Thread: Questions about Step 1 and Clinical rotations

I have a dilema, that I was hoping to get some advice about.
I'm currently in Term 5, scheduled to finish Basic sciences. However, 8 weeks isn't enough for me to study for the boards, so I decided that taking time off is the best option, because I am not ready to mess with the step 1, and i know myself; 8 weeks will not be enough for me, maybe 12 or 16 weeks, but certainly not 8 weeks. Am not an A student, but when I have time to study, i can get some pretty good grades. But I need to put time in to study, and I work best under LOW pressure.

However, taking more time to study for the boards will mean that I wait until next year to start clinicals. (If this is the only option i have, I am willing to take it).

I have also been advised that I can start clinicals in the UK in October, and transfer back to the US (home for me), after 6 months, for the remainder of the clinicals. My questions is; is this even possible?

The other issue is that I once re-took a class, so I am not sure if I will be allowed to take anymore time from Medschool. please advise me accordingly.

Any suggestions are welcome.

I know that if I put time in, I can get a good Step 1 score, but first I need to actually put in the time. Am not ready to bet on 8 weeks.

All of what you said can be sent to clined@sgu.edu

First of all what class are you Aug or Jan? If you're the Jan class then you have plenty of time to take time off.

It's a good thing that you recognized that you need more time to study, the worst thing people do is either take the test when they're clearly not ready or wait till it's too late to push back the test thus causing themselves more stress and paying extra fees. So set an exam date that will give you enough time to study, people will tell you, however, that you can over study and that's when you burn out and get really exhausted and bored, in which case I think you should be able to move your test up if you're willing to travel.

I studied for close to 4months for my step1, but I had a ton of help from my parents.

If you only stayed back once then you can stay back one more time/semester. The rule is that you need to finish basic sciences in 3 years or less.

Although it would be really cool to do an elective or two in the UK, these rotations won't count towards US accredited rotation numbers needed for licensure and it definitely wouldn't count towards your cores and some important rotations like family medicine. So be careful with doing rotations in the UK. There are hospitals in the US that take students 2 times a year, you shouldn't have to wait too long to find an open spot, also i think that you can still start your rotations on time in NY as long as you take the USMLE before the rotation start date, in NJ for example you need to have a passing score before the rotation start date.

you're definitely doing the smart thing by recognizing early that you need more time to do well on this test. Doing well on this test will be far more important than staying back a year and taking extra time.

[QUOTE=RussianJoo;1444508]First of all what class are you Aug or Jan? If you're the Jan class then you have plenty of time to take time off.

Believe the person said they were in term 5 which makes them the august class.

I am currently in Term 5, finishing Basic sciences in about a month or so.

This information is very helpful
I will certainly send an email to that address.

Thats the thing that I realized; because I know quite a few people who are doing Residencies, and ALL of them have told me that your STEP 1 score is like currency. It ultimately determines the Residency you are ELIGIBLE for, so I thought about this a lot and realized that it was of no use getting a step 1 score, and then getting stuck without a residency.

I have heard of a lot of people who just used those 8 weeks to study and scored above 240, but most students by Term 5 pretty much know what they can and can not do; how fast they can absorb material and whether or not 8 weeks is enough for them. For some people 8 weeks is adequate, but not for others like me.

I'll inquire about hospitals that can let me start Residency after September/October.

Originally Posted by MD-to-be

I'll inquire about hospitals that can let me start Residency after September/October.

Most residencies start in July. I suppose you meant clinical rotations.

I think Hackensack Univ Med Ctr in NJ is the latest clinical center start - Sept 7th was when we started in 2010.

Remember when you delay, you also compress everything else on the timeline and risk not finishing by the beginning of May of your grad year since I think the June end date cuts it too close to start residency on time, especially if you have to also apply for a temporary license (and you need your MD degree to even start the process). Waiting out a year would not be a good idea with the match getting even more competitive each year and the residency will want to know why you delayed. It can be a red flag.

Start now getting together a study plan. Why not start U World now - do 50 q's a night. Get FA and annotate now while it is still fresh. Also, be realistic on what score you want in relation to what residency you want. Look at NRMP "charting outcomes" to see what scores IMGs needed to place into the residency you want. There is also an SGU presentation on the OCG page that lists the scores that they have tracked for SGU MSIVs that were needed for certain residencies. Maybe you don't need to totally crush the exam.

I agree step 1 is very important but you also need to balance all the other events that have to happen in order for you to pass both step 1 and step 2CK and CS, complete 80 weeks of rotations and do well (clinical grades and evals are important too), apply for residency with step 1 and step 2 CS and CK exams complete, interview, graduate, get ECFMG certified, apply for temporary licensure (if your state requires), and start your residency on time in late June (orientation) of your grad year. If you start delaying all of these things, your timeline will really suffer and you may not graduate or time, or worse, apply late to residency (because you needed more time for CK - you can apply without it but its better to have the results) and not match. Obviously, if you fail it will be very bad, but there has to be a balance with everything else and having more time does not mean you will know the material more, as you forget the stuff you learned 4 months ago, for example. There is a peak of knowledge balanced with maximum retention that is the best time to take the exam. Wait and you may lose what you gained. There is also something to be said for having a timeline. Kicks your tush a little more to stay focused.

[QUOTE=Oa2k;1444520]

Originally Posted by RussianJoo

First of all what class are you Aug or Jan? If you're the Jan class then you have plenty of time to take time off.

Believe the person said they were in term 5 which makes them the august class.

I've been out of med school for a few years now and the OP saying I am a current 5th termer means nothing to me, that's why i asked.





As for the OP being in the Aug class, you'll definitely have more of a time crunch then those in the Jan class that's a known fact, but thousands of students do it all in time and so can you.

I personally think that staying back and as a result matching 1 year later, is far less damaging if you can get 10 points more on your step1 and step2 scores because you had an extra month or two to study for each exam.

If you take the time off you'll be in the Jan class and will have plenty of time to study for step1, step2's and have your whole application complete so that you can apply with more or less a complete application on Sept1st, I think that this is much better than getting a lower score on your steps and possibly applying late for residencies. Many programs won't care about the fact that you needed extra time if your grades and step scores are strong but the ultimate decision is yours.

I am staying at SGU for the 8-wk Kaplan course, after that I would like to have at least 8 weeks for private study. Am hoping that they will let me start in September.
If they have that option i'll gladly take it.
The thing is that I also know the residency that I would like to get in to, its quite competitive, and I just want to feel prepared before taking that exam. I certainly don't need a whole year to study. But I will work with them and see how much time they can give me.

Originally Posted by MD-to-be

I am staying at SGU for the 8-wk Kaplan course, after that I would like to have at least 8 weeks for private study. Am hoping that they will let me start in September.
If they have that option i'll gladly take it.
The thing is that I also know the residency that I would like to get in to, its quite competitive, and I just want to feel prepared before taking that exam. I certainly don't need a whole year to study. But I will work with them and see how much time they can give me.

unless things changed only the NJ rotation sites started in September, NJ also requires a passing step1 score before you start your orientation. The scores take something like 4 to 8 weeks to comeback so you would have to take the test i would say mid july at the latest to guarantee that your score would return before the beginning of orientation which is about a week before the first day or orientation. When I was starting my 3rd year rotations, SGU wouldn't even schedule you to start your rotations at a NJ hospital before they got your passing step1 score and it would take them a couple of days to schedule you which then depended on availability of a spot. Add to that at least a few days to find an apartment to live in.

A few years ago you were able to take step1 the day before you started your rotation and all you needed was a receipt saying you took the test to be able to start your rotations in NY, that rule might have been changed since, but I would say doing rotations in NY even though they start earlier than NJ (probably sometime in August) would probably give you the most study time without having to stay back a term/year.