Advice regarding gap year

Currently on a gap year before hopefully applying summer of 2026 For this year I wanted to work on gaining good clinical experience. As of now I have 7 months of full time medical scribe technician (~1000 hrs). During this position I was able to work do similar things to medical scribe tech like taking vitals and performing some point of care test like Covid and flu and urinalysis. Additionally I was also able to ask the patient question regarding their complaint which allowed before the doctor was even in the room. While I enjoyed it, I am not able to continue working here due to scheduling and other conflicts.

Currently I am working as a EMT at a non emergency transport (new EMT). Most of the patients are for either dialysis, Dr appointment or hospital ift. While I do get to interact with patients each with different quality of life it still feels lacking as quality clinical experience. I’ve considered supplementing this by volunteer for 911 stations that might allow me to fully use skill.

Given my previous scribe tech experience, current non IFT EMT and potential future volunteer 911 EMT do you think that would be quality clinical experience overall?

Note: There are no 911 hiring nearby

I’m set to graduate either Summer 2026 or fall semester 2026 (depends if I need to repeat any classes) I’m wondering when did you all take the mcat ?? Or should I say when is the best time for me to take it ? When should I start studying ?

Hey everyone,

So I have some research paper ideas and drafts (one narrative review and one systematic review if it helps) and I want to be able to get it published in the decent articles. I have no idea where to even look into how to do it or what things I will need to. I am a bit of an introvert and even more importantly, I need to spend so much time studying to do well, that any research I do has to do needs to be on my own time/deadline and without requirements to work with others or do experimental research. That's why I am focusing on reviews and analysis of current research. Which journals would be the best to try to get it published by myself? Are some easier than others? Which journals are actually respected by residency programs? Is it even feasible to do something by myself and get it published rather than something experimental as part of a doctor's research?

Thanks!

interested in med school, have always been interested in becoming a doctor but chose not to pursue bc i was able to see myself doing other things, I ask this bc im not super fascinated with the science behind the human body the way many pre med and med students are

-i now cannot see myself staying in my current career long term

-i never thought about the flexibility and secure that comes w being a doctor, those are important to me

-i also have an interest in a specific field now (psychiatry) due to past life events and thinking more abt it, let me know your thoughts

-i also think the human body is interesting (not always, but i like anatomy and learning about the brain)

• i love to memorize

jw, feel it’s not common, is it maybe more common for non traditional students?

Hello Everyone. I’m an IMG, planning to give USMLE STEP 1 by June this year. I need someone to guide me with the resources and strategy for the exam. I’d appreciate your support!

What’s the consensus here on taking pre reqs at big name schools? I’m currently just retaking 100 level classes at a community college just to brush back up on schooling before I enroll in a post bacc program. Non traditional, veteran, ER RN, probably not going to do any research, I volunteered my body once already don’t think I need to do it again. I don’t have a dream school, don’t care if it’s do/md. Just tied down to NYC and surrounding areas.

School in question is NYU and Columbia’s post bacc program. It’s going to cost nearly 120k to finish them. They have linkage but I’m being told to not count on it. CUNY/SUNY programs I can finish around 25k.

If I do my post bacc at a more well known university will it give me that extra edge? Will the quality of education be that much different to where it’ll affect me studying for MCAT?

Looking for advice and recommendations.

I’m currently an MS-1 and was feeling pretty good about school until coming back from winter break. I’ve always been a bit of a high-strung worry wart, but since going back to school I’ve felt like a total anxious wreck, waking up with panic attacks every morning between 4-6am unable to fall back asleep + having panic attacks throughout the day. It’s been so bad that I’ve been commuting from my dad’s house 1 hour away from school instead of staying at my apartment in town. I’m taking an SSRI, seeing a therapist, working out regularly, and eating healthy, trying to do everything right, but I just feel hopeless. All I’ve ever wanted is to go into pediatrics and take care of sick kiddos and I’ve worked so hard to get to medical school, but lately I’m feeling depleted and lost, does anyone have advice on how to balance self-care/mental health with medical school? Looking for hope🫶🏻🥺

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HI all I suck at ECGs I can recognise sawtooth pattern flip the ECG look at inferior leads for flutter waves. but I can't distinguish the 2 atrial p aves before the QRS can anyone highlight this from pls thanks !

Has was it? Is it useful for PLE?

I know you have to publish and have good scores, but other than that, what makes a good medical student? On the premed side, you can find EC examples and get a lot of guidance. I just don’t want to make the same mistakes I made when transitioning from high school to college, it took me a while to catch up.

I’ve been using anki for all of my clerkships and it has worked wonders… but now that I’m almost done with M3 & studying for step 2, I can’t get myself to open anki. I have a slight worry of letting go of flash cards because it’s my way of retention.

I need someone to motivate me away from anki because it’s frying my neurons

Does anybody have experience with being in some debt from undergrad (about $10-15k a year)? I’m thinking about going to umich because I’m in state but I would have about 15-20k a year left to pay (some would be paid off with the job I would have there). To the people that are in a similar situation, would you do it again or do you regret it?

Hi, I currently work full time as an RN, my gpa in college was a 3.7, and I basically have not taken any prereqs for med school. I was wondering, is it a huge hindrance to my application if I take Bio (I and II with lab) and Chem (I and II with lab) online at a community college? I was planning on taking bio and chem online but orgo and biochem in person (both with lab). I have a strong clinical and volunteering background but no research. I would like to have a strong application so I am guessing I must take both bio and chem in person and beef up my app with some research too? Any info/advice helps. I am first in my family to step into the medical field (somewhat??) so I am lost.

Myocardial infarction flashcard

I hope it is helpful

Myopia flashcard

Hey guys, I’m like genuinely curious if anyone has ever heard back from school if your application was out on hold? Is it more likely I get rejected?

Are you a medical student who uses generative AI to enhance your learning experience? We are Human Computer Design and Engineering Master’s students at University of Washington who are conducting an online or in-person research study on how medical students are using tools such as ChatGPT, AMBOSS AI, Quizlet, etc. to consolidate notes, practice patient interaction, and mock test sessions.

Your participation will remain anonymous and confidential. If you are interested, please complete this 1-minute screening survey. 

For any questions, feel free to contact us. Thank you for your time and consideration!

M3 over here planning to apply integrated IR and DR programs that also offer ESIR this coming September. Since coming to med school I thought I wanted to do surgery, but my surgery rotation proved otherwise. IR has been in my mind since second year, and I love the idea of doing procedures all day but not as long and grueling as surgeons (although I know some procedures can be many hours, especially with complications and unexpected difficulties). I’m fascinated with the field and for the first time have been voluntarily reading articles and enjoying it. The thing about it is that I’m not sure if I’m a fit for diagnostic radiology residency. I like patient interactions and being in control of management plans (basically a clinician’s role). I also get sick and tired of repetitive tasks every day which I feel like reading images could feel like. I was hoping someone can give me insight on their experience with radiology residency and if it feels like a repetitive cycle day in and day out.

Second thing I’d like insight on is the IR aspect. Do you feel that you get enough patient care? By that I mean after you do the procedure, you don’t often see your patients again for follow up and longitudinal care. How do you feel about that? (I’m not necessarily wanting a primary care longitudinal relationship, but I’d like to make sure that the patient I did a TIPS procedure on is doing fine 3 years later, for example).

Thanks in advance!

I feel like no matter how much I study, I forget a ton of stuff after a few weeks, which makes prepping for exams and rotations stressful. Active recall + spaced repetition seem to work best, but manually making Anki cards takes forever.

Has anyone found a good way to streamline studying without spending hours making flashcards? I have in house content which is different to board decks like anking so I can't really use that.

original major was business, went back to take my pre reqs at CC and got almost all A’s (one B and 2 A minus), overall Gpa is now 3.5, haven’t taken MCAT yet, if i score well on MCAT, is it still unrealistic to get into MD school? no research experience, have been taking pre reqs while working my office job, still need to get clinical hours, let me know your thoughts , in usa

I’m having a hard time finding places where I can get high quality patient care experience- I live in a city w/ a major state university (and associated med school, which is my dream med school), so it’s been tough finding research experience and also patient care experience. I honestly ended up giving up on research- I tried it out for a bit (on a natural research study, so no wet lab experience), it wasn’t for me, and I figured it probably wouldn’t do a whole lot of good if I wasn’t actually interested in research in general.

For pce- I currently work in an acute care lab for a level 1 trauma hospital. I run tests in the NICU and am also the lab tech responsible for drawing lanes during codes. I also draw labs when nurses get too busy/arent able to get labs. Maybe I’m just psyching myself out but this feels like it’s not super high quality? I’ve learned a lot and I’m definitely a lot better in high stress situations, but it feels lower-tier compared to CNA/scribe/emt- I feel like CNA gets long term exposure to taking care of patients, and scribe gets exposure to actually knowing what it’s like to be a doctor. Like my job has def taught me the science behind common tests, and when certain tests might be indicated (in specific circumstances, seeing as how I only work in the nicu), but I really don’t even interact w/ patients that often- I draw labs a few times a shift, and even then it’s litr just me saying “hi I’m here to draw some blood”, and if they have any questions I have to refer them to the rn/md.

Again, I really love my job, but I just feel like it’s not going to be counted as “real” PCE? I’ve been considering maybe dropping to part time, and trying to find a scribe gig (seems to be the easiest one to find, and I’d really like to be around doctors more, just to get exposed to the workflow). I’d hate to do that if it’s not necessary, my job now pays over twice what a scribe position would pay, so if I cut back on my lab job I’d lose a significant amount of income.

Anyways, let me know if I’m delusional!

(Sorry in advance for the disorganized post, I am really stressed and don't know how to formulate my thoughts better than that)

So I just recently completed my first semester in med school. I didn't really want to get into medicine, but parental and societal pressure combined with high scores in high school pushed me here. My mental health deteriorated and I lived in grave anxiety everyday throughout the semester, dreading going to school every other day. I just didn't really want to be here. As the semester got closer to wrapping up, I actually started to somewhat accept my situation, and to be honest I started to like it a little (like a little little, really) and I got a little interested in the medical sciences. I now stand at a crossroads not sure about how to move going further.

I want you to help me decide on my path forward. I will list my strengths and concerns to give you a ground to base your advice on.

Concerns:

• I hate, hate, HATE memorization

• I can't work under pressure

• I can't stand the sight of blood or dead bodies

• I am not a social person and generally hate dealing with people

• Toxicity and competitivity of healthcare

• My family is not well-off and I need to start earning a stable income early

• I dread the responsibility and discipline required in the road to becoming a doctor

Strengths:

• I love mathematics and physics

• I like problem solving

• I am generally [called] a kind and understanding person

• I like coding and want to learn it to a deeper level

• I have good intuition and pattern recognition skills

My mum says that I am destined to be a doctor. For her, it's destiny that got me here. She also thinks that this is my only chance at opening a private business and being my own boss. She doesn't want to hear me at all; every time I mention I want to switch majors we go into a fight. I feel like it's a "you can't reason someone out of a position they didn't reason themselves into" type of situation. I mean I do love her so much (and we are so close, she's my best friend), but her position on this is so firm that there's no convincing her and I don't want to lose our relationship over this. Another concern of her is that registration doesn't open unitl august and if I want to switch I will have to wait til then and in that period I won't be doing anything (as I will drop out of the current program) so she thinks I just want be lazy and do nothing for the next 8-9 months, and she fears people will judge me for not being enrolled. Her fear of judgement and societal expectations is so great that it paints her opinions and and ideas.

I want away from medicine asap. I have so many hobbies and interests that I'm not willing to give up for this. Stress of school, residency, work and beyond doesn't seem to accommodate for my different interests. I really don't want to make medicine my life if I continue down that path; I want to have some free time in school and beyond which doesn't seem possible in medicine. I also want to have good work-life balance with a somewhat good income that keeps a roof over my head. Doctors seem to be overly stressed all the time (especially that my father is one so I know) and I don't want that. Finally, I can't fathom the thought of having someone's life in my hands, this thought alone makes me anxious.

If you asked me what I wanted to do if money wasn't an issue, I would totally love to become a researcher in pure mathematics, but that doesn't put money in my hands and academia isn't at its best right now from what I hear from people in the field and from people online.

Actually, there are several careers that I can see myself doing if I don't become a doctor. If I pivoted away from medicine I would probably do something in IT or finance but don't know what specifically. And that's another thing concerning my mum: my lack of direction and lack of a plan. But what I tell her is that it's okay to not know what I want right away, at least I know what I don't want. She sees that the safe option is the best. She also thinks that nothing will ever come close to the respect a doctor has in society and that this is the pinnacle of academic achievement. She says "I deserve to beome a doctor", it really baffles me.

Please give informed and practical advice even if it's harsh. I need to make a decision very soon.

I hope this flashcard helps

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30yom here with a dilemma on what to choose. No kids, no mortgage, not much debt. I’m currently a paramedic with a BA 3.81 GPA Liberal Arts. I have mainly As and a couple Bs in my sciences, I have firefighting experience, volunteer experience, and 2 AAS degrees one in Paramedicine and Fire Science. Within my paramedic OR clinicals I really enjoyed the anesthesia aspect of things. But also I like medicine and helping others so I’d want to take the next step forward. I seen the good and bads of medicine, but I want to be someone to give good care people deserve. So now I’m kind of stuck in between CRNA and Med school. I need a few pre reqs for both programs (ABSN and Med school) + MCAT. Any suggestions on which route?

Hey everyone! I’m looking for some advice on how to navigate my path toward medical school while also working through my current college situation.

A bit about me: I’m 24 years old, currently in my first year of college at an online institution, majoring in Liberal Arts. My GPA is 3.3 so far. I plan to transfer to a traditional, on-campus school this fall to complete my biology prerequisites for medical school. I’ll be entering my second year of college at that point. I’m passionate about pursuing a career in medicine, but I’m not sure what steps I should take now or in the near future to strengthen my application and ensure I’m on the right track.

So I guess I am just trying to get other people's perspective on this.

This year I just started my first year at university for physiotherapy-kinesiology and medical recovery. I gave it my best and put a lot of effort into studying, I spent so much time reading and rereading anatomy courses, made elaborate notes, mindmaps, anatomy drawing etc.

This week I had my two anatomy exams, both of them being multiple choice exams with 50 questions each. The teachers used the projector to display the question and on the first one the teacher would just switch the questions somewhere in between 30-60 seconds (depending on how difficult it was) and on the second one the questions would automatically switch after 60 seconds. We had to put the correct one o a sheet of paper. I had a lot of difficulties with this process because I found it extremely stressful to not be able to manage the time I have for the exam on my own terms. I found that I couldn't collect my thoughts and in the moment I forgot even the most basic things. The power to analyse things logically was gone, I made so many mistakes on things which I knew. It even happened that the slide changed and I forgot what I wanted to put down on the previous question (was it a, b, d?) and I just put something random.

The results came back and I got a 7 and 5 out of 10. I don't feel like this reflects my knowledge and I also feel very discouraged. Others in my class which didn't spend half the time I did to study, did better or had the same results, so I can't help but feel like this reflects something about me or that maybe my studying isn't as good as I thought, or maybe I am not as smart as I wanted to believe. I am very taken aback by this experience. Please share your honest opinion with me

Little backstory, I enlisted in the Marine Corps at 18, graduated HS early and went to bootcamp since I didn’t have any ambitions for college and had no idea what I wanted to do. At bootcamp I graduated as an honor man and have been in for about 3 years, serving in a leadership billet for about 1.5 of those in the infantry. I recently decided that I want to pursue a career in medicine and am wondering how my service would compare to other extracurriculars, such as volunteering. I am married and between school and work I don’t know how I would balance the time trying to get a lot of volunteer hours and extra experience. Mostly looking for recommendations or how everyone thinks it might be impacted. Currently taking gen ed and could probably do some volunteering while i’m in so any recommendations on how to start with that would also be appreciated. With that, I also have a lot of tattoos and wonder if anyone who has tattoos has dealt with any problems because of them?

Hi! I’m a OMS-1, and I know its sort of early to be freaking out, but I’m not sure how I can strengthen my residency application when time comes. I feel like I’m so consumed in my studies, anytime I have I’m either just watching TV, hanging out with friends, etc. I have no such hobbies. Most volunteering is hard to get in my area, but i have a couple hours. I’m starting to get involved in a research but that’s basic. I applied to 2 leadership positions at my school, and unfortunately did not receive them (very weird because I have great grades since my school is not P/F and I write well). I want to apply Peds/Neuro, but just bc they r not “hard to match into”, I don’t want to fall short due to my app. Is there anyone else like this? Someone who’s just plain simple studies and get grades? I feel like I’m really suffering thinking about the future and how everyone seems to get so competitive because I’m not that type of person. I care about myself and do what works for me.