I’ve caught wheezes once. That’s it. I suck so much with my stethoscope and it’s so expensive already (Littmann IV).
You guys have any tips? Is one of those digital ones worth it??
Dabbled with Anki barely M1/M2. Started using it in clerkships for shelf exams, doing UWorld incorrects and those AnKing no_dupe decks.
It takes up so. much. time. After 6 months I'm still not convinced it's the best use of time, but I can't stop. It's like a drug. I need to get those reviews down to zero or else my brain implodes. It's like an inescapable subconscious pressure knowing that so many of my peers are using it, that means I probably should too right?
A large chunk of these cards make feel like a moron for even doing a card for it cause their either so simple or so obscure. Seeing so many honestly makes things even more confusing in my head. I really wonder if I'd be better off just getting Amboss and doing more questions or maybe even, I don't know, reading a textbook? *gasp*
I believe Anki is study slop and a may even be a hindrance to my critical thinking and comprehension of medicine. Anyway, gotta get back to cranking through these reviews!
Feeling so defeated. The average was around a 80 and I got a 60%. want to give up. I tried everything but maybe I’m just not smart enough? Everyone seems to be getting it down especially with that high of an average.
What do I do now?
For context, I watched all the videos, took notes on all the videos, and barely did any practice problems. How do you guys get through all the content, and master it so quickly? I would love any and all advice on study methods that worked for you. I have a flipped classroom and we have biweekly exams. It feels I’m always playing catchup
Hi all! I am posting this on behalf of my Program Director as we have a couple of openings in our Internal Medicine Residency program. Please see below for more information.
An unexpected opportunity has opened up in Milwaukee! Our Internal Medicine Residency Program currently has two PGY-2 positions available for qualified transfer applicants.
We are a growing, close-knit Internal Medicine program that combines the clinical breadth of a tertiary-care hospital with community-based medicine, strong faculty mentorship, and an academic curriculum designed to prepare residents for careers in hospital medicine, primary care, or fellowship.
And while we take training excellent physicians very seriously, we don’t believe residency has to lose its sense of community or fun along the way!
Our residents train primarily at Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital, a tertiary-care hospital in the heart of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with additional experience at Ascension St. Joseph Hospital, where residents care for an underserved and medically complex patient population.
Our curriculum provides broad exposure to inpatient medicine, critical care, ambulatory medicine and the Internal Medicine subspecialties. PGY-2 residents have experiences in:
Residents can further individualize their education through electives including Cardiovascular ICU, Electrophysiology, POCUS/Emergency Medicine Procedures, Obesity Medicine, Radiology, Psychiatry, Pain Medicine, and Hematology/Oncology and Radiation Oncology, among others.
Our educational program includes Journal Club, PICO/evidence-based medicine conferences, Adverse Event/Morbidity & Mortality Conference, CPC, Grand Rounds, subspecialty conferences, palliative care education and multidisciplinary teaching. Residents also receive access to AMBOSS, participate in the Yale Office-Based Medicine Curriculum, and receive American College of Physicians membership.
Most importantly, we are building a program where residents know one another, faculty know their residents, and trainees have a meaningful voice in shaping the program. We value mentorship, curiosity, teamwork, professionalism and the idea that residency should produce not only outstanding internists, but physicians who genuinely enjoy practicing medicine and working with one another.
Milwaukee is a fantastic place to spend residency. We’re located along Lake Michigan in a city with professional sports, Summerfest, an outstanding restaurant and brewery scene, festivals, museums, beaches and lakefront trails, with a cost of living that still makes resident life manageable.
It’s a big enough city to always have something to do and a small enough city that you can actually do it.
These positions are intended for physicians who have successfully completed the prerequisite training necessary to enter a categorical Internal Medicine Residency at the PGY-2 level ( completed preliminary IM year) ,or who are currently training at the PGY-2 level in an ACGME-accredited Internal Medicine residency program and are seeking a transfer opportunity. Applicants must be in good standing with their current or most recent residency program and demonstrate satisfactory academic performance, clinical competence, professionalism, and progress appropriate to their level of training.
Appointment will be contingent upon completion of the program’s standard application and credentialing process, including verification of prior graduate medical education, satisfactory documentation of training and performance, eligibility for appointment at the PGY-2 level, applicable licensure and employment requirements, and all institutional and ACGME requirements.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration consistent with applicable institutional policies and federal and state requirements.
If you’re looking for a program where you can receive rigorous clinical training, know your faculty, find great mentors, help shape a growing residency, and have some fun while becoming an excellent internist, we would love to hear from you. Please email the Program Director, Dr Vaishnavy Bhaskaruni, vaishnavy.bhaskaruni@ascension.org, or the Program Coordinator, Brittany Miller, brittany.miller3@ascension.org with your resume and interest.
Thanks all!
Looks like the interview likelihood is up now on Residency Explorer. You can update that section a max of 3 times. Unsure how useful this will be but seems pretty cool!
I just got my Step 2 score back today and scored in the high 230’s. Which is ~10 points lower than my NBME averages/Amboss predicted score. Not sure what happened, but I got got on test day, I guess.
I’m pretty bummed out about it. Still waiting on my COMLEX score to result.
Will I be solid for matching into IM? I feel like my chance with academic programs is pretty slim. Should I just focus on community and university affiliated programs?
Apologies if this seems neurotic or otherwise. Just pretty bummed out and gutted right now. Thank you all for the help.
Hi everyone, looking for some honest guidance because I feel a bit stuck on next steps.
I'm a US IMG. I'm legally blind with 20/400 visual acuity and cannot drive or commute on my own. I've passed Step 1 and scored 259 on Step 2 CK. I currently work as a USMLE tutor.
I'm trying to figure out realistically what my path forward looks like. A few questions I'd love input on:
Has anyone here gone through Match as a visually impaired or legally blind applicant? How did programs respond, and would Psychiatry realistically be a more accommodating specialty given the nature of the work?
If Match isn't realistic given my vision, what are other legitimate paths forward for someone with my scores and background? I don't want to waste years chasing something that isn't feasible, but I also don't want to give up on it without real input from people who've been through this or something similar.
Would it be worth speaking to a disability services counselor or advisor who specializes in medical licensure/Match, and if so, does anyone have suggestions on who that might be or where to start looking?
Any honest experiences, even if they're not what I want to hear, would genuinely help me make a clearer decision. Thank you.
Do you think the cosmetic/aesthetic well paid part will still be so in years?
Besides, allergists are ranked no.1 happiest doctors with relatively good pay and good work life balance. Dermatologist see all sorts of horrendous looking STIs and generally ugly stuff lol
What do you think?
I am yet to choose my specialty and therefore I have to ask what am I missing really? Why everyone seems to suggest me allergy is fine, but derm would be a better choice?
Starting MS2 year. Spent time last year and this summer doing a lot of clinical research. I despise it more than anything. I hate doing mind-numbing chart review and meta-analysis, where I could be fully replaced by an AI or a monkey with an Excel license. I liked bench research in undergrad but frankly don’t have time for it now and there’s not a lot available in my specialty of interested. Unfortunately this speciality also demands a lot of research to match. How can I make suffering through this more bearable
I don't mean entire subjects like anatomy or clerkships, but small parts of medical education that makes no sense. To me that would be being expected to know the exact loci of genetic mutations. Make it make sense, outside of exams, what the hell is knowing the exact locations of mutations going to be good for? Like unless you do genetics residency, you will never see those in your practice. And whenever a genetics test is done and a disease is found, the genetics specialist is not going to say "oh they have a mutation at 16p13-p12. You don't know what that is? Then go fuck yourself." They will just say Liddle's Syndrome on the report
I feel like an asshole for making this post because i prayed for this. i dreamt of it.
it’s nearly 11 pm. Haven’t done today’s anki. Didn’t review yesterday’s lectures. i’m sitting at my table in a state I moved to three weeks ago, alone, eating two protein waffles that taste like cardboard.
Just got off the phone with my mom, who is going through an ugly divorce with my dad. theyve been supportive, but money is so tight. + my own loans suck
I feel behind in school. Like everyone else, yes, but this shit is firing off my anxiety. Also it doesn’t help that i don’t have friends. my classmates seem to have accepted and adapted that this - grinding nonstop, a lifestyle of studying - is life. idk how. I don’t think im being neurotic.. im just genuinely behind and clueless
Barely getting time to catch a breath, cook, workout. Havent spoken to friends. Don’t have friends at school. Forget extracurriculars.. im barely keeping up with school work. Holy SHIT. what do u mean i need three or four passes of the material.
It’s been ten fcking days. TEN DAYS. I feel like im exploding. I know i need to suck it up and embrace the challenge, but holy shit i feel like im in the wrong place. am i just a mistake waiting to happen :(
I go to a USMD school where some of us graduate in December. But alas, can't be a doctor until the following July. I'm looking for a job that's more 9-5 with minimal weekends and holidays. But also, want to make as much cash as I can. I've looked at some medical assistant jobs but would like to avoid the clinic/hospital if I can. Then, anything in customer service/food service would likely require evenings and weekends. Just looking for some brainstorming or cheat codes out there.
Also, just for fun, what would you do in these 6 months if money wasn't a problem?
I'm just at a loss for words. I took the medicine shelf one year ago and got a 54. Disappointing but understandable. I was exhausted by the end of the rotation and only got through half the Q bank.
Took the shelf again for a second time last Friday. I felt a lot better about it this time. While studying for Step 1 and Step 2 during a four month back-to-back double dedicated period, I finally figured out what I was doing wrong with pacing and reading the questions. I went in feeling much more prepared and (somewhat) more well-rested.
Leading up to the exam I was getting 63 and 69 on my NBMEs Form 10 and 9, respectively. I was getting 60s-70s on UWorld questions. But still somehow ended up only with a 58. My school's cut off for pass is 59.
I guess I'll have to sit for it a third time. Won't be able to get a pass even I actually pass this time. Just conditional pass or conditional fail. Honestly, just give me the fail at this point. The proof is in the pudding. The chances of me improving enough in a few weeks when I only went up 4 points in 10 months is just laughable. Not like conditional pass or conditional fail are going to look any different to programs, especially for a guy who has only passes for his shelf/cumulative 3rd year grades (Did well clinically, got some high pass/honors there, but I guess that means fuck all at the end of the day).
Definitely doesn't inspire much self confidence for my Step 2 exam in two weeks. But what can I do. Already moved it back a month.
Good news is that I'm applying to pediatrics, not medicine or any kind of surgery. I know I'll be okay and that this doesn't define me or my career as a physician. It just is so frustrating.
Hi guys, looking for some advice and maybe a little venting.
I'm an M3 on my first rotation, OBGYN, and I've honestly been LOVING it. It's unexpectedly become my top choice and is probably what I'll apply into. I've had a great experience with the residents and attendings so far, but I'm now on my last week of L&D and have encountered something new.
There's an M4 on an AI who has honestly baffled me. I completely understand that she's on an AI, trying to impress the program, and obviously much further along than I am. But she has been actively pimping me and the other M3 in a way that feels unnecessarily condescending.
Today she started pimping the other M3 on service, asking things like "Do you know what you'd give for GBS positive? Come on, you just took Step, you need to know this," in a very condescending tone. She was also pimping me about a patient I hadn't even seen and who wasn't assigned to the resident I was working with.
I don't mind being asked questions at all, but getting pimped by another medical student feels... weird? Especially when the questions aren't about patients I'm involved with.
She also essentially "stole" a C-section from me today. I had specifically told her I hadn't seen one yet and only have two days left on L&D. I know she's trying to get opportunities for herself and ultimately match at the program, so I don't expect her to give up every opportunity for me. I was with a resident who was going to let me participate, and somehow the M4 ended up taking the opportunity instead, which was frustrating given that she knew I hadn't had the chance yet.
know that clinical rotations can be competitive, especially when someone is on an AI and potentially trying to match at that program. I also completely understand wanting to stand out and get as many opportunities as possible, but I also want to make a good, lasting impression and feel like I just look bad.
Maybe I'm just inexperienced and need to develop thicker skin, but I'm curious where the line is between an M4 appropriately trying to make the most of an AI and being unnecessarily competitive with an M3.
I've actually had a really positive experience with OBGYN so far, so I don't want to cause drama or let one person ruin the rotation. I'm mostly trying to figure out how to navigate the competitive side of clinical rotations without becoming competitive myself.
Would you just let this go and focus on getting the most out of my last two days, or does this sound unusually competitive/condescending?
Would love to hear how other M3s/M4s/residents handled similar situations!
Idk I've been gaslit by so many people about it 🥲 I'm pretty competitive (AOA, GHHS, 270+ step 2, all honors, etc.) and residents/attendings in other specialties have said things like "do anesthesia instead", "think about career longevity", and even "you're too smart to do EM" (???).
I did an anesthesia rotation and liked it a lot, but I didn't love it like EM. I just love the pace, chaos/multitasking, breadth of pathology/acuity/patient populations, and diagnosing (and yes, I know its mostly a game of "ruling out" serious things as opposed to landing on the 100% correct diagnosis—still love this). I did EMS prior to med school and loved that too, even the nonsense stuff. Substance use, unhoused folks, "primary care" complaints, and smells/sights don't bother me, at least at this point in my career.
I like having days off during the week. I actually liked working nights as an EMT and would consider being a nocturnist, at least in the earlier part of my career.
Am I crazy? Am I missing something? I know its a hard job and you're on your feet and exhausted all shift, but I really do love it. I feel like the EM faculty at my med school do a good job of giving us an experience that is as representative of resident/attending life as possible, but I know the attending experience will be different.
I transferred from the medical program at my school in the first weeks of second year to a masters program within the same school due to personal reasons which promises if I meet the certain requirements, I can gain admission into the medical program again starting MS1 again.
This program is 2 years for me. I understand that this scenario is seen as ideal by some people (a good majority) but I essentially withdrew and transferred to this program, which is making me feel like a complete failure.
I can truly not imagine pursuing another career and I hoped to progress without any huge setbacks when I first started medical school. I am really 100% committed to this career. I had the option of this or completely dropping out and I chose this path to try and keep becoming one.
To me, while again I am grateful for the opportunity to prove that I can do it through this program, the initial withdrawal is really disappointing me. Every time I try to forget it, there are students in my class curious on what happened which when approached I am “cornered” and “forced” to tell them.
I just need some guidance on not feeling this way or navigating hurdles like this by someone who has gone through something similar. Sorry if I sound ungrateful for this opportunity, I’m not it’s just the disappointment and the embarrassment.
Not even a “meets expectations”. All of my other residents gave me excellent or above expectations. I am so disappointed and I feel like a failure and like I’m dumb. Yes I know it’s not true and there is room to learn, and I will admit he saw me during my first two weeks of IM rotation and I was still figuring things out and was sick a couple of days. I am just so bummed. I hope to match academic IM and I’m worried this will jeopardize it all. I’m sad and don’t know what to do. Any advice/kind words would help.