Year off in med school/residency to travel?

[docnotsopc]

Hey guys,

This is a ridiculous question but does anyone think its possible to take a year off to travel during medical school (ie between 2nd/3rd year) or in between fourth year and residency? Should I wait between intern year and residency? Between residency and fellowship?

My biggest concern is how it would reflect on me as an applicant for residency. I did well in my classes first year (not that it really means anything).

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I am dying to travel again sometime in the next few years

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[drizzt3117]

Hey guys,

This is a ridiculous question but does anyone think its possible to take a year off to travel during medical school (ie between 2nd/3rd year) or in between fourth year and residency? Should I wait between intern year and residency? Between residency and fellowship?

My biggest concern is how it would reflect on me as an applicant for residency. I did well in my classes first year (not that it really means anything).

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I am dying to travel again sometime in the next few years

That's a terrible idea, unless you can somehow do a "research" year or a mph that let's you take time off. It'd reflect very poorly on you to take an extra year where you did nothing but travel.

 

[Miss Alyssa]

Depending on how your school is structured, you might have a good bit of time off at the end of Fourth year. I´ll be done my requirements by Match day and will effectively be off from March. If I played my cards differently I would have been off earlier (I´m taking a month off for interviews and 2 months to do medical work in Honduras).

If you are going into optho or urology etc, they match in January (?) and can have plenty of time off.

One of my classmates extended 4th year over 2 years, doing multiple away rotations at different hospitals throughout Africa.

You also have the different international research year long programs like Fogarty, Doris Duke, and I think NIH and CDC.

 

[MrCheetah]

That's a terrible idea, unless you can somehow do a "research" year or a mph that let's you take time off. It'd reflect very poorly on you to take an extra year where you did nothing but travel.

Why exactly would it reflect poorly on him? I think if its something he wants to do then he should go for it. Have you ever just traveled before? Its a phenomenal life experience.

 

[45408]

This is a ridiculous question but does anyone think its possible to take a year off to travel during medical school (ie between 2nd/3rd year) or in between fourth year and residency? Should I wait between intern year and residency? Between residency and fellowship?

No, no, and no.

It's theoretically possible, but it's a horrible idea for anything other than a major life event (birth, death, illness), and even that would not be ideal.

My biggest concern is how it would reflect on me as an applicant for residency.

Poorly.

I think if its something he wants to do then he should go for it. Have you ever just traveled before? Its a phenomenal life experience.

Before/during/after college was the ideal time to do that.

Depending on how your school is structured, you might have a good bit of time off at the end of Fourth year. I´ll be done my requirements by Match day and will effectively be off from March. If I played my cards differently I would have been off earlier (I´m taking a month off for interviews and 2 months to do medical work in Honduras).

If you are going into optho or urology etc, they match in January (?) and can have plenty of time off.

One of my classmates extended 4th year over 2 years, doing multiple away rotations at different hospitals throughout Africa.

You also have the different international research year long programs like Fogarty, Doris Duke, and I think NIH and CDC.

These are all reasonable suggestions. Some people can stack up a lot of vacation time as an M4, and I had a med school classmate do a year of research/clinical work in Malawi. I don't know how it went, since I graduated before he came back.

 

[rodlops]

What if you combined travel with global health and service? That's something I've thought about. Maybe residency programs would be open to taking a year off if you could point to something beyond just travel. Would love to hear from people who've done this.

 

[jdh71]

what is wrong with kids these days . . .

 

[gasblaster]

Why exactly would it reflect poorly on him? I think if its something he wants to do then he should go for it. Have you ever just traveled before? Its a phenomenal life experience.

Haha seriously? I'm sure any program director would look forward to having a resident that decided to take a year off in medical school for travel aka vacation.

 

[AnthrMedStdnt]

I think taking a year of to just "travel" is not going to help you at all.

If you could incorporate some sort of volunteer/research aspect into this it might spin a different way. Either way, you have to actually do something that is tangible.

 

[docnotsopc]

what is wrong with kids these days . . .

Im sorry that I enjoy travelling? I dunno how that reflects on "kids these days" because we want to get out and see the world.....which would make us better doctors having experienced people from more cultures.

Thank you for your feedback everyone. I figured that going during medical school would be bad but just wanted to confirm. Maybe the best time is after residency? Or some other time down the road

 

[gasblaster]

Im sorry that I enjoy travelling? I dunno how that reflects on "kids these days" because we want to get out and see the world.....which would make us better doctors having experienced people from more cultures.

Thank you for your feedback everyone. I figured that going during medical school would be bad but just wanted to confirm. Maybe the best time is after residency? Or some other time down the road

There's nothing wrong with wanting to travel. However, you have be cognizant when would be a responsible time to do so. I love traveling just as much as anyone else and found the time to do it without interfering with my education and training. In between MS1 and MS2, after boards before start of MS3, during vacation months during MS4, and between MS4 and intern year. Now I have 3 weeks of vacation + the holidays to travel during intern year. There are plenty of opportunities. I doubt anyone went into medicine thinking they would have an inordinate amount of time to travel.

 

[red10]

Im sorry that I enjoy travelling? I dunno how that reflects on "kids these days" because we want to get out and see the world.....which would make us better doctors having experienced people from more cultures.

Thank you for your feedback everyone. I figured that going during medical school would be bad but just wanted to confirm. Maybe the best time is after residency? Or some other time down the road

I think you missed your "take a year off to travel, discover yourself, sleep with foreigners, etc" window. Prob best to travel for a week or 2 at a time when you're an established doc.

 

[45408]

I think you missed your "take a year off to travel, discover yourself, sleep with foreigners, etc" window. Prob best to travel for a week or 2 at a time when you're an established doc.

I concur.