What year to take off during med school?

[CaliforniaGreen]

I am taking a year off during med school to finish at the same time as my significant other. I also want to do a year of research. As background, I am not sure what field I want to go into yet, but I have narrowed it down to three (none of which are in the very competitive category to get into).

My question is: should I take off a year after 2nd year or after 3rd year? What are the pros/cons of each. Does one look better? Would one give more time for board studying or applications? Is one more useful than the other?

I appreciate your input, thanks!

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[Encephalectomy]

I think that taking a year off after 3rd year makes the most sense. Hopefully over the first half of your 3rd year you can decide on which field you are going into and do your research in that field.

Doing research in the field that you end up applying for has 2 major advantages, one it will help you match (even if it is a not-competetive field, your dream program might be competitive to get into and couples match can get tricky even in non-competitive fields). The other advantage, is that if you are interested in doing academics/research, then having a year of research and publications in the field you will ultimately end up in will be a great thing to get under your belt along with connections made in the field at conferences etc. where you present your work. Also, if you do a year of research with heavy hitter faculty at your school in your field of choice, then you are probably set for a great rec letter.

I can't imagine that taking off after 3rd vs 2nd year looks any better or worse. I guess that theoretically you could take more time for step 1 studying if you took off after 2nd year and more time for step 2 studying if you took off after third year.


One other thing is that apparently getting some of the more prestigious fellowships is easier if you have your board scores back (as long as they are high).

Anyways, just my 2 cents, I was originally planning on taking time off during medical school due to similar reasons so that my wife and I would finish at the same time, so I spent a fair amount of time thinking about it.

 

[njbmd]

I am taking a year off during med school to finish at the same time as my significant other. I also want to do a year of research. As background, I am not sure what field I want to go into yet, but I have narrowed it down to three (none of which are in the very competitive category to get into).

My question is: should I take off a year after 2nd year or after 3rd year? What are the pros/cons of each. Does one look better? Would one give more time for board studying or applications? Is one more useful than the other?

I appreciate your input, thanks!

Taking a "year off" from medical school is very risky unless you are entering a specific formal research fellowship or degree program to earn a degree such as MBA, MPH at the end. If you plan on doing research, you need to make sure that you perform this in a specific program/fellowship rather than just working in a lab. Most people who perform formal fellowships during medical school will do so after third year. You should be sure that you contact your school for help arranging a specific research fellowship and you should attempt to take Step II CK early as opposed to later.

Residency directors tend to have problems with folks who are taking a year off to work in a lab(outside of a formal fellowship/degree program) or study for boards. Be sure that you are not putting yourself at a disadvantage by taking more than four years to complete medical school.

 

[CaliforniaGreen]

Thanks for the replies, these were both great replies. I am planning on looking into fellowships. Taking a year off is pretty common at my medical school - at least 1/4 of this year's class took a year off for a masters degree or research.

Anyone else have any guidance? Thanks!

 

[OldBlue]

if i were to do it i would take off after third year because at that point you will have developed some clinical knowledge that could be useful if you get involved with clinical research. plus research time can be somewhat slow some days, so if you get a chance to shadow clinicians during that time you will be more useful and more likely to understand what is going on than you would after second year (when you have zero clinical experience). it might also give you more perspective about your fields of interest. you can then plan your 4th year electives more effectively and with more confidence about the field you enter.

take this with a grain of salt though, as i am only a rising second year.

 

[Raryn]

For your professional development, long-term, probably the most valuable thing you could do with a year "off" would be get a degree during it. Lots of masters can be done in only a year.

Short-term, for residency applications, if you take time off to do non-degree related research, it should almost certainly be through a formal program. Whether its after second or third year does not especially matter.

 

[BigRedder]

There are many people who take a year between basic science and clerkships, since that is a natural breakpoint. The idea is that you don't disrupt the flow of your rotations. The electives you do at the beginning of your 4th year might be very important for the purposes of getting a recommendation, and you wouldn't want to be rusty with your clincal skills. This is why MD/PhDs take their time off then, though that is of course a much longer period. The other advice in this thread is certainly sound. I'm not sure that you need to have field specific research unless it is a particularly competitive specialty, as (from what I hear) many programs just like to see that you have an interest and perhaps an aptitude for the process.