I'm currently an M1 and am really just starting to explore different specialities. In the past I've always been 100% in on anesthesia as it seems like a good lifestyle/pay balance and I enjoy the idea of my patients coming to me with an issue and leaving without that issue (although admittedly probably fixed by someone else) and also think it's really cool to be able to save someone's life. With that being said, our schools vascular surgery interest group has been having dinners at nice restaurants lately (I originally just started going for the food tbh) and they bring some simulation things and let the med students play around with, and it seems really cool. All the attendings and residents who show up are really starting to sell me on the specialty and I'm going to start shadowing it in the future once we finish up some of the more difficult M1 course work. I'm worried that I'm seeing it through rose colored glasses right now and would like some more experienced perspectives on the field. Is the lifestyle really that bad, it seems online that some poeple say it's alright and some say it's absolutely miserable. I shadowed vascular once in undergrad and had to stand for 12 hour straight, is that the norm or was it just a bad day to be there?

TLDR: I have a new interest in vascular surgery and want more experienced people's thoughts and perspectives on it. What should I be looking for to decide if this for me over something like anesthesia?

Seriously looking at their program but I haven't been seeing much about it since AMC closed and their gen surg was moved to the Kennestone hospital in Marietta. Anyone have any experiences/thoughts/ opinions on it as a program and what they tend to like in applicants?

Would you go into medicine if all you earned was minimum wage and the bribes you could extract out of people despite your country going through a skilled labor crisis?

Another thing would be that if schooling and residency took a combined 20-25 years to go through, residency being unpaid(where you ilegally work 12-14 hours a day monday-sunday) and schooling you had to pay either out of pocket or take loans with an outrageous interest rate. Also if the medical institutions haven't been updated since the 60s-70s.

Are you on the spectrum and surviving in the medical world? How is that going for you?

Family med is my first rotation. It is currently Sunday and I have my shelf exam on Friday. I have done all the ambulatory and family UWorld questions and got 45% on my first pass. I did redo some of my incorrects and ranging in 60-70% on them. I just took the NBME Form 5 with a predicted score of 66. I am wondering how should I best use my remaining time. I have another NBME form (my school gives us 2 for each rotation). I'm thinking of doing it on Monday or Tuesday. Aside from reviewing my NBMEs, should I be doing more Anki or redoing my UWorld incorrects? I have a full clinic day on Monday and my OSCE on Tuesday morning. I know I'm going to take Thursday to just do passive review of the USPSTF guidelines and the Mehlman HY Review

Hi everyone,

I’m currently in medical school, but lately, I’ve been having a lot of doubts about my future in medicine. I’m naturally an awkward, quiet, and shy person, and I really struggle with small talk. This makes me feel insecure, especially because I know that communication is such an important part of being a doctor. I’m scared that my social skills aren’t good enough to be a competent doctor, and that I might even get bad evaluations from patients or colleagues.

I know that medical knowledge is important, but I just can’t imagine being able to communicate effectively with patients if I’m not able to easily strike up conversations or put them at ease. This makes me question whether I’m really cut out for this career. I genuinely want to help people, but I’m worried that my shyness and insecurity will hold me back.

Has anyone else ever felt like this? Do you have any tips on how to improve communication skills, or even how to decide if this is the right career path for me?

So far, I've done 3 IVs and I'd like to think I did decent on 2 of them at least.

I think that I'd not have done nearly as well if the IVs were in person, as talking to a computer is just a bit easier lmao. I was talking to a premed and he mentioned that he had in person interviews this cycle. Apparently, the youngins get a choice with both options weighed equally.

It's usually personal choice for them but for the few that are in person only, that sucks. So glad that for residency most are full virtual and even the ones that offer in person have virtual options too.

My family and I are planning for a trip in April, post Match but before graduation. My impression is that residencies require you to do drug testing, background checks, health checks, admin paperwork, etc before starting. I understand it is best to get those out of the way as soon as possible, so I'm trying to keep these things in mind in my planning. What are some things I need to expect with respect to this? How long would these take?

Hello,

I graduated this year (haven't started residency yet) and I'm not a USA student but I used to skim through many USMLE resources and it's the same issue.

I realized most of what I used to study is unuseful, inefficient and doesn't give me practical doctor skills. For e.g most infectious resources focus a lot on mechanisms - micro organisms - rare symptoms and they list drug treatments but don't give specific regimens (doses) which is really what you will be needing as a doctor. I mean I'm a graduate but I don't know how many pills for how long to give for a sore throat - gastroenteritis - otitis media..etc which is something you will face on daily basis. I understand certain infections require specific protocols according to each hospital but I was talking about simple ones that are treated with oral ABs.

Another example is orthopedic, it's so filled with information that I won't be needing as a doctor like all these surgeries details and fractures mechanisms..etc whats useful is what are the simple fractures you can reduce on your own, how long to be splinted, what to check for, what can you do for a crash injury patient..etc but if I need to review such info they are scattered throughout really tons of other info in my lectures and I can't find a resource that covers just these things without going into so much details.

So I'm looking for such resources that focus on practical aspect only whether they are books - website - some course. For e.g I found an app thats really useful called "Full Code" and it's basically a doctor-patient simulator with detailed commentary on each step you do for each case and I'm looking for other similar useful stuffs

Thanks for reading.

I understand that the content of the Step 1 is a culmination of your preclinical knowledge and that the Step 2 is a culmination of core rotation knowledge; but what exactly appears on the shelf exams? Are they like a preview of what will be on the Step 2? Or are they more like niche questions about that specialty that you would only know the answer to if you were paying attention during your rotations? Also, if a person performs well on all of their shelf exams, does this indicate that they'll do well on their step 2?

I feel so unqualified. No clue how to get into research, think clubs are stupid and a waste of time, and literally no time to look into anything. I feel so under qualified and have no clue where to start. I’m a first gen doctor and have no one to help me omgggg.

I finished an in-patient rotation where we worked with a new attending each week. I thought things went positively with one of the attendings, so I reached out via email for a letter. Here is part of their response. Do you think it is worth it, or should I politely decline? Is this their nice way of saying they weren't particularly impressed by me, or do you think one week (5 days actually) just wasn't enough time?

"From my limited time with you I think I would be able to write a decent letter on your behalf, though perhaps not the strongest. If this would be helpful, I am happy to do it."

How do we know if a residency program will qualify for PSLF? Specifically in places like cali and Texas where the residents are not directly employed by the hospital. Am I supposed to ask this in interviews? I feel like that might be awkward though.

I am looking for interview prep book PDFs that I can convert to Kindle format and read on the go. They might or might not give me life altering advice on interviews but I like reading them to get in the mood and did find one (although a short book) quite useful. If anyone has such PDFs please share them here!

I have too many classmates who have made comments or done things to make me question either a) their intelligence, b) their normalcy and how they got past an interview, or c) both.

Lets hear some stories

I know this question has been asked a few times before. But in the age of mostly virtual interviews, how much does attending second looks matter for internal medicine? does it potentially affect ranking? it's a lot of commitment in terms of money and time and I'm conflicted on what to do.

H

Received an interview from a program that only takes USMLE scores. Didn’t realize they don’t accept COMLEX before I applied. I did not take USMLE. Are they going to say I have to take the USMLE if I want to go to their residency? Has anyone ever heard of a program saying nah you’re good dw about USMLE if you scored well on COMLEX? Am I a dumbass for getting my hopes up?

so i really don’t like research—and i don’t consider myself someone who EVER plans to enter academia. research can be interesting, but i’m not sure i’m “innovative” in the sense that i’d be super valuable to academia. the time commitment to research is scary.

but i know ophtho is competitive, and im fully willing to put in the work. however, my idea of work (that i truly would enjoy) is more service and advocacy-related (like working with the AMA or community health education). i would honestly prefer those to be the highlights of my application. i will obviously do research, but how many pubs does someone need for ophtho? plus, should i jump into a wet or dry lab (quality vs. quantity of papers)?

i just really want a mixed surgical specialty with a decent work-life balance, and ophtho seems to have a lot of pt and provider satisfaction, too. i also think i love all the eye tech and the nervous system relation to it as well. should i consider something else?

I mean yes I have tons of free time now but maybe it’s because of all the stress that accumulated during medical school, I don’t feel like doing anything other than sleeping, working out, or maybe watching some Netflix shows. I’m not sure why but there isn’t really any activity out there that excites me.

I have been trying out some online dating and I feel like I come off as boring because of this.

And things will get worse when I get to residency.

I haven’t dated for years because of medicine and now I still can’t because I come off as boring 🥲

Applied ophtho. 50/50 on whether i want to do fellowship but if I don't, I'd probably do comprehensive in my home state.

Program A:

PROS: Closer to home (1 hour drive). In the state that I was born in and will likely settle down in eventually. Very strong training and opportunities to make connections in this state.

CONS: Extremely busy call. Not in a great location (i.e nothing to do around the area). Some attendings were AMAZING but others were less friendly

Program B:

PROS: Very fun city with lots to do both walking distance and transportation wise. Also very strong training with a better call schedule. Vibed with the residents and every attending really well. It was genuinely fun being there.

CONS: Basically on the other side of the US away from any friends or family. Less prestige and research opps. Not sure if anyone has connections to my home state if I wanted to do fellowships. Faculty can always change.

MS3, USDO, Pass Step 1, 2 publications, prob top to 2nd quartile.

Peds – Liked Diagnosing rashes, like really rare cases, disliked general check ups and wellness checks, liked outpatient. Like 9-5 schedule for most part and that it felt like a business. No Call.

Surgery – loved this rotation, liked hernia, gallbladders, thyroids, suturing even though its tough, liked being able to fix things immediately. Like continuity of care, Liked being the team leader. The hours in residency will be brutal.

GAS – liked intubation, like TAPP blocks, like giving drugs. Liked chillness of rotation and attendings, did not like huge CRNA presence. Don’t know how bad call is?

OBGYN – did not like annual exams, pap smears. Liked colposcopy, endometrial biopsy, and liked being in OR. Cant do OB Call, its brutal. This is out. I don’t know how similar OB call is compared to gen surg call

Psychiatry – like people, work life balance, a little too much talking – can get tiring over the day. Liked resident- feel like they match my personality. Like pharmacology of psych drugs.

HAVE NOT DONE IM YET, but i came from a corporate job and do NOT like pointless meetings throughout the day

I had to quit med school this year because of my bad mental and physical health. I am still getting myself together and thinking about what will I do next. Becoming a doctor was my dream since childhood but I just found out that I cannot handle that much stress, experienced burnout, cried for like 10 hours a day for weeks until I woke up one day and decided to quit. maybe I got into that state due to my longterm health issues I do not know. I was so motivated before that happened, had good grades and never Imagined what would happen in few weeks. (Btw I live and studied in Europe so no study loans)

Is anyone attending as a student?

I noticed they are talking about prior-auths, which is great. Hopefully, they will accomplish something with that agenda.

I was curious if they are discussing midlevel scope creep in their agenda. I couldn't find much online.

I wish they worked on loan payments not accumulating interest rates through medical school and residency. I know the AOA is working on that. https://osteopathic.org/index.php?aam-media=/wp-content/uploads/policies/Policy_H306-A-23_Federal_Student_Loan_Program_(H355-A18).pdf

I am kind of disappointed with their agenda, to be honest. It just seems like they keep regurgitating inclusion in medical school, which is a noble cause, but what are you doing to retain students? What are you doing for medical student and resident mental health? They seem all bark and no bite to me.

What would you like to see on their agenda as a medical student, future resident and physician?

I’m a first-semester student at what’s considered a “higher tier” DO school, and honestly, I’ve been struggling. I’ve done reasonably well on my block exams (mostly honors and high pass), but every time we have a test, I’m filled with dread and wonder if I’ll even pass. My mental health has taken a big hit—I feel anxious, depressed, and like I’ve lost sight of who I am. Hobbies and things I used to enjoy don’t seem to fit into my life anymore.

I’ve got big grievances with the school’s culture, the grading system, and the curriculum. I know no school is perfect, but it’s disheartening after working so hard to get here, only to feel like I’m not getting the experience I thought I would.

It’s gotten to the point where I question whether I even want to stay. But I’m terrified of regretting it and walking away from a huge opportunity to become a doctor, something I’ve always been passionate about. I still love science and the idea of helping people, but this experience hasn’t been what I thought it would be at all.

I’ve spoken with a school counselor, who suggested taking a medical leave for a year. I’m currently getting treatment for depression and anxiety, but that’s a long process, and I worry that if I take a break, I might not be able to come back.

If you’ve been in a similar situation, I’d really appreciate any advice. How did you handle it, and did it get better? Would love any perspectives on whether I should stick it out, take a leave, or consider other options.

Is this a trend? What’s going on lmao?

What kind of "easy boring 4th year " are people always yapping about?

The same 4th year where you spent early studying for Step 2

OR the 4th year where you were chasing down recommendations researching programs & filling apps

OR the 4th year where you were doing Sub-Is, moving in and out of places and smiling so hard on the interview trail that you cheeks hate you.

Which one, I wanna know? all 4 years are garbage