Comments on: Does Taking a Year Off Kill Your Chances For Residency?

By: Med student

Med student — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 20:26:33 +0000

Question: does this year off apply if you take it as a first year med student, ie withdraw from first year for personal reasons and return the following year to start over? And what if your school/board records are great by the time you apply for residency, will that year you took off way back in first year affect you?

Any insight into this would greatly be appreciated.

By: Darkhorse

Darkhorse — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 06:00:51 +0000

Hey everyone,

I would like to thank the person for starting this thread and allowing me to leave comments. Just as some of you, I would like to take a year off from med school to figure out what I want to do (too many specialty options) and get some clinical research experience as well but for some reason, either it’s me or I am finding it difficult to be able to:

1) Get a research project for one year (Funding issues!). It’s more easier to enrol into a 2-year MD-MSc program and I am not sure I can dedicate two years of my life.
2) Setup a research project at an institution other than the one I am graduating from.
3) Shadow physicians at this other institution because I am not considered a medical student (but a graduate student)

Oh yeah, I am in CANADA. If you guys have any suggestions, that would be really appreciated.

Good luck to you all.

DA
P.S: I am applying to a “competitive speciality”, I think!

By: repeedkool

repeedkool — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 18:43:19 +0000

I recently graduated from medical school for many reasons, but I’m actually having a hard time trying to decide what to do with it. I am where I want to be and really want to get into internal medicine next year, but am limiting myself regionally when I apply. My question is, what should I do? I’ll add that I partly took this year off for a break from my life – LOTS going on with family, personal life, etc, on top of managing to pass med school all during med school. I’ve stepped away from the bulk of those things that were more a hindrance than a support, which I feel was a very healthy move on my part. Anyway, I’d like to hear your thoughts.

By: blackjack

blackjack — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 02:41:01 +0000

I took a year off to:

1. Play in a band.

2. Make very high quality web cartoons.

3. Do some very light, non-clinical research in a topic I’m personally interested in.

4. Read about medicine, because I find it extremely interesting, even after the drudgery of clerkship.

5. Figure out what I want to do.

I’m happy. Extremely happy.

By: hmm

hmm — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 04:29:24 +0000

this question is for REO SpeedDealer … what did you end up doing for your year off then? and how did you frame it to residency directors?

i totally agree that a year off is a year off… once in a life time opportunitiy.. we’re dedicating the rest of our lives to medicine… why should it be a crime to do something we enjoy for a year.