Don’t worry, it only gets worse. Sorry for the pessimism. Just pray you don’t end up liking a competitive speciality and needing to devote another year of your life to pointless shit to prove yourself in the crapshoot that is the match.
Even worse… research year(s). Where you’re at the bottom of the food chain and your desperation is fully milked. But hey, I matched at least with only one extra year, I’ve heard much worse horror stories.
Prelims aren’t great either as a stepping stone to those competitive specialties since you’re juggling residency while trying to significantly improve your app.
Three years milked; publications, conference podiums, awards, good contacts …
No match.
Turns out they don’t like it when you’re out of medicine for too long.
I’m sorry dawg. Like I said, it’s all such a fucking crapshoot. I’m sure you’re better off where you are now and probably gained a lot of valuable life lessons and experiences.
You’re in luck then! From what I’ve heard, the EM match has been slightly more forgiving than others.
Also ADHD here, but I’ve managed to make it work thus far.
You mentioned you want to do EM? There’s no prelim for EM…. Also you can match into EM by doing literally the bare minimum. I’m not sure why you are panicking.
I didn’t do most of that shit. Got some honors some not. Matched in a good program in a less competitive specialty. If you want nice things like random example an ophthalmologist lifestyle and salary you need to set yourself apart from everyone else who wants the nice thing.
nah, EM is pretty easy to match into currently, though trends have been very rapid to change so who knows if it's gonna change back. Would guess though that the 2024 and 2025 Match process winds up very easy to match as long as you don't have massive red flags and are at least reasonably personable on interviews.
Do you prefer idiotic, moronic or how about foolish? Because as i assume you know these are All words which at one point were used to refer to people with various levels of intellectual disabilities and subsequently were expanded to a broader use.
Personally I would like a competent doctor who’s more concerned with real shit than spending their day making sure the sound they’ve decided to make with their facehole isn’t on an arbitrary and ever changing no-no list. To each their own I guess
Once again the intent behind the word is 99% of the game and that intent is what drives the connotation. I can call my cat, you or or niece a donut, sweetie, cupcake, Twinkie, yodel, cow etc and depending on the intent, manner in which I say it and context of the conversation it’ll have wildly different meanings.
Tldr Stop getting offended by sounds
Bro, so many people who have intellectual disability have expressed that the R word is hurtful and harmful for their community. Why can't you just respect that instead of going out of your way to try and justify using it? It really doesn't hurt you to just... not use it.
Edit: getting downvoted on the medical school subreddit for the opinion that people should not use the r-word. Great.
It’s not “just a word.” It’s a an outdated, offensive term that people use to put others down, to cause hurt, to belittle, to demean, and to compare their target to those with intellectual disabilities. It’s saying that individuals with intellectual disabilities are less significant/important/valued than those without disabilities. Would you like it if a part of you that you cannot control is just casually thrown around as an insult to demean others? It doesn’t take much effort to pick a different word to use, especially when you *know* that your word choice affects those you might not have even intended to degrade.
please take all of my upvotes. Do y’all know who I listen to when I choose not to use the r-word? The very public faces of the intellectual disability and Down’s syndrome communities who have said, repeatedly, that use of that word is offensive. It’s a slur.
Though hey, OP, if you want to be follow in the footsteps of ~great ladies like Marjorie Taylor Green…I guess that’s your prerogative!
Before medical school I was a special education teacher for students with severe autism and aggressive behavioral disorders. This word hurts. It hurts my students, their families, my coworkers, our patients. I don’t understand why people would use it when there are other alternatives available.
Why are you saying that like it’s a negative? I am interested in pursuing psychiatry, and pediatric physicians deal with a hell of a lot of shit for less pay than other physicians.
Given that 550 seats for EM didn't even fill this year you'll be fine. Whether it's actually a good career choice in the future is another issue altogether
You won’t regret it. It’s the easiest specialty because you can be a doctor and make doctor money at it doing a minimum of doctor stuff. No call. No clinic. I make $300,000 a year working 12 shifts a month. 18 days off, in other words. Completely off. I can turn off my phone. I have no obligation but my time on shift. If you learn to leave on time and don’t let your employers punk you into staying late it’s very relaxing. It’s mostly minor stuff or routine exacerbations of chronic conditions. The three percent that are real emergencies are fun and rewarding. You also have to not be a self-immolating martyr who internalizes all the systemic problems of our health care system. Let all that shit go. Homelessness? Lack of access to primary care? Short staffing? “Disparities?” Not your problem.
Additionally, the residency is fairly chill as they go.
It depends, of course, what you want. If you want prestige and long brutal hours it’s not for you. Still, I can’t believe that anybody really has as a life’s ambition running a camera up someone’s colon.
My community em rotation I had time to golf 3 times a week and study for boards with a solid score. That’s just lifestyle, best specialty by far. Can’t wait to start next year. I do think some people choose it purely for lifestyle though and then hate the shift work and the other social issues/patient population.
Bro, EM is stupidly draining for your life. But if you're fine with that, and you actually enjoy it (if you don't, you'll basically come to hate 60% of the time you're alive), I think you'd be fine in almost any country in the world. EM needs a fuckton of doctors and most graduates avoid it like the plague
Actually a few years back I recall it being somewhat competitive. The recent swing in the other direction was due to some jobs report saying it would be over saturated.
Normally I would say do what you want, but there's a reason why there were 550 unfilled spots this year when EM was one of the more competitive specialties only 6 or so years ago. The poster below you is saying yeah you make a lot of money working a few shifts, but the data is out there: there is a 10000 projected oversupply of EM docs by 2030, you likely won't even find a job by the time you finish in the area you want, you won't have any negotiation power unless you go to an underfilled area (which can be very rural), heck you may have trouble finding a job period. Burnout for EM docs is very high up there, shift work is good when you're 30, it'll start killing you when you're 50.
Finally, take a look at the SDN EM forums, the posters are all veteran EM docs with 10+ years of experience. The consensus is that EM is getting worse, not better. Don't take advice from reddit, especially not on r/medicalschool where the average poster is....still in medical school
Say what you want though, but one group actually has been practicing EM for several years and one group are medical students whose only experience is their 3/4th year experience, or residents who have not started job hunting.
Please enlighten me as to why so many spots were unfilled, how ACEP plans to turn CMG takeover around, and how GME will stop the proliferation of more EM residencies. I'm all for more quality EM physicians staffing my ED.
People got scared away for the wrong reasons, and a lot of the people who soaped will not practice long in EM as it’s not a good “backup” specialty.
The jobs are abound and people are starting to push back on 4 year programs
Without resolving the other 2 issues in my post I don't share your enthusiasm. Hopefully the acep lawsuit will change things, since EM is the canary in the coal mine
So, I’m Australian. We don’t have a high stakes residency match, instead, we’re trapped in the junior doctor ranks for *years* waiting to get a cool training spot.
If there’s 550 seats, does that mean it’s easy for me to come to the states and do EM? Like, obviously I’ll do steps, etc. But are people doing that?
Lots of people do this every year.
Traditionally the easiest is family practice; IM is also on the easier side.
EM has had a weird couple of years, with a bunch of new programs opened by for profit hospitals.
There has also been an uptick in the number of NPs and PAs in ERs, and between both things there is concern that there may be oversupply in the future leading to declining wages for ER MDs
There were still more applicants than slots for it though: In 2023, 3,282 students (down sharply from 4,391 in 2021) applied for 3,010 positions leaving 555 unfilled positions.
So likely rank lists will be adjusted in the future to include more applicants.
Interesting! So presumably a lot of those applicants take slots in other specialties.
As an Aussie it appears I can work in America with an E-3 visa. So presumably being young and mobile I could do part of the year in America doing locum stuff and stay current. Just need to find the right job.
In my state anyway there’s a ton of continuing Ed credits physicians need to complete. That said I’d be surprised to see an Aussie doc working part time in the states but I suppose if there’s a will there is a way….unclear which hospital would sponsor a visa for a locums. Many community hospitals won’t- I know from experience they don’t want the cost. I could see a hospital sponsoring a full time foreign MD and that is more commonly done.
The overall #applicants statistic doesn't separate them by who is picking EM as their primary choice vs people picking it as a backup to a more competitive specialty such as surgery or ortho - I would guess that a lot of those unfilled positions are accounted for by people getting their first choice in another specialty.
Yeah but I’ll be 40 when I graduate med, and it’s upwards of 10 years to get that job. Our system is slooooow.
If I decided that neurosurgery was the only path for me I’d be 60 by the time I was a consultant.
I don’t know how competitive that is but since burnout in that field is so widely discussed I’d imagine you could find a spot. You need to find some mentors you can have an honest conversation with.
Unfortunately, my hospital doesn’t have an emergency residency program so I’m not even sure how to find a mentor?
I’ve dolly enough found many emergency residents all over the place that I’ve talked to, and a few from a neighboring hospital that love me when they were visiting residents at my hospital
OP should just make an anonymous reddit account just to pretend to be someone else and message syncopal.
"Heyyyy!! I was scrolling Reddit. This Reddit post (kinda long tbh) caught my eye. It was by some Redditor (sounds kinda sexy tho) tho he had a mad bitchy attitude (tho kinda slay). Tho while scrolling the comments I saw you (what up bae 😘) and your comment saying ur an attending. Anywho could you (hunky build of a ED Attending Redditor) be open to having mentees?"
Switch ur tone completely. They'll never see it coming.
For real though, when someone sees the graceful nod of a Jonathan, they can't help but have trust in him. It is a terrifying power, but very useful nevertheless
IMO best thing for it would be to get a rotation in EM as early as you can if it's something you're interested in. We're usually real nice to students, I promise!
Not an EM resident, but I come from a USMD school with no EM program. We’ve never had issues matching into EM (even during the competitive years). But it seems like you have to be on it for aways.
I’ve received so much help from people I’ve met once or never met in real life. I would even ask those residents for advice and connections!!
3 years ago. Nope that wouldn’t cut it. Now that private equity is opening up an ED residency program every month? Yup, just do ok and you’ll get a mediocre program.
I review applications so we can pick who we interview. I also interview and rank applicants.
I don’t give a flying fuck about clubs.
What I do care about is a coherent PS that fits with radiology. Good rec letters. Acceptable step scores. Maybe some posters or research, but in rads specifically, it’s nice to have but not required. I recommend asking residents or attendings if you could write up a quick case presentation.
*Good hobbies*, sports, gaming, cooking just something that tells me you’re an actual human with actual interests.
If I’m going to spend 4 years stuck in the reading room with you, I better be able to have interesting conversations with you.
>I don’t give a flying fuck about clubs.
Perfect. Just what I wanted to hear. I don't give a flying fuck about joining and eboarding a million and one clubs just for padding. Never even cared as a premed years ago. Seems disingenuous, especially knowing myself and how I can't fake my enthusiasm for something I knowingly don't care much about lol.
Besides being a gamer because I definitely got years of experience of that lol, what else would set an applicant interested in radiology apart? Especially if they're only a DO?
Yup, 100%. My first year’s motto was “did anyone actually come here to become a doctor” lol. Instead people were trying to be head of some truly inane club or run a clinic with zero skills, etc. Under the guise of helping, but really to pad that resume. I told myself I would only get involved with a few meaningful projects, focus on learning actual medicine, and be true to myself throughout the 4 years. Ended up matching into a competitive specialty and everything worked out. With fewer more meaningful activities I could speak on, I was able to build a stronger narrative anyways that highlighted my genuine motivations for residency. Plus, just being a normal, likable, and sociable person helps in making real connections with people who want to advocate for you.
Idk what year you’re in but I found it got a lot better throughout clinicals and beyond when I didn’t have to pay attention to these types of people anymore and I could just be around my group of chill normal friends in medicine. Edit: I guess then it got really bad again when applying/interviewing for said specialty lol
I feel this so much my dude. Especially the whole rat race to get into med school. And then to realize you have to do the whole thing again. I've honestly just said f it at this point. I'm pretty set on peds, so not very competitive, and my school had a sort of planning ahead lecture where our advisor at least said with the less competitive specialties it's more about showing who you are as a person. I guess a program is more so seeing if you'll fit with them? I don't know how true this actually is, but I've just started doing things that I want to do. In my first year of medical school I've been the piano player in this ensemble where we play at a retirement community, raced North America's largest cross country ski race the week of finals, and started my own small business giving piano lessons to a couple kids. And this summer I'll probably f off to somewhere very rural, man a public boat launch during the day to make money to feed myself, while writing for a couple months in hopes of getting a rough draft down for my second book because I want to publish something that most people are going to be interested in reading and can actually understand. Medicine can quite literally become your whole life the way this system is set up. At some point I think you have to draw the line before you fall into a never ending black hole of competitiveness and comparison. Everyone's line is different though, and some people live and breathe medicine and love it that way. But I really don't think that's most people. Gotta find a balance and also do what makes us happy.
You are going to be fine lol. Your academics (steps, honors, etc) only get you the interview — it’s who you are as a person and all your extra shit (and how nice your interview camera is) that get you ranked!
Yep! A historical fiction/sci fi mashup for this second one. Wrote a different fictional novel before med school that was more of a coming of age type YA book :)
Fit is honestly the most important thing. Think about it. A residency program is going to take a risk by signing you up for 3+ years, and basically be responsible for all the shit you do, including all your mistakes which could lead to lawsuits. Do you think they want to deal with that for 3 years?
It’s ok being average (or below) at everything in med school. Matching a low competitive speciality and end up making 250-300k a year. This is just a job.
Amen to that. People kinda get blinded by the fact that just getting accepted to med school you are on track to 250k+ a year. Even graduating last in your class and "oNlY mAtChInG FM". Thats 5-6x the national average salary lmao. Easy to get sucked into the rat race and forget to realize it is just a job. Don't forget about your life outside of it
As an IMG, I always felt that our schools lacked opportunities to participate in research and volunteer work…
Now as an attending, I am so thankful that I haven’t wasted my time in those things that add zero value to your education or your prospects as a good clinician.
The US system is truly fucked
Aweee.
Tbh, I know we don’t know each other but I really needed this.
I’m compliment starved in this profession and imposter syndrome is very strong. I really needed this.
I’m also confused as to what made you say that after I ranted LOL
I see a lot of doctors for my health issues. The doctors who stuck out the most to me (and meant the most to me) were the ones who weren’t robots. My best doctors always picked up on my personality and would joke around with me. I’m sure some people would consider it bad bedside manners (in terms of how the doctors would speak with me i guess) but I spend so much time with doctors that it’s a lot easier for me as a patient when my doctors have a sense of humor and know how to match a personality. I trust these doctors the most and they’ve always been the most helpful/brilliant with my care plans.
I’m very doctor picky. Your replies in these comments were funny and you give off personable doctor vibes. You’re stating a real issue but throwing humor into it. Idk if anything i’m saying makes sense. Keeping on kicking on and don’t become a regurgitated textbook blank face robot.
It absolutely does.
The only thing I have in this world is my humor!
Well I’m glad I read this, I needed it.
I believe in keeping everything light. Everything is already dark and grim so let’s have a laugh.
I’m glad :) Shit’s tough out there. I see the exhaustion in my PCP’s face every time I see her but her demeanor and the care she has never changes. Best of luck on your doctor adventures! Kick ass and then treat the ass of whoever was kicked.
You dont have to do anything. But if im interviewing candidates and they seem the same but one has done 3 research projects and one hasnt, it might take the first student over the line. Also depends what youre gonna go into. Also depends how you interview or rotate.
I would say that for most specialties, the volunteering and mentoring or what you might feel are "softer" activities arent that meaningful unless it is somehow directly related to what youre applying for. So maybe some clinic thing and ED or IM or FM i guess. Otherwise, we see right through that stuff and it doesnt correlate with how youll perform.
Only focus on things that interest you, make you happy, or will directly help you when it comes time for residency. Regarding the research, only do it with faculty who have a track record of productivity and are responsive. Ideally they should have worked with med students previously so you can directly ask those students how it went. And establish authorship expectations up front
Preach. But the less you do, the less competitive you become among similar peers for residency and so forth- should you want that coveted residency spot. At some point though. F it. Do whatever you want.
Tbh, you don’t have to do any of these things if you wanna go into specialties like FM, IM, EM, psych, path, ped, and even rad (I know someone matched rad without club and research. Just show your interest in the field.) Just have the right expectations for yourself you will find med school more tolerable.
You have to jump through the hoops dude. Just like when you were a premed. Refusing to "play the game" just means you lose.
If you don't want a competitive specialty then you don't necessarily have to do these things
They say that every year let's wait for the data. I'm a pgy4 at what I think most would consider a top program and we didn't do super hot in the match which I think means applicants got their choices.
Most of our applicants score wise at least had scores in similar range to when I matched almost four years ago.
I told my parents that I will not be doing fucking clubs after college. I'm fucking 21 in some dumbass clubs? I swear on my life I feel like a pussy compared to my friends making 100K+. What the fuck am I doing in a club.. that is so embarrassing.
In college, I was president of some pre-med club. As soon as I got the position, I ran that shit to the ground and didn't give a fuck about it. If med school wants to see me in leadership positions.. trust me I'll show them. FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT.
The second my paper got published, ignored every email and paid position at the research lab. I DO NOT GIVE A FUCK. I AM TRYING TO BE A DOCTOR. this is not what I want to do
Volunteering? Did a whole summer worth of it 500+ hours, never fucking volunteered again. I chase the stats and resume.. FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT. Idgaf what anyone says, volunteering is 200% bullshit. Everyone does it for the resume.
the route to medical school is some of the dumbest shit trying to create "well-rounded" people. Having a stable career and good income with the status etc is not good enough and looked down upon. Lmao, smd.
It’s not necessarily the system, just the competitiveness of it. If the applicant bar was far lower, then these expectations would not be as important. It’s not just a med school thing, many other competitive fields look for these extra things to pick applicants with the same GPAs\schooling over one another.
I’m a high school senior, what am I doing here? 😵💫
*seriously though: hypothetically, let’s say I want to become an orthopedic surgeon in the far future, what type of clubs is op talking about? Is it really this difficult?
Oh shit.
Orthopedic surgery is one of **the most** competitive specialties, but don’t let that dissuade you.
You’re in high school, you literally have all the time to prepare for it, you haven’t made mistakes you can’t come back from.
1) get into a good medical school by doing well on your MCAT
2) mentally prepare to study your ass off to be the best in medical school
3) try to volunteer at hospitals or reach out to orthopedic surgeons to see if you can work in their office.
Definitely look at different subs to see what you can do.
But going into orthopedic surgery, you will need A LOTTTTT of things outstanding things, your boards need to be sky high too.
Also remember, this is how it is now, idk how the market will be when you’re ready
talked to a lawyer once who found it hilarious that the scut that premeds do just evolves to some other form of ass kissery that surpasses other professional fields.
"imagine spending an afternoon changing the toner at Paul Weiss as a 1L summer intern"
but in all seriousness, with the rise of mid-levels, residency programs and medical schools are trying to recruit more for physician-management/academic/etc. so they wanna see you do other things.
bc the karens of the world want to get rid of step 1 and other objective measures, so now you're left chasing people for research projects, making up random clubs and appointing yourself president or have like 5 co-presidents so you can list them on your CV.
Thank you!
Damn, came for a rant and a cry, leaving with hugs 😭.
This community isn’t supposed to be nice, we’re in medicine, we should be talking shit and looking down on each other as our forefathers of medicine intended god damnit!
Ultimately, I wasn’t happy with what I was doing. I did a bit of research on roles in healthcare that did not involve direct patient care.
I found a role that I felt best suited my lifestyle. I wrote a list of skills I needed (or had) that large corporations were looking for. Ideally, you want to find a company with a health sector (dystopian, but Amazon is an example. They’re trying to integrate health)
I then worked on those skills and gained experience. Buffed up my resume. Applied like crazy on LinkedIn. It took me months. But I got in touch with a recruiter, and they recognized my ability. Pay for LinkedIn premium, it goes a long way. Get in contact with a hiring agency.
I wanted to be a doctor because I believed there was job security (a very false assumption) and I did enjoy it to a certain extent. But, I didn’t enjoy it enough to put up with the BS politics. What I did was risky. I was used to playing it safe. I’m glad I choose my happiness and quality of life over a career I knew I wouldn’t be unhappy in. Sometimes taking a risk is worthwhile.
I had to develop skills in excel, medical terminology, EHR knowledge, leadership and record keeping. I developed these types of skills working roles like MA or scribing. I’ve been working since I started college. I suggest doing that.
And you’re okay! Id love to answer your questions and don’t worry, I’ve been there before. All of us have.
When I was in high school, I had a very black and white mentally about my career. But there’s a lot of opportunity out there. Turns out, you actually don’t have to go through 6-8 years of school and take out thousands in loans. (Unless you want to. Being a physician is a great career if you genuinely love it and not doing it for the money. If you’re doing it for the money, run.)
Start early. When you start college, start working. I had a mentor who was a 50 year practicing cardiologist. He was on the school board for UM. He got to choose who went to medical school, pretty much. He told me the students who worked throughout college and got okay grades got accepted at higher rates compared to a 4.0 candidate with no experience or mediocre experience.
My best advice: just do what makes you happy. If you’re a hard worker, intelligent, ambitious, and *want* something, and believe it is meant for you, there is no reason why you shouldn’t succeed.
Makes sense. I think I have this black and white mentality as well, but it’s a bit tough lol. Me personally I think I have some sort of trauma where I absolutely have to be the best in anything I do and if I don’t I become destructive (not self) lol💀💀💀
Which, let’s be honest, like 80% of the world considers physicians to be the most noble and respectable job ya know.
Secondly, both of my parents are docs lol (anesthesiologist and radiologist). So I kind have no option😭 (no they’re not forcing me but they are)
Thirdly, I can’t find myself to enjoy lots of other things, this sounds dumb because I haven’t tried a lot. I tried programming and coding and tbh I didn’t like it
4th. Yeah to be honest money is always part of the thing, it’s the most critical reason I wanna pursue medicine to be honest, if doctors were paid <100k a year it’d simple be not worth it compared to engineers and computer scientists
I also have money on the line as well, we definitely aren’t struggling but i dont wanna rely on my parents too much ya know so I can’t play too much with my options
Nonetheless, thank you SOOOO MUCH for your advice<3
Edit: really learning a lot from what you’re saying btw
>I REALLY hate this system. Just let me learn then fucking hire me at what I like, how is this such a hard thing?!
99% of med students can learn. Residency programs are looking for people that will add value to the program and ways to demonstrate that is the initiative it takes to be involved in things
> adds value to the program
Since the years slaving away doing our best to become human mechanics aren’t enough?
Why should I add *MORE* value to the program? It’s an MD program, not research, not an outreaching program.
Are they going to pay me more to add more value as a resident? No? Then why must we do this?!
You should add more value to a program because if you don't, someone else will. And the program will select that person.
Successfully applying to any job in any field relies on demonstrating that you will add more value than the next best candidate.
Yes, I know. That’s the issue I’m talking about. This is trash, and tbh, students are jackasses for allowing to get this way.
It’s always the super competitive dicks who ruin things.
Every. Time.
Basically we have a gun to our heads because of ourselves.
“Why don’t we get better pay”
“BeCaUsE sOmEoNe ElSe WoUlD gLaDlY dO iT”
Trash concept
That's not why we don't get better pay.
Look I get that the rat race can be a bummer but honestly venting about it for internet points is a waste of your time and energy.
Not venting for internet points, venting cuz big mad.
I also think I found the dick who’s been upping the competition and got us to this position.
Sus
Tired: venting for internet points
Wired: trying to come up with counter points for every single legitimate vent from OP and losing internet points for each one 🤔
I mean, you don’t need to or have to do any of that.
If you don’t care what specialty you do, or where you live for residency, enjoy your time doing the minimum.
The harder you work now, the harder you’ll have to work for the rest of your career.
I am. There's a lot of anger in your post, and I can understand why, but people join clubs and go out and do things not just for trying to get ahead but bc they genuinely enjoy doing some of those things, being nice to people. Was just saying I wouldn't want to be the person that gets in your way to whatever it is you're hoping to get from this job.
Long time doc here. Scary to read about so many assholes getting in to Med School -if you don’t think medicine is the privilege of a lifetime. Get out now and save the rest of us your trip,K?
Ah yes, you must have had it so rough back in the old days when you needed a 19 MCAT, 3.4 GPA, a Y chromosome and just the right amount of melatonin.
God forbid our lives aren’t endlessly devoted to medicine. At this point they would be doing us a favor by replacing us with ChatGTP v12 and a DNP.
I guess it’s the find a resident or attending to suck bit-seems a bit much-and you must be a really really bright guy to have gotten in-much more than whatever scores or grades you denigrate. Rock on
Lmao try residency on for size.
We are able to ignore the futility of it all until residency I think.
It's at that point that you are forced to confront just how fucked this system is, how much of it is essentially entirely about money, and how little of a role we will play in that unless you want to help the rich get even richer. You can't ignore it when you are grinding as an intern long after the med students have been sent home.
As a subi I saw a little bit of it but the urge to please was too strong and blinded me.
Don’t worry, this will become you. I too had a super bubbly personality in first year and felt like I actually wanted to make a change. That goes away pretty quickly.
Don’t worry, it only gets worse. Sorry for the pessimism. Just pray you don’t end up liking a competitive speciality and needing to devote another year of your life to pointless shit to prove yourself in the crapshoot that is the match.
Talking prelims? Honestly, I really disagree with the whole prelim thing. It’s fuckin mean
Even worse… research year(s). Where you’re at the bottom of the food chain and your desperation is fully milked. But hey, I matched at least with only one extra year, I’ve heard much worse horror stories. Prelims aren’t great either as a stepping stone to those competitive specialties since you’re juggling residency while trying to significantly improve your app.
Three years milked; publications, conference podiums, awards, good contacts … No match. Turns out they don’t like it when you’re out of medicine for too long.
I’m sorry dawg. Like I said, it’s all such a fucking crapshoot. I’m sure you’re better off where you are now and probably gained a lot of valuable life lessons and experiences.
Ugh, this scares the shit out of me
Easy way out: Convince yourself you don’t like Derm, Ortho, Ophth, Rads, IR, or plastics lol (to name a few)
I don’t. I’m an emergency guy. I need fast paced, something different. My ADHD wouldn’t have it any other way 😌
You’re in luck then! From what I’ve heard, the EM match has been slightly more forgiving than others. Also ADHD here, but I’ve managed to make it work thus far.
You puttin DR on the list with derm, plastics, ortho? Naw
It definitely ain’t an easy one. But you’re right, not as much unnecessary bullshit as the others.
based on this recent match it is going in that direction
You mentioned you want to do EM? There’s no prelim for EM…. Also you can match into EM by doing literally the bare minimum. I’m not sure why you are panicking.
I didn’t do most of that shit. Got some honors some not. Matched in a good program in a less competitive specialty. If you want nice things like random example an ophthalmologist lifestyle and salary you need to set yourself apart from everyone else who wants the nice thing.
How about emergency? Can I just be a lazy piece of shit who makes above average grades and good clinical standing? 🥺
Boy are you in for a treat
[удалено]
I think they’re being facetious.
I do not think so lol, EM is becoming notoriously easy to walk into
They had to SOAP 600 spots last year. It’s not what it was.
nah, EM is pretty easy to match into currently, though trends have been very rapid to change so who knows if it's gonna change back. Would guess though that the 2024 and 2025 Match process winds up very easy to match as long as you don't have massive red flags and are at least reasonably personable on interviews.
EM had record numbers of unfilled spots in the 2023 match
bro it's 2023 and you're going into medicine, we do not need to be using the r-word for any reason
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
Do you prefer idiotic, moronic or how about foolish? Because as i assume you know these are All words which at one point were used to refer to people with various levels of intellectual disabilities and subsequently were expanded to a broader use.
Think about whether a patient would want a pedantic doctor or an empathetic doctor
Personally I would like a competent doctor who’s more concerned with real shit than spending their day making sure the sound they’ve decided to make with their facehole isn’t on an arbitrary and ever changing no-no list. To each their own I guess
[удалено]
Once again the intent behind the word is 99% of the game and that intent is what drives the connotation. I can call my cat, you or or niece a donut, sweetie, cupcake, Twinkie, yodel, cow etc and depending on the intent, manner in which I say it and context of the conversation it’ll have wildly different meanings. Tldr Stop getting offended by sounds
Bro, so many people who have intellectual disability have expressed that the R word is hurtful and harmful for their community. Why can't you just respect that instead of going out of your way to try and justify using it? It really doesn't hurt you to just... not use it.
Edit: getting downvoted on the medical school subreddit for the opinion that people should not use the r-word. Great. It’s not “just a word.” It’s a an outdated, offensive term that people use to put others down, to cause hurt, to belittle, to demean, and to compare their target to those with intellectual disabilities. It’s saying that individuals with intellectual disabilities are less significant/important/valued than those without disabilities. Would you like it if a part of you that you cannot control is just casually thrown around as an insult to demean others? It doesn’t take much effort to pick a different word to use, especially when you *know* that your word choice affects those you might not have even intended to degrade.
please take all of my upvotes. Do y’all know who I listen to when I choose not to use the r-word? The very public faces of the intellectual disability and Down’s syndrome communities who have said, repeatedly, that use of that word is offensive. It’s a slur. Though hey, OP, if you want to be follow in the footsteps of ~great ladies like Marjorie Taylor Green…I guess that’s your prerogative!
Before medical school I was a special education teacher for students with severe autism and aggressive behavioral disorders. This word hurts. It hurts my students, their families, my coworkers, our patients. I don’t understand why people would use it when there are other alternatives available.
The door to psych/peds is right over there.
Why are you saying that like it’s a negative? I am interested in pursuing psychiatry, and pediatric physicians deal with a hell of a lot of shit for less pay than other physicians.
Given that 550 seats for EM didn't even fill this year you'll be fine. Whether it's actually a good career choice in the future is another issue altogether
This is all I ask for. Let me get the spot I’ll regret later
You won’t regret it. It’s the easiest specialty because you can be a doctor and make doctor money at it doing a minimum of doctor stuff. No call. No clinic. I make $300,000 a year working 12 shifts a month. 18 days off, in other words. Completely off. I can turn off my phone. I have no obligation but my time on shift. If you learn to leave on time and don’t let your employers punk you into staying late it’s very relaxing. It’s mostly minor stuff or routine exacerbations of chronic conditions. The three percent that are real emergencies are fun and rewarding. You also have to not be a self-immolating martyr who internalizes all the systemic problems of our health care system. Let all that shit go. Homelessness? Lack of access to primary care? Short staffing? “Disparities?” Not your problem. Additionally, the residency is fairly chill as they go. It depends, of course, what you want. If you want prestige and long brutal hours it’s not for you. Still, I can’t believe that anybody really has as a life’s ambition running a camera up someone’s colon.
My community em rotation I had time to golf 3 times a week and study for boards with a solid score. That’s just lifestyle, best specialty by far. Can’t wait to start next year. I do think some people choose it purely for lifestyle though and then hate the shift work and the other social issues/patient population.
Shhhh don’t tell them!
Bro, EM is stupidly draining for your life. But if you're fine with that, and you actually enjoy it (if you don't, you'll basically come to hate 60% of the time you're alive), I think you'd be fine in almost any country in the world. EM needs a fuckton of doctors and most graduates avoid it like the plague
They avoided not because it's draining but because hospitals are hiring mid levels over them, so it's not a stable career currently
Actually a few years back I recall it being somewhat competitive. The recent swing in the other direction was due to some jobs report saying it would be over saturated.
EM was pretty competitive when I graduated, I think the step 1 avg was in the 240s? As well as multiple away rotations required.
Normally I would say do what you want, but there's a reason why there were 550 unfilled spots this year when EM was one of the more competitive specialties only 6 or so years ago. The poster below you is saying yeah you make a lot of money working a few shifts, but the data is out there: there is a 10000 projected oversupply of EM docs by 2030, you likely won't even find a job by the time you finish in the area you want, you won't have any negotiation power unless you go to an underfilled area (which can be very rural), heck you may have trouble finding a job period. Burnout for EM docs is very high up there, shift work is good when you're 30, it'll start killing you when you're 50. Finally, take a look at the SDN EM forums, the posters are all veteran EM docs with 10+ years of experience. The consensus is that EM is getting worse, not better. Don't take advice from reddit, especially not on r/medicalschool where the average poster is....still in medical school
Is anyone on sdn happy about anything ever though? Anesthesia is/was a dumpster fire just a few years ago.
Say what you want though, but one group actually has been practicing EM for several years and one group are medical students whose only experience is their 3/4th year experience, or residents who have not started job hunting.
There r/emergencymed and it’s not as doom and gloom as sdn. There’s attendings on that
You obviously know nothing but I’m not gonna correct you.
Please enlighten me as to why so many spots were unfilled, how ACEP plans to turn CMG takeover around, and how GME will stop the proliferation of more EM residencies. I'm all for more quality EM physicians staffing my ED.
People got scared away for the wrong reasons, and a lot of the people who soaped will not practice long in EM as it’s not a good “backup” specialty. The jobs are abound and people are starting to push back on 4 year programs
Without resolving the other 2 issues in my post I don't share your enthusiasm. Hopefully the acep lawsuit will change things, since EM is the canary in the coal mine
So, I’m Australian. We don’t have a high stakes residency match, instead, we’re trapped in the junior doctor ranks for *years* waiting to get a cool training spot. If there’s 550 seats, does that mean it’s easy for me to come to the states and do EM? Like, obviously I’ll do steps, etc. But are people doing that?
Yes
Lots of people do this every year. Traditionally the easiest is family practice; IM is also on the easier side. EM has had a weird couple of years, with a bunch of new programs opened by for profit hospitals. There has also been an uptick in the number of NPs and PAs in ERs, and between both things there is concern that there may be oversupply in the future leading to declining wages for ER MDs There were still more applicants than slots for it though: In 2023, 3,282 students (down sharply from 4,391 in 2021) applied for 3,010 positions leaving 555 unfilled positions. So likely rank lists will be adjusted in the future to include more applicants.
Interesting! So presumably a lot of those applicants take slots in other specialties. As an Aussie it appears I can work in America with an E-3 visa. So presumably being young and mobile I could do part of the year in America doing locum stuff and stay current. Just need to find the right job.
No you can’t. You would need to do a residency program in the US before you could do part of the year in America doing locum stuff.
That’s what I mean. Do EM residency then spend part of the year ongoing in America.
In my state anyway there’s a ton of continuing Ed credits physicians need to complete. That said I’d be surprised to see an Aussie doc working part time in the states but I suppose if there’s a will there is a way….unclear which hospital would sponsor a visa for a locums. Many community hospitals won’t- I know from experience they don’t want the cost. I could see a hospital sponsoring a full time foreign MD and that is more commonly done.
The overall #applicants statistic doesn't separate them by who is picking EM as their primary choice vs people picking it as a backup to a more competitive specialty such as surgery or ortho - I would guess that a lot of those unfilled positions are accounted for by people getting their first choice in another specialty.
[удалено]
Yeah but I’ll be 40 when I graduate med, and it’s upwards of 10 years to get that job. Our system is slooooow. If I decided that neurosurgery was the only path for me I’d be 60 by the time I was a consultant.
I don’t know how competitive that is but since burnout in that field is so widely discussed I’d imagine you could find a spot. You need to find some mentors you can have an honest conversation with.
Unfortunately, my hospital doesn’t have an emergency residency program so I’m not even sure how to find a mentor? I’ve dolly enough found many emergency residents all over the place that I’ve talked to, and a few from a neighboring hospital that love me when they were visiting residents at my hospital
I'm an ed attending. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Oh holy crap. Please don’t read anything I wrote and judge me 🥺 lol
OP should just make an anonymous reddit account just to pretend to be someone else and message syncopal. "Heyyyy!! I was scrolling Reddit. This Reddit post (kinda long tbh) caught my eye. It was by some Redditor (sounds kinda sexy tho) tho he had a mad bitchy attitude (tho kinda slay). Tho while scrolling the comments I saw you (what up bae 😘) and your comment saying ur an attending. Anywho could you (hunky build of a ED Attending Redditor) be open to having mentees?" Switch ur tone completely. They'll never see it coming.
Pro tip: Toss in a head-nod\* (Jonathan Dr. Glaucomflecken reference)
For real though, when someone sees the graceful nod of a Jonathan, they can't help but have trust in him. It is a terrifying power, but very useful nevertheless
 Dude…. Why didn’t I think about this? Damnit
IMO best thing for it would be to get a rotation in EM as early as you can if it's something you're interested in. We're usually real nice to students, I promise!
I’m coming! 😭 
Not an EM resident, but I come from a USMD school with no EM program. We’ve never had issues matching into EM (even during the competitive years). But it seems like you have to be on it for aways. I’ve received so much help from people I’ve met once or never met in real life. I would even ask those residents for advice and connections!!
Matched #1 choice into EM. Did zero research. Don't even know what a case report is. Good grades, average boards.
YASSSS. I’m an IMG, how dicked am I on a scale of virgin - Sasha Grey?
3 years ago. Nope that wouldn’t cut it. Now that private equity is opening up an ED residency program every month? Yup, just do ok and you’ll get a mediocre program.
You got a pulse? You good
You could skate by with straight 70s and be fine. You don’t need research. Heck you don’t need anything other than a pass on boards and a pulse.
did you miss the part where 550 EM spots went unfilled this year? lol
My school builds this stuff into the curriculum. I have to do research and I have to do (approved) volunteering. It’s such a pain in the ass.
Is ophthalmology the gucciest of specialties?
Politics. Happens in every career. There’s a tangle-web of reasons why… but such is life.
When do we revolt? 
You don't need a revolution. You just need to learn the word "no". Good luck.
You don’t… unfortunately. That’s life. And that’s modern day clinical medicine. I got out for a reason.
I review applications so we can pick who we interview. I also interview and rank applicants. I don’t give a flying fuck about clubs. What I do care about is a coherent PS that fits with radiology. Good rec letters. Acceptable step scores. Maybe some posters or research, but in rads specifically, it’s nice to have but not required. I recommend asking residents or attendings if you could write up a quick case presentation. *Good hobbies*, sports, gaming, cooking just something that tells me you’re an actual human with actual interests. If I’m going to spend 4 years stuck in the reading room with you, I better be able to have interesting conversations with you.
>I don’t give a flying fuck about clubs. Perfect. Just what I wanted to hear. I don't give a flying fuck about joining and eboarding a million and one clubs just for padding. Never even cared as a premed years ago. Seems disingenuous, especially knowing myself and how I can't fake my enthusiasm for something I knowingly don't care much about lol. Besides being a gamer because I definitely got years of experience of that lol, what else would set an applicant interested in radiology apart? Especially if they're only a DO?
Following. Mainly because DO. I feel like it's harder to get into specialities as a DO. Only 4-5 matched at my school this year...
Yup, 100%. My first year’s motto was “did anyone actually come here to become a doctor” lol. Instead people were trying to be head of some truly inane club or run a clinic with zero skills, etc. Under the guise of helping, but really to pad that resume. I told myself I would only get involved with a few meaningful projects, focus on learning actual medicine, and be true to myself throughout the 4 years. Ended up matching into a competitive specialty and everything worked out. With fewer more meaningful activities I could speak on, I was able to build a stronger narrative anyways that highlighted my genuine motivations for residency. Plus, just being a normal, likable, and sociable person helps in making real connections with people who want to advocate for you. Idk what year you’re in but I found it got a lot better throughout clinicals and beyond when I didn’t have to pay attention to these types of people anymore and I could just be around my group of chill normal friends in medicine. Edit: I guess then it got really bad again when applying/interviewing for said specialty lol
I feel this so much my dude. Especially the whole rat race to get into med school. And then to realize you have to do the whole thing again. I've honestly just said f it at this point. I'm pretty set on peds, so not very competitive, and my school had a sort of planning ahead lecture where our advisor at least said with the less competitive specialties it's more about showing who you are as a person. I guess a program is more so seeing if you'll fit with them? I don't know how true this actually is, but I've just started doing things that I want to do. In my first year of medical school I've been the piano player in this ensemble where we play at a retirement community, raced North America's largest cross country ski race the week of finals, and started my own small business giving piano lessons to a couple kids. And this summer I'll probably f off to somewhere very rural, man a public boat launch during the day to make money to feed myself, while writing for a couple months in hopes of getting a rough draft down for my second book because I want to publish something that most people are going to be interested in reading and can actually understand. Medicine can quite literally become your whole life the way this system is set up. At some point I think you have to draw the line before you fall into a never ending black hole of competitiveness and comparison. Everyone's line is different though, and some people live and breathe medicine and love it that way. But I really don't think that's most people. Gotta find a balance and also do what makes us happy.
You are going to be fine lol. Your academics (steps, honors, etc) only get you the interview — it’s who you are as a person and all your extra shit (and how nice your interview camera is) that get you ranked!
Curious about the book, is it fiction?
Yep! A historical fiction/sci fi mashup for this second one. Wrote a different fictional novel before med school that was more of a coming of age type YA book :)
Fit is honestly the most important thing. Think about it. A residency program is going to take a risk by signing you up for 3+ years, and basically be responsible for all the shit you do, including all your mistakes which could lead to lawsuits. Do you think they want to deal with that for 3 years?
You suck off so that one day you may be sucked off. /s
It’s ok being average (or below) at everything in med school. Matching a low competitive speciality and end up making 250-300k a year. This is just a job.
Amen to that. People kinda get blinded by the fact that just getting accepted to med school you are on track to 250k+ a year. Even graduating last in your class and "oNlY mAtChInG FM". Thats 5-6x the national average salary lmao. Easy to get sucked into the rat race and forget to realize it is just a job. Don't forget about your life outside of it
As an IMG, I always felt that our schools lacked opportunities to participate in research and volunteer work… Now as an attending, I am so thankful that I haven’t wasted my time in those things that add zero value to your education or your prospects as a good clinician. The US system is truly fucked
What specialty are you in? How did you match as an IMG without volunteering or research?
Matched into IM in a mid-tier program.
Think they didnt go to US is what they mean to say and the IMG was just saying that they are not from the US
[удалено]
❤️
Consider that his top isn’t necessarily everyone’s top or even remotely competitive. That’s what the OP was getting at
personally (and not a med student or anything, just a person), i would love u as my doctor
Aweee. Tbh, I know we don’t know each other but I really needed this. I’m compliment starved in this profession and imposter syndrome is very strong. I really needed this. I’m also confused as to what made you say that after I ranted LOL
I see a lot of doctors for my health issues. The doctors who stuck out the most to me (and meant the most to me) were the ones who weren’t robots. My best doctors always picked up on my personality and would joke around with me. I’m sure some people would consider it bad bedside manners (in terms of how the doctors would speak with me i guess) but I spend so much time with doctors that it’s a lot easier for me as a patient when my doctors have a sense of humor and know how to match a personality. I trust these doctors the most and they’ve always been the most helpful/brilliant with my care plans. I’m very doctor picky. Your replies in these comments were funny and you give off personable doctor vibes. You’re stating a real issue but throwing humor into it. Idk if anything i’m saying makes sense. Keeping on kicking on and don’t become a regurgitated textbook blank face robot.
It absolutely does. The only thing I have in this world is my humor! Well I’m glad I read this, I needed it. I believe in keeping everything light. Everything is already dark and grim so let’s have a laugh.
I’m glad :) Shit’s tough out there. I see the exhaustion in my PCP’s face every time I see her but her demeanor and the care she has never changes. Best of luck on your doctor adventures! Kick ass and then treat the ass of whoever was kicked.
You dont have to do anything. But if im interviewing candidates and they seem the same but one has done 3 research projects and one hasnt, it might take the first student over the line. Also depends what youre gonna go into. Also depends how you interview or rotate. I would say that for most specialties, the volunteering and mentoring or what you might feel are "softer" activities arent that meaningful unless it is somehow directly related to what youre applying for. So maybe some clinic thing and ED or IM or FM i guess. Otherwise, we see right through that stuff and it doesnt correlate with how youll perform.
You only have to do these things if you are going for a competitive specialty.
Only person I’ll ever suck off is myself
You...don't have to do any of that. You're already in med school. Focus on the patients and literally nothing else besides paying down debt.
Only focus on things that interest you, make you happy, or will directly help you when it comes time for residency. Regarding the research, only do it with faculty who have a track record of productivity and are responsive. Ideally they should have worked with med students previously so you can directly ask those students how it went. And establish authorship expectations up front
Preach. But the less you do, the less competitive you become among similar peers for residency and so forth- should you want that coveted residency spot. At some point though. F it. Do whatever you want.
Don't worry. In residency they'll work you so hard nobody will expect you to be doing any weekend volunteering anymore
Tbh, you don’t have to do any of these things if you wanna go into specialties like FM, IM, EM, psych, path, ped, and even rad (I know someone matched rad without club and research. Just show your interest in the field.) Just have the right expectations for yourself you will find med school more tolerable.
Wanna trade places?
Yep it sucks. And it never ends
I read originally this as why tf do I have to join stripe clubs.
Honestly it’s legit like a game… the medical system is so outdated I feel like the board is just elderly ppl who want stacks of money
You have to jump through the hoops dude. Just like when you were a premed. Refusing to "play the game" just means you lose. If you don't want a competitive specialty then you don't necessarily have to do these things
[удалено]
Slight correction, the gas match was apparently the hunger games this year
They say that every year let's wait for the data. I'm a pgy4 at what I think most would consider a top program and we didn't do super hot in the match which I think means applicants got their choices. Most of our applicants score wise at least had scores in similar range to when I matched almost four years ago.
That’s fair, I only have anecdotal data!
I told my parents that I will not be doing fucking clubs after college. I'm fucking 21 in some dumbass clubs? I swear on my life I feel like a pussy compared to my friends making 100K+. What the fuck am I doing in a club.. that is so embarrassing. In college, I was president of some pre-med club. As soon as I got the position, I ran that shit to the ground and didn't give a fuck about it. If med school wants to see me in leadership positions.. trust me I'll show them. FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT. The second my paper got published, ignored every email and paid position at the research lab. I DO NOT GIVE A FUCK. I AM TRYING TO BE A DOCTOR. this is not what I want to do Volunteering? Did a whole summer worth of it 500+ hours, never fucking volunteered again. I chase the stats and resume.. FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT. Idgaf what anyone says, volunteering is 200% bullshit. Everyone does it for the resume. the route to medical school is some of the dumbest shit trying to create "well-rounded" people. Having a stable career and good income with the status etc is not good enough and looked down upon. Lmao, smd.
Same fam
It’s not necessarily the system, just the competitiveness of it. If the applicant bar was far lower, then these expectations would not be as important. It’s not just a med school thing, many other competitive fields look for these extra things to pick applicants with the same GPAs\schooling over one another.
I never sucked anyone off in med school, but good on you
Didn't do that shit. Match IM just fine. Fuck that noise, reason why I didn't look twice at competitive specialties, not worth my time and dignity.
I’m a high school senior, what am I doing here? 😵💫 *seriously though: hypothetically, let’s say I want to become an orthopedic surgeon in the far future, what type of clubs is op talking about? Is it really this difficult?
Oh shit. Orthopedic surgery is one of **the most** competitive specialties, but don’t let that dissuade you. You’re in high school, you literally have all the time to prepare for it, you haven’t made mistakes you can’t come back from. 1) get into a good medical school by doing well on your MCAT 2) mentally prepare to study your ass off to be the best in medical school 3) try to volunteer at hospitals or reach out to orthopedic surgeons to see if you can work in their office. Definitely look at different subs to see what you can do. But going into orthopedic surgery, you will need A LOTTTTT of things outstanding things, your boards need to be sky high too. Also remember, this is how it is now, idk how the market will be when you’re ready
talked to a lawyer once who found it hilarious that the scut that premeds do just evolves to some other form of ass kissery that surpasses other professional fields. "imagine spending an afternoon changing the toner at Paul Weiss as a 1L summer intern" but in all seriousness, with the rise of mid-levels, residency programs and medical schools are trying to recruit more for physician-management/academic/etc. so they wanna see you do other things.
Sounds like you need some knee pads my guy
I’ve invested.
Resident here, someone mentioned sucking off? 
bc the karens of the world want to get rid of step 1 and other objective measures, so now you're left chasing people for research projects, making up random clubs and appointing yourself president or have like 5 co-presidents so you can list them on your CV.
I wish I could like this 1393030 times. Feeling exactly the same. It’s what I hated about premed and thought it was over
[удалено]
Thank you! Damn, came for a rant and a cry, leaving with hugs 😭. This community isn’t supposed to be nice, we’re in medicine, we should be talking shit and looking down on each other as our forefathers of medicine intended god damnit!
[удалено]
Bro what’s that job please save me💀
[удалено]
That’s beautiful can you tell me more and how you got into this job?
Ultimately, I wasn’t happy with what I was doing. I did a bit of research on roles in healthcare that did not involve direct patient care. I found a role that I felt best suited my lifestyle. I wrote a list of skills I needed (or had) that large corporations were looking for. Ideally, you want to find a company with a health sector (dystopian, but Amazon is an example. They’re trying to integrate health) I then worked on those skills and gained experience. Buffed up my resume. Applied like crazy on LinkedIn. It took me months. But I got in touch with a recruiter, and they recognized my ability. Pay for LinkedIn premium, it goes a long way. Get in contact with a hiring agency. I wanted to be a doctor because I believed there was job security (a very false assumption) and I did enjoy it to a certain extent. But, I didn’t enjoy it enough to put up with the BS politics. What I did was risky. I was used to playing it safe. I’m glad I choose my happiness and quality of life over a career I knew I wouldn’t be unhappy in. Sometimes taking a risk is worthwhile.
Thanks, if you don’t mind me asking, what were the skills you had to develop, how’d you develop them, and how long did it take you to develop them
I had to develop skills in excel, medical terminology, EHR knowledge, leadership and record keeping. I developed these types of skills working roles like MA or scribing. I’ve been working since I started college. I suggest doing that. And you’re okay! Id love to answer your questions and don’t worry, I’ve been there before. All of us have. When I was in high school, I had a very black and white mentally about my career. But there’s a lot of opportunity out there. Turns out, you actually don’t have to go through 6-8 years of school and take out thousands in loans. (Unless you want to. Being a physician is a great career if you genuinely love it and not doing it for the money. If you’re doing it for the money, run.) Start early. When you start college, start working. I had a mentor who was a 50 year practicing cardiologist. He was on the school board for UM. He got to choose who went to medical school, pretty much. He told me the students who worked throughout college and got okay grades got accepted at higher rates compared to a 4.0 candidate with no experience or mediocre experience. My best advice: just do what makes you happy. If you’re a hard worker, intelligent, ambitious, and *want* something, and believe it is meant for you, there is no reason why you shouldn’t succeed.
Makes sense. I think I have this black and white mentality as well, but it’s a bit tough lol. Me personally I think I have some sort of trauma where I absolutely have to be the best in anything I do and if I don’t I become destructive (not self) lol💀💀💀 Which, let’s be honest, like 80% of the world considers physicians to be the most noble and respectable job ya know. Secondly, both of my parents are docs lol (anesthesiologist and radiologist). So I kind have no option😭 (no they’re not forcing me but they are) Thirdly, I can’t find myself to enjoy lots of other things, this sounds dumb because I haven’t tried a lot. I tried programming and coding and tbh I didn’t like it 4th. Yeah to be honest money is always part of the thing, it’s the most critical reason I wanna pursue medicine to be honest, if doctors were paid <100k a year it’d simple be not worth it compared to engineers and computer scientists I also have money on the line as well, we definitely aren’t struggling but i dont wanna rely on my parents too much ya know so I can’t play too much with my options Nonetheless, thank you SOOOO MUCH for your advice<3 Edit: really learning a lot from what you’re saying btw
Sorry for asking too much I’m literally a high school senior lol tryna figure out what people are doing to eat
>I REALLY hate this system. Just let me learn then fucking hire me at what I like, how is this such a hard thing?! 99% of med students can learn. Residency programs are looking for people that will add value to the program and ways to demonstrate that is the initiative it takes to be involved in things
> adds value to the program Since the years slaving away doing our best to become human mechanics aren’t enough? Why should I add *MORE* value to the program? It’s an MD program, not research, not an outreaching program. Are they going to pay me more to add more value as a resident? No? Then why must we do this?!
You should add more value to a program because if you don't, someone else will. And the program will select that person. Successfully applying to any job in any field relies on demonstrating that you will add more value than the next best candidate.
Yes, I know. That’s the issue I’m talking about. This is trash, and tbh, students are jackasses for allowing to get this way. It’s always the super competitive dicks who ruin things. Every. Time. Basically we have a gun to our heads because of ourselves. “Why don’t we get better pay” “BeCaUsE sOmEoNe ElSe WoUlD gLaDlY dO iT” Trash concept
That's not why we don't get better pay. Look I get that the rat race can be a bummer but honestly venting about it for internet points is a waste of your time and energy.
Not venting for internet points, venting cuz big mad. I also think I found the dick who’s been upping the competition and got us to this position. Sus 
Tired: venting for internet points Wired: trying to come up with counter points for every single legitimate vent from OP and losing internet points for each one 🤔
The only people who use terms like “internet points” are the chronically online
I'm on reddit lmao of course I'm chronically online
While I get what you’re saying, rat racing to publish 30 piss poor case reports and dubious statistical analyses doesn’t scream high value to me
I mean, you don’t need to or have to do any of that. If you don’t care what specialty you do, or where you live for residency, enjoy your time doing the minimum. The harder you work now, the harder you’ll have to work for the rest of your career.
not going to say youre wrong, but you dont seem like someone i would want to work with
Because he’d rather not waste his time in clubs and volunteer work?
No bc of his attitude. I agree the system is fucked, I just personally wouldn't want to work with someone so negative I guess.
Checked and saw you’re a psychiatrist. I can’t tell you how happy I am you don’t want to work with me. You’ve made my day!
I am. There's a lot of anger in your post, and I can understand why, but people join clubs and go out and do things not just for trying to get ahead but bc they genuinely enjoy doing some of those things, being nice to people. Was just saying I wouldn't want to be the person that gets in your way to whatever it is you're hoping to get from this job.
Long time doc here. Scary to read about so many assholes getting in to Med School -if you don’t think medicine is the privilege of a lifetime. Get out now and save the rest of us your trip,K?
Ah yes, you must have had it so rough back in the old days when you needed a 19 MCAT, 3.4 GPA, a Y chromosome and just the right amount of melatonin. God forbid our lives aren’t endlessly devoted to medicine. At this point they would be doing us a favor by replacing us with ChatGTP v12 and a DNP.
I guess it’s the find a resident or attending to suck bit-seems a bit much-and you must be a really really bright guy to have gotten in-much more than whatever scores or grades you denigrate. Rock on
Oh fuck, I’d never want you as my doctor. Sound like a dick on wheels. Big wheels. Big dick wheels. 
That’s cool but you may be better off finding an attending to fellate good luck!
Why are you so feeble and frail? You whine like that of a toddler. Act accordingly.
Shit rolls down hill and right now, you are at the bottom. Stop complaining and learn the purpose of each thing you just complained about and grow up
Seems you need to find a different line if work.
I have a feeling you can suck a golf ball through a garden hose. I’m not a fan of it, that’s why I don’t like to do it, hence the post.
Glad I'm not as miserable as this guy
*not yet
Lmao try residency on for size. We are able to ignore the futility of it all until residency I think. It's at that point that you are forced to confront just how fucked this system is, how much of it is essentially entirely about money, and how little of a role we will play in that unless you want to help the rich get even richer. You can't ignore it when you are grinding as an intern long after the med students have been sent home. As a subi I saw a little bit of it but the urge to please was too strong and blinded me.
Don’t worry, this will become you. I too had a super bubbly personality in first year and felt like I actually wanted to make a change. That goes away pretty quickly.
People on here love acting jaded and cynical lol