How To: Part 2

lonestarmd:

Part 2: You’re not a doctor when you get into medical school?? Honestly, this post I’m less sure about because I haven’t experienced it all myself yet. If a fellow medblr sees a mistake or need for an addition, please do let me know!!

1. The first 1.5 or 2 years of most med schools is the “classroom” phase. You don’t interact much with patients and really, you’re just in harder undergrad. It kinda sucks. Each med school breaks up the learning differently. Some do “basic science” based, others do “organ system” based, and others do “problem based learning”. Some do a combination. Ask the med schools you interview at what kind of style they have. You’ll study differently based on each type of style. Do your best and try not to compare yourself to others.

2. Take the Step 1. Some med schools have their students take the Step after the first year of clinicals but for simplicity’s sake I’ll assume you’re taking the Step in between the classroom and the clinical years. This is a monster of a test that encompasses a huge range of knowledge. The score on this test is very important for residency selection.

3. Clinical rotations! You generally do a year of “core” clinical rotations during your 3rd year of medical school. At my school the rotations include Family medicine, peds, OBGYN, Surgery, I med, psych, and ER or Neurology. Here you’re in the hospital all the time learning from doctors and patients and actually doing stuff. This is not shadowing. It is much more hands on and involved. At the end of each rotation you take a “shelf” exam. It’s an exam that tests you on what you learned during the rotation and gives you a percentile score based on how everyone else taking that shelf across the country did. During your 4th year, there is more freedom to do “elective” rotations such as ENT, Ortho surg, Anesthesia, ect. Take Step 2 following 3rd year. Step 2 is also important and tough, but not as much as Step 1.

3b. At some point do some research.

4. Apply to residencies after deciding on a specialty. Much like med school apps, you compile your grades, your letters of rec, the extra curriculars you were involved in, and your info and submit to a massive national system. You will hopefully start to hear back about interviews during the fall of your 4th year.

5. Interview all over the place. This is an expensive, exhausting process that several other medblrs just did. Afterwards, rank the programs that you interviewed at by how badly you want to go to them. Somehow the national match system figures out the best way to match applicants to programs after everything is in.

6. Match! This happens in March. You find out where you will be doing residency! woo!

7. Start residency! Take Step 3 during the first year of your residency. You get paid during residency- generally about 50k a year with increases each year.

8. As you near the completion of your residency, take your board exam. I’m fuzzy as to when you actually take it but I think it’s towards the end. After you pass your boards, you can now practice medicine in the specialty of your choice in the USA! 

9. Optional: do a fellowship in something.  @wayfaringmd posted this a while back and I’ve found it super useful in understanding how fellowships and residencies relate to each other.

Good luck!

Posted 5 years ago with 188 notes
Via: norcalqueen, Source: lonestarmd
Tagged: #med school
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