infinitesimal wisdom, a medical student who fails the boards will be pulled out of rotations whenever they find out and will have to retake them WHENEVER over the next year. Said student will sit on his butt for a year, studying to retake the Step 1, and be behind his class a whole year. I realize this is the policy at other medical schools too, but I think it's a ridiculously absurd policy.

Anyone else think I'm stressed?

 

[deleted4401]

No, that's the thing... even if you fail Step 1 at Tulane, you go on to clinicals. And then if you don't ever pass the test, I heard you can still get licensed... don't know how that works exactly. My friend at Northwestern Med says they also aren't required to pass the boards to start clinicals. I think that is insanity. Oh well, two years from now, I'd just better make sure I pass 🙂

Simul

 

[Popoy]

That's not good.... How does Tulane make sure they are producing competent docs? That's kinda of scary.... My newest doc was a current grad of Tulane and I knew there was something off about him.... Maybe this is the reason.... yikes 😱

 

[Winged Scapula]

Originally posted by SimulD:
•No, that's the thing... even if you fail Step 1 at Tulane, you go on to clinicals. And then if you don't ever pass the test, I heard you can still get licensed... don't know how that works exactly. My friend at Northwestern Med says they also aren't required to pass the boards to start clinicals. I think that is insanity. Oh well, two years from now, I'd just better make sure I pass 🙂

Simul•

Hmmm...HOW is it possible to be licensed without ALL 3 parts of the USMLE passed?

 

[turtleboard]

Fear motivated me to do this, but the official policy here at SUNY Downstate is that your third year will be suspended until you can retake the exam. Prometric says no sooner than three months from the last attempt.

Once you pass the test, you go back onto the floor but you'll have to finish up whatever clerkships you missed in fourth year.

Sorry for the confusion and viva la Downstate for being so wise! 😉