need to find a sponsor to take this test again

[slowlybutshelly]

Many states allow as many attempts at passing Stepck as possible, given that it is within a 7year deadline to get a license.

My 7year deadline is up in May11,2011.

Ross University, the school I am 7 weeks away from finishing rotations with refuses to grant me another attempt.

A state that allows more attempts cannot grant me another attempt; a school must do so.

So my mistake has been staying with the Ross system and not seeking a transfer.

Does anyone have suggestions on other schools I can try contacting to get sponsorship to take this exam by May 11, 2011?

Any contacts and phone numbers would be appreciated.

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[Noeljan]

Many states allow as many attempts at passing Stepck as possible, given that it is within a 7year deadline to get a license.

My 7year deadline is up in May11,2011.

Ross University, the school I am 7 weeks away from finishing rotations with refuses to grant me another attempt.

A state that allows more attempts cannot grant me another attempt; a school must do so.

So my mistake has been staying with the Ross system and not seeking a transfer.

Does anyone have suggestions on other schools I can try contacting to get sponsorship to take this exam by May 11, 2011?

Any contacts and phone numbers would be appreciated.

OP (if you are not a troll) calm down and think things through. First, you need to take some time AWAY from medicine, AWAY from SDN, and AWAY from CK! Go spend some time with friends or family, anyone. Go somewhere relaxing, maybe speak to someone.
Then once you do that....take responsibility for why you are failing. You need to learn/know the material. It isint this school or that schools fault (didnt they already let you take it a bunch of times?) Until you accept the problem and do what you need to do, you wont do it!

 

[slowlybutshelly]

Thanks for the reminder that a school is just a bunch of people.

 

[slowlybutshelly]

Does anyone know if you can sign up for Step2ck without any school's authorization? Can I just go and sign up myself?

The reason I asking is that I am one of very few people of a certain race in my school and I think they have hated me since the beginning. They could allow me to take it again; because ECFMG does allow people to have 7 years. My school has just played every game and trick with me psycholigically under the sun and I am tired of it.

It is hard to explain this to other schools or other people NOONE believes it. I like to think medicine is color blind; but I do not kid myself right now. Some things in reverse have been unbelievably intentional and hurtful.

So is it possible to take this exam just by signing up somewhere on my own? If I had passed it, I would have an in door to my home state after trying to get back here for 20+years.

I mean there are US students in residencies moving forward with their lives who have not yet passed Step2ck. So I could be earning money and going forward IF I WAS NOT A VICTIM OF VICIOUS POLITICS.

 

[peppy]

I am not sure if there is a way to take Step 2 without your med school's support. You may want to try calling the NBME to explain your situation and see if they can help you.

If it turns out that you are not able to pass Step 2 by May, while that is definitely not an ideal situation, try not to think of it as your life being over.
From what I understand, if you miss the seven year deadline to finish all your steps, that just means you would have to start over and retake the other steps (which is definitely not something anyone wants to do, but at least, from what I understand, the option is there if you really want it - you'd want to confirm this with the authorities though of course).
You also could try to look at non-clinical job options. With the education credentials you have and the impressive experience you have in the Peace Corps, I think you could find something else to do.
Even though it wasn't the exact same situation, maybe some of the suggestions people had in the thread about a person who had dropped out of residency 15 years ago might help you think of other options? It's at http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=779563 if you didn't already see that thread.

 

[myhandsarecold]

I am not sure if there is a way to take Step 2 without your med school's support. You may want to try calling the NBME to explain your situation and see if they can help you.

If it turns out that you are not able to pass Step 2 by May, while that is definitely not an ideal situation, try not to think of it as your life being over.
From what I understand, if you miss the seven year deadline to finish all your steps, that just means you would have to start over and retake the other steps (which is definitely not something anyone wants to do, but at least, from what I understand, the option is there if you really want it - you'd want to confirm this with the authorities though of course).
You also could try to look at non-clinical job options. With the education credentials you have and the impressive experience you have in the Peace Corps, I think you could find something else to do.
Even though it wasn't the exact same situation, maybe some of the suggestions people had in the thread about a person who had dropped out of residency 15 years ago might help you think of other options? It's at http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=779563 if you didn't already see that thread.

is the school even going to let you graduate? i mean, they are already telling you don't even bother with the tests, are they actually going to grant you a degree even if you pass this thing? i mean, to practice in the US, you need a degree, no? and it seem like your school wants you to fail

 

[DrBowtie]

Does anyone know if you can sign up for Step2ck without any school's authorization? Can I just go and sign up myself?

The reason I asking is that I am one of very few people of a certain race in my school and I think they have hated me since the beginning. They could allow me to take it again; because ECFMG does allow people to have 7 years. My school has just played every game and trick with me psycholigically under the sun and I am tired of it.

It is hard to explain this to other schools or other people NOONE believes it. I like to think medicine is color blind; but I do not kid myself right now. Some things in reverse have been unbelievably intentional and hurtful.

So is it possible to take this exam just by signing up somewhere on my own? If I had passed it, I would have an in door to my home state after trying to get back here for 20+years.

I mean there are US students in residencies moving forward with their lives who have not yet passed Step2ck. So I could be earning money and going forward IF I WAS NOT A VICTIM OF VICIOUS POLITICS.

Stop with the excuses and take responsibility that YOU have repeatedly failed the exam. Sure the school can add hurdles for you to register for the exam, but in the end, YOU did not answer enough questions correct to pass. All of this racism, psychology, politics business is not the reason you did poorly.

As Noeljan stated, take some time to calm down, reassess, and methodically plot a course of success. Reflect on why YOU think YOU didn't and remedy the situation. Sorry but you need some tough love at this point.

 

[slowlybutshelly]

Yes my school has hated me since the beginning and wants me to fail and I have had to deal with it for over 10+ years. I have coped and they have tried to break me completely. I am almost broken. Why would a system want to do that to a person; any person...a live living being who tries to walk lightly on the Earth.

I should have been born a MONK in Bhutan; I would be quite happy living frugally making my own things and living off the land. A former Peace Corps Volunteer friend I know did just that; he came back and went to CO and lives in a cave without money and off the goodwill of friends. Trying to live in a world without money.

SO my school has made me go 532k in debt. I will die with 4.44 cents in my pocket. seems like medicine and the world is all about money. sadly.

 

[slowlybutshelly]

Tough love. I had three family members hospitalized with serious conditions in the span of 6 months last year. I had not thought about any of them dying until the first one hit the hospital. I kept my school informed, asked for delays and the more I asked the more they cracked down on me. They were mad I had taken so much time off. I was pressured into taking a chance to pass it at the end of my eligibility period when I knew I was not ready. and they denied me. now it has backfired because I am in a state where they allow only 4 attempts even though my 7 yr deadline is not up. I feel like I am trying to be a saint; and it is darn near impossible. I have given to the world everything I can and I am depleted. completely depleted. and I get up and keep dusting myself off..for what? The world does not need people like me.

 

[newbie04]

Tough love. I had three family members hospitalized with serious conditions in the span of 6 months last year. I had not thought about any of them dying until the first one hit the hospital. I kept my school informed, asked for delays and the more I asked the more they cracked down on me. They were mad I had taken so much time off. I was pressured into taking a chance to pass it at the end of my eligibility period when I knew I was not ready. and they denied me. now it has backfired because I am in a state where they allow only 4 attempts even though my 7 yr deadline is not up. I feel like I am trying to be a saint; and it is darn near impossible. I have given to the world everything I can and I am depleted. completely depleted. and I get up and keep dusting myself off..for what? The world does not need people like me.

Wait...am I reading this right...you've failed Step 2CK four times? Anyway, I would heed the "tough love" above. Good luck and I wish the very best for you and your family.

 

[DrBowtie]

Tough love. I had three family members hospitalized with serious conditions in the span of 6 months last year. I had not thought about any of them dying until the first one hit the hospital. I kept my school informed, asked for delays and the more I asked the more they cracked down on me. They were mad I had taken so much time off. I was pressured into taking a chance to pass it at the end of my eligibility period when I knew I was not ready. and they denied me. now it has backfired because I am in a state where they allow only 4 attempts even though my 7 yr deadline is not up. I feel like I am trying to be a saint; and it is darn near impossible. I have given to the world everything I can and I am depleted. completely depleted. and I get up and keep dusting myself off..for what? The world does not need people like me.

There is a difference between taking care of hospitalized loved one (which I applaud you for ) and all of the rationalizing about racism and politics.

If you weren't focused on passing the exam due to family issues, then own that, rather than push blame on the school.

 

[peppy]

is the school even going to let you graduate? i mean, they are already telling you don't even bother with the tests, are they actually going to grant you a degree even if you pass this thing? i mean, to practice in the US, you need a degree, no? and it seem like your school wants you to fail

One option I could see would be trying to transfer to one of the other Caribbean schools to finish up if this is really something she wants to pursue. Whether it's really worth it or not to pursue that far is another question.
After reading
this article about Ross, I am reluctant to place all the blame on the student if someone from Ross has trouble like this.
The students at Caribbean schools don't receive the academic support that they would if they were struggling at an American school, and many don't get to do the most educational rotations to begin with.
Trying to pass Step 2 is probably an uphill battle once you're a few years away from your rotations, especially if you didn't get a strong foundation in that knowledge to begin with.

 

[DrBowtie]

One option I could see would be trying to transfer to one of the other Caribbean schools to finish up if this is really something she wants to pursue. Whether it's really worth it or not to pursue that far is another question.
After reading
this article about Ross, I am reluctant to place all the blame on the student if someone from Ross has trouble like this.
The students at Caribbean schools don't receive the academic support that they would if they were struggling at an American school, and many don't get to do the most educational rotations to begin with.
Trying to pass Step 2 is probably an uphill battle once you're a few years away from your rotations, especially if you didn't get a strong foundation in that knowledge to begin with.

While I don't support Ross in the matter, OP says she has been dealing with the school for 10+ years. I'd say for a school to even keep her enrolled that long definitely shows some level of student support.

 

[Adam638]

I'm starting to think you may need some sort of professional help. Really. You have been posting non-stop on numerous threads asking for advice on everything from what books to use to when to ask for a regrade. Have you ever thought that maybe it's just not meant to be? You have failed this test 4 times. The odds of you passing on the 5th is about as low as it comes. Lots of people have things that happen in life. They figure it out and do what they need to do to pass these tests. You need to stop making excuses about how everyone is against you and realize that it was YOU who ultimately didn't pass the test. The odds of any school taking a chance and sponsoring you are also almost non-existent. Especially after 4 fails. What benefit would they get out of it?

Please do everyone a favor and stop posting on SDN for a while. I understand you want help, but you are basically hijacking these boards in order to rant and rave about how you are the black sheep of Ross, etc. You have been given enough good advice that you should know what you need to do now.

 

[slowlybutshelly]

Educational support at an AMERICAN SCHOOL? here is my story. Nameless northeastern medical school. Passed first year. Was in my second (and after boyfriend died) a pedophile psychopathic professor decides to entrap students into academic misconduct. I had passed everything and they gave me an F for a course I had passed. I lost all faith in the Northeast when said professor shows up as my PATIENT on a psych rotation; and all the sons and daughters pf M.D.'s in said state are wisked away without incident with said man. Comepletey unethical. I sued and I would have won. But ran. Before I ran, I told them that I spent the 'worst two years of my life at their school'; that's after living in African med huts for 3 years. Well, of course they decided to send me to the worst place ever. R...

A few evil people played phone tag and I could not even transfer to my home state (neither one of my parents are M.d.s). I had to go to Ross and they have been treating me like BU__SH__ ever since.

I travelled around took out loans and went broke getting the best rotations I could. They wanted me to go broke. Now both of my parents are elderly and dying and I need to stay in said home state. But said home state is a good old boys network and sons and daughters of MD's instead of farmers are preferred; said state contributed to the downfall of the economic crash because they are undereducated and spent beyond their means to educate their children.

I have heard horror stories from other students about schools pushing them to their limits psychologically and financially going broke before getting a residency. When I realized I was not the only one, and that these games are played without legal repurcussion, I WAS SHOCKED! The lesson IS THAT THEY THINK THEY CAN CONTROL YOU.

I wish people would read the POEM by Nelson Mandela INVICTUS; no one should control anyone in this world. He has survived to this age by realizing he is the master of his soul; bless his heart. Few of us learn that before it is too late.

ANyway, I just need another chance. IN MY HOME STATE.

I appreciate everyone's concern. I am O.K. The prospect of losing both parents within a year made me realize losing a career was nothing in comparison.

I should have taken my exam way back in 2006. shoulda,woulda,coulda...it is all said and done. I needed a break. I had been travelling the world and spent 20 years trying to get back to 'the last place where I realized who I was'. But I crashed and I crashed HARD. Nobody expects me to be where I am but I am determined to stay here.

Thanks for everyone's concern. I am O.K.

I just need to figure out a way to pass Step2ck and Step3 by May11, 2011. Geez....I am studying 10 hours a day.

This may be as far as I go in life. It is entirely possible I have gone as far as my aging soul will allow.

 

[smq123]

Ok.

What, EXACTLY, is the point of taking Step 2 CK again?

If you have failed Step 2 CK multiple times, I cannot think of a residency program that will even bother to interview you, much less rank you.

I am a resident in a small, fairly non-competitive FP program. Despite that, one of our candidates last year failed Step 2 CK - that was an automatic "Do not rank." A candidate like you, with MULTIPLE Step 2 failures, would be an automatic "Do not interview."

Step 2 CK is supposed to be a better measure of how clinically competent you will be as a physician than Step 1 is. If you cannot pass Step 2 CK, no one is going to take the chance that you can take care of patients.

So you shouldn't be asking "Oh, how should I study for Step 2 again?" The question is really "Why should I even bother taking this exam again?"

 

[slowlybutshelly]

Because I have a chance, I have publications, I have a good resume. I have always been in medicine. and I can do it and my chance is not up until the deadline is over.
and even then I would take it again all over Step1 Step2 and Step3. My family issues are the huge problem here right now.

 

[DrBowtie]

Because I have a chance, I have publications, I had a good resume. I have always been in medicine. and I can do it and my chance is not up until the deadline is over.
and even then I would take it again all over Step1 Step2 and Step3. My family issues are the huge problem here right now.

See my bolding above. Your multiple step 2 failures and coming from Ross pretty much overshadows the rest of your resume for a residency.

 

[smq123]

Because I have a chance, I have publications, I have a good resume. I have always been in medicine. and I can do it and my chance is not up until the deadline is over.
and even then I would take it again all over Step1 Step2 and Step3. My family issues are the huge problem here right now.

It will be very difficult, if not impossible, to find a residency program that will look past your multiple Step 2 CK failures to see your publications, your resume, etc. So, no, I don't think that you have a viable chance.

 

[slowlybutshelly]

I do. You have not seen my resume.

 

[slowlybutshelly]

It all started because of a few evil people and I played their game well. And all the underdogs took me down as far as I could go. Being on a vicious downward spiral of politics and games for 10+ years is just too long to be able to stay 'with it'.

 

[slowlybutshelly]

They sucked all my money from me; two medical educations and 2 private salliemae student loans. 532k in debt to play someelse's game. sad.

So what if I took this test and scored in the 90% percentil which what I am capable of doing? what is I got a 220?

 

[smq123]

I do. You have not seen my resume.

No, I haven't....and, probably, no one will. Like I said, no one will look past multiple Step 2 failures to even care about your resume.

They sucked all my money from me; two medical educations and 2 private salliemae student loans. 532k in debt to play someelse's game. sad.

So what if I took this test and scored in the 90% percentil which what I am capable of doing? what is I got a 220?

A 220 is nothing to brag about. That's the national average.

And if you're "capable" of scoring in the 90th percentile, then why didn't you the last few times you took it?? No one cares what you think you are capable of; you have to SHOW THEM.

Finally, being broke is not a reason for why you deserve a residency spot. I'm sorry that you had such a rough journey, but you have not demonstrated that you have the clinical knowledge and reasoning to take care of patients safely.

It all started because of a few evil people and I played their game well. And all the underdogs took me down as far as I could go. Being on a vicious downward spiral of politics and games for 10+ years is just too long to be able to stay 'with it'.

So, how long ago was your last clinical rotation? When was the last time you took care of a patient? This will be another big issue - my program, for instance, will not interview anyone who has been out of clinical medicine for more than 5 years. If you have not been on a rotation in less than 5 years, you will have a HUGE gap in your clinical training that will be difficult to make up. This is another reason for a program not to interview you (not that you need any more reasons).

 

[Severus]

I have no clue if/what sort of residency you would or could get (and in what location), but I know you've been through and are going through an extremely difficult time in your life. As such, I second what others have said and would take a couple of weeks off from SDN, be with friends/family, and clear your head.

If you plan on retaking the test to graduate with an MD and go into some other sector than clinical medicine, I think there may be something in that. If you wish to pursue clinical medicine, however, you may have to contact the NBME because even if you take CK soon and pass, you still will not be able to take Step 3 before your eligibility periods ends as per the NBME website, which states that you need to have obtained an MD/DO/equivalent as well as "meet the Step 3 requirements set by the medical licensing authority to which you are applying" (most of which seems to relate to finishing a certain portion of PGY1 year). Here is a chart I found by the Federation of State Medical Boards which outlines each state's requirements for taking step 3/obtaining licensing/etc. In scanning this chart, I found only two states which have no limit on number of attempts at each portion, no listed program requirements, and no time limit from step 1 to step 3... Delaware and Virginia. There are others (NY comes to mind, but I don't believe they're terribly lenient about these sorts of things).

 

[slowlybutshelly]

Is she on here as Turqoise blue!? Ross has some seriously wacky huge issues. Head games people; head games people. That's all I can say. Must have ended up down there because of head games.

 

[slowlybutshelly]

Thank you Severus, as in Severus Snape? I am in touch with a psychiatrist and he remains optimistic and I do to. Unfortunately, I was a victim of a few evil people/psychopath politics in 1992, when old games were being played; before new rules came about. And new rules have been made. I was a high school student in AR and havent been back since I graduated in 1984.

AR had unlimited attempts during the seven year span. Up until last year and it has now changed to 3. Even Tulane, from which I got my M.P.H. used to transfer Ross students until 4 years ago. After 9/11 it seems like communities are doing a lot of crackdown and staying with people of likemindedness. As a USA citizen who left the country for 3 years and then came back, I feel constantly in culture shock.

Rules have changed a lot from place to place. That does not mean rules can be bent a little for exceptions. I was trying to avoid having that happen. That's why I took the chance I might pass despite family circumstances. It backfired obviously.

That means if I get another chance, it will be against the better judgement of people who made these rule changes recently.

I also just discovered that I was an audio learner and my test taking abilities have improved dramatically from that realization. It came late, but hopefully not too late.

I feel like I caught my crash in time to prevent a major huge nervous breakdown, which is good. If I would not have dealt with family issues now at this point in time, I would have been in therapy for a long time coming. If both my parents had died while still 20 years away from me; it would have been a miserable good bye. My huge issue now is letting go of the past and doing one thing a day to go forward again.

 

[slowlybutshelly]

Thank you for your forthrightness. I did the hardest rotations in Miami, DC, NYC, OHIO, Baltimore, and Mass, and CT that I could. It was the being away from my family on the gulf coast and Katrina that finally caused my collapse. I am from Louisiana and I had spent 20 years away when Katrina happened. I was in a surgery rotation at Yale when it happened. After that, I did a fmaily practice rotation in 2007. So it has been 3+ years since I have been in clinics.

I am remaining optimistic.

 

[slowlybutshelly]

My parents are living on a fixed income in Louisiana after Katrina and I ws born in Baton Rouge, so I am hoping to stay within a 4 hr radius of New Orleans.

 

[slowlybutshelly]

I want to thank all the posters above for their forthrightness and concern.
I am OK. I finished strong in my rotations up the East Coast post 9/11 and then collapsed after Katrina. Gustav hit me like a barrel as I was born in the eye of that storm in 1966.

I do not like to place blame; but I blame my big crash on Katrina. Realizing that my parents will be the next to 'not leave in such a storm', I am committed to staying here for medical training.

I can elaborate on some of the questions posed above. I have a B.S from Duke and a neurology publication in the field from my time doing Alzheimer's disease research in the late 1980's. I then went to African refugee camps and checked immunization rates of children crossing borders from Mozambique to Malawi after Mozambiques civil war ended.

I came back and got my M.P.H. in international epidemiology at Tulane.

I started clinical rotations at a medical school in the Northeast but did not finish. I finished my clinicals with Ross (sort of). I am technically 7 weeks from graduation, but have not passed Step2ck.

My last clinical rotation was in 2007. I have been stuck since, trying to deal with parents fading issues in the community I have come back to.

I have been told that I can do anything I want to do. I think my problem passing this test is a timing issue and (money issue); letting being between rich and poor bum me out. The more I take from my parents on a fixed income, the more they regress. And the aging issue, when staring at it every day, seems to happen faster and faster. I am geographically limited to a state I was born in but spent 20 years coming back to. Limited because my parents will never leave and might likely die in the eye of the next storm.

I am interested academically in tropical medicine mostly. I love the author Desowitz (is he on here?) Malaria Capers, Who Gave Pinta to the Santa Maria?). I do not imagine myself a teacher.

Part of the problem I am having is that my father grew up on a farm and 'made it' into the top of the labor force (teamsters union peacemaker). Realizing we live in a class system in America (and the world) was a bombshell realization for me. To be inside the medical world, by virtue of being able to pass Step1, is awe inspiring and humbling to say the least. The jump from one class system to another jolted me. To live amongst people who have never traversed the class system nearly debilitated me.
I need to be able to 'step outside' the system I am in and connect to people who are not watching for the next SARS epidemic, the strain of HIV, etc.

I have been told I can do anything I want to do, but there are some things I cannot imagine myself ever doing. I am trying to decide if birthing a baby is something I want to give up; if it is not, what fields do I apply to? FP, OBGYN? I studied some radiation in undergrad. I like bugs and drugs, but not enough to teach in a medical curriculum. I like knitting and think it helps my surgical skills. I do not like rounds; and want to find a place to minimize that.

I like laboratory medicine, but want to have patient contact. I have interests and goals outside of medicine that I want to pursue; I would like to write my memoirs. I have a creative streak that has been supressed and would like to surface.

I cannot imagine ever publishing anything other than research.

I do not like animal research. I love my deaf dalmation to much to ever think of sacrificing animals for our human advancement. I want to study acupuncture and have an acupuncture practice. I do not want to be anywhere near the field of forensic psychiatry. I have met two pedophiles in my life and enough is enough. I value my safety and sanity and want to live a long life.

I do not know exactly where I fit right now. I like to think that " we are what we are at whatever stage of life we are in'; and this is where I am now. So what am I now? not sure.

I am social and do not like to be isolated; yet I can focus and work and 'get into ' a ZONE when knitting, researching, or reading epidemiological history books.

I cannot imagine teaching undergraduate clinical medicine. I can imagine teaching Lp's. I like small surgical outpatient procedures; love derm. I do not like major abdominal surgeries or thoracic surgeries.

I like to be around kind people and like to think I forgive people's emotional outbreaks. I have to watch my own; because I am a daughter of a woman with Asperger's. Since Asperger's was never even named until the 1970's, my mother never had the developmental behavioral advancements that so many youngsters are receiving nowadays. Many books have been written on how to raise a child with Asperger's; but few, if any, have been written on what it is like growing up as a child of someone with Asperger's syndrome. I would like to attempt to write a book in my spare time. For my personal memoirs, not necessarily for publishing.

While taking a break from rotations, I did learn about computers, which was not something I ever studied in undergrad, even though Duke had a great program.

I also am stymied by machines. Everything about the technology in medicine mystifies me. I did a radiology rotation in DC where the interventional radiologists would find a spot in an AIDS patient body, a small tumor, isolate it with machines and use the guided imaging to do surgeries. That technology fascinates me. But I cannot say I like to work with machinery. When my father had pneumonia and a thoracentesis recently, all I could do was watch the respiratory therapists in awe. I had two questions on my last step2 in respiratory that I missed; one about 'which lung volume does not change with obstructive lung disease'. I am sure I missed it. The other was about how to change ventilator settings when a person needs more oxygen. I put TV and that was not right; TV is for ventilation, giving off Co2.

What rotation did I like best? I loved a rotation I did in CT; a combination of plastics, orthopedics, and ID. Loved it. Imagined myself doing it. I love bone disease. When I was in Africa, I used to walk around the streets and be flabbergasted at the people walking on their elbows and knees due to polio epidemics.

HIV research scares the living daylights out of me. I taught school by candlelight in Africa and could live that way again easily without cell phones, email, gmail,etc. I am finally caught up with the technology time warp, but still feel intimidated by it.

My goal is to help people achieve maximal health in their lives and live a long life. My best scores on step2ck in the physician task profile was preventative medicine and maintenance.

If anyone can identify trends of where I belong in a residency at this stage in my life; maybe you can help me identify what I need to apply to.
I am a quiet person, despite some people thinking I am social. I am single, having lost someone I almost married in Africa; and I have dreamed of wrapping a baby around my chest in an African chitenje and bringing her back to see MOUNT Kilimanjaro; I thought I would be back in East Africa 10 years ago and now I do not think I will ever go back.

I try to get up every day and live my life doing what makes me happy; I study, I do three extra things: exercise,pray/meditate/, and something fun. usually reading for pleasure, audiobooks, or knitting. Lately I have felt like the demands of moving around the country on rotations got the better of me and I could not wake up and do what I wanted to do every day. Med school wiped out that in my life. Maybe it is because I am not organizing my life well; maybe it is an aging process. I am not sure.

I have decided that I do not ever want to work for the government. I do not want to take payment in the form of insurance from the government. If someone from the govt wants my services, I will request cash in payment or a gift. That is the only way I can free myself of other people ruling me. Like the poem INVICTUS that kept Nelson Mandela going: I am the keeper of my soul: I am the master of my destiny. And I believe that if every body in the world lived that way, we would see some astounding new innovations.

Meanwhile, back to step2ck studying.

I am OK. Please dont be too concerned about me. Now EGYPT scares me; what would it be like to have cell phones, email, and gmail blacked out by my government? I would not be happy. The thought send shivers up my spine.

Thanks for everyone's concern. The life that we have is the only one we have.

 

[slowlybutshelly]

Peppy, if I am technically not a US medical student, why would NBME even condier talking to me? I have seen some of TURQUOISE BLUE's posts about a 7 year rule and a 10 year rule. Do you have any idea what a 10 year rule is? Is ten years the time it takes if Step3 is included?

I am panicked that I may have to take Step2 and Step3 back to back, as in both by May11,2011.

 

[thepoopologist]

Look, if you are really weeks away from finishing rotations, then you need to identify Carribean schools that are recognized by states that allow multiple attempts on the Steps. You need to do everything you can to transfer there.

Afterwards, you need to take the Step 2CK and pass it while doing new rotations so that you can finish both before May. Once you have passed Step 2CK and have finished rotations, study like hell for Step 3 and take it and pray that you pass.

...That is an example of a plan. If you really would like to graduate then make a reasonable one and execute it. Be open to all options that will allow you to complete your medical degree. That is, if you really want to try to complete your degree.

You do not seem fine. You seem lost and all over the place when what you really need to do is focus on finishing medical school. That is it.

You are an adult and it is your responsibility to succeed. Part of that is being able to correctly play the serious game you are playing. Do not blame anyone but yourself for the predicament you are in. You have to pass tests, you have to anticipate consequences for any actions you take, you have to successfully navigate the political landscape...the list goes on. Lashing out at others for your predicament only points out the fact that you were in many challenging situations and handled them poorly.

And no one cares about your problems. You are either in the situation you are in or you are not and you can either wither and die in Louisiana or you can come up with a plan and a backup plan, go for it, and make peace with whatever happens.

I wish you luck and hope you have the mental fortitude to carve out a happy life for yourself.

 

[Golding]

I'm really sorry to hear that the CK didn't work out. At this point, I don't know what to advise, since a lot of this is uncharted territory to me. The stuff about a 7-year rule (or 10-year rule?) is unknown to me, and the additional dilemma of Ross now refusing to sponsor you is a significant problem. I don't know if that problem can be solved in time by either the determination to convince Ross to sponsor you, or the decision to transfer.

Outside of the obvious immediate dilemmas of not being sponsored, and feeling the pressure to finish school and the Steps on time, there are two other major (long-term) dilemmas I see ahead of you. Both have been brought up, but I worry that you have not grasped the seriousness of their implications.

The first issue is that you might take the CK and Step 3 before 5/11/11, but the fact that you haven't figured out the CK over the span of so many attempts and so many years makes the odds of you suddenly handling the exam pretty unlikely. Even if you do conquer the CK this time around, Step 3 is a totally different beast in terms of format as well as endurance. "Study your butt off" is easier said than done. You may be studying 10 hours per day, but if the studying you're doing is inefficient then all it will achieve is making you more tired.

The second issue is even more sobering. I understand that you have a dramatic story, lots of research, and I'm sure you're a nice person to boot. But those are all supplements in the application process that tend to be considered after you pass through the "screening" part. Just about all programs in the US screen on class rank, Step 1, and (in the case of a US IMG), Step 2 CS/CK. A low score on any of the Step exams makes you less competitive. A failing score on any of the Step exams makes things difficult, cutting your options from dozens of programs that would consider you for interview down to one or two uncompetitive residencies that will give you a chance. Failing twice is essentially a death knell to your residency options. Failing four times is somehow something worse. I admire the determination of the downtrodden who never say never, and truly believe the "I can do anything" creed. But if you're half-a-million in the hole already with the odds this stacked against you, I question whether it's worth spending another hundred to maybe pass an exam that by now won't advance your residency chances even if you got a 280. I understand that your resume is probably stacked, but as a fellow US IMG who is currently going through the process of residency applications, I can attest to the fact that passing the boards at this point would be solely for the sake of recovering your ego.

So if you do decide to go through with the plan of somehow doing Step 2CK again plus Step 3 by May, I wish you the best of luck. The only thing I ask is that you decide on a back-up plan before May, in case things don't work the way you'd like. Whether it's to try to practice outside the US, whether it's PA school or nursing, whether it's research, or whatever. Know what your next move is going to be just in case anything goes wrong, before anything else goes wrong.

 

[slowlybutshelly]

I am hoping a Caribean school will not require me to go there; that I can just sign up under there "guise' and stay stateside and take it here. Someone suggested Windsor in St Kitts to me. I sent them my compiled CV, but have not heard back from them.

Are there any other schools people can suggest to me?

 

[slowlybutshelly]

Funny avatar. Thank you for words.

 

[peppy]

I am hoping a Caribean school will not require me to go there; that I can just sign up under there "guise' and stay stateside and take it here. Someone suggested Windsor in St Kitts to me. I sent them my compiled CV, but have not heard back from them.

Are there any other schools people can suggest to me?

Do you know about the valuemd forums over at http://www.valuemd.com/index.php ? They would likely have a lot of info on the Caribbean options if this ends up being something you want to do.

 

[slowlybutshelly]

Thank you for your response. As quoted directly from the 2011 Bulletin of Information:
The USMLE program recommends to medical licensing authorities that they:
· require that the dates of passing the Step 1, Step 2, and Step 3 examinations occur within a seven-year period;
and
· allow no more than six attempts to pass each Step or Step Component without demonstration of additional educational experience acceptable to the medical licensing authority.


At the time of publication of this Bulletin, the USMLE program imposed no limit on the number of times you can take a Step or Step Component you have not previously passed. During 2010-2011, the governance of the USMLE program will review this policy and may limit attempts at Steps and Step Components, beyond which other conditions on retesting may have to be met. If you are attempting to complete the USMLE sequence and have had multiple failures on your examination(s), you should closely monitor the USMLE website for announcements regarding changes to the attempt limit policy.
Please read more about USMLE Eligibility in the USMLE Bulletin of Information at http://www.usmle.org/General_Information/bulletin/2011/eligibility.html#timelimit. You should direct questions regarding your individual eligibility to take USMLE to ECFMG.

I hope you will find this information helpful.

Sincerely,



The above was advice I was given. Now I am in a quandry. If NBME allows 6 attempts at each step2ck and I have used 4; that means I have at least two attempts left by May14th 2011.

IF I do not pass it by May14th 2011, then ECFMG says I can retake Step1 and that would reset my 7 yr rule to start with the pass date of my CS (which is dec 2005). so i would then have to pass step1 and step2ck by dec 2012.

Now Ross is not letting me take this exam again. When I spoke to the secretary of the Deans office today she told me that 'they were worried about their accrediatation; what example would I set for the rest of them?" SO my situation is complicated and sure enough they are worried about their statistics and what not. hmmmff. so not pretty seeing this play out.

My question is: if NBME allows me more attempts, my school is a caribean school. does that make NOT under the jurisdiction of the US NBME system? This is so complicated.

I went into a lawyers office today and he said he could not help me. That I had to get an attoprney in the caribean. Now that is crazy.

I never thought that maybe Ross is even in the caribean because they want out of the jurisdiction of the USA.

Any ideas for me? I have until May14th to sit for and pass this exam to get ECFMG certification.

An attorney I spoke with today is optimistic he can get me an injunction to take the test again by May; but after that he is not optimistic even if ECFMG will allow it.

 

[nlax30]

And what exactly do you plan on doing with this degree?

 

[Knicks]

Many states allow as many attempts at passing Stepck as possible, given that it is within a 7year deadline to get a license.

Can someone link me to a source that has a list of such states?

 

[kryptik]

http://www.fsmb.org/usmle_requirementschart.html

 

[Knicks]

http://www.fsmb.org/usmle_requirementschart.html

Thanks, how recent is that list?

 

[slowlybutshelly]

Thank you for your response. As quoted directly from the 2011 Bulletin of Information:
The USMLE program recommends to medical licensing authorities that they:
· require that the dates of passing the Step 1, Step 2, and Step 3 examinations occur within a seven-year period;
and
· allow no more than six attempts to pass each Step or Step Component without demonstration of additional educational experience acceptable to the medical licensing authority.


At the time of publication of this Bulletin, the USMLE program imposed no limit on the number of times you can take a Step or Step Component you have not previously passed. During 2010-2011, the governance of the USMLE program will review this policy and may limit attempts at Steps and Step Components, beyond which other conditions on retesting may have to be met. If you are attempting to complete the USMLE sequence and have had multiple failures on your examination(s), you should closely monitor the USMLE website for announcements regarding changes to the attempt limit policy.
Please read more about USMLE Eligibility in the USMLE Bulletin of Information at http://www.usmle.org/General_Informa...html#timelimit. You should direct questions regarding your individual eligibility to take USMLE to ECFMG.

I hope you will find this information helpful.

Sincerely,



The above was advice I was given. Now I am in a quandry. If NBME allows 6 attempts at each step2ck and I have used 4; that means I have at least two attempts left by May14th 2011.

IF I do not pass it by May14th 2011, then ECFMG says I can retake Step1 and that would reset my 7 yr rule to start with the pass date of my CS (which is dec 2005). so i would then have to pass step1 and step2ck by dec 2012.

Now Ross is not letting me take this exam again. When I spoke to the secretary of the Deans office today she told me that 'they were worried about their accrediatation; what example would I set for the rest of them?" SO my situation is complicated and sure enough they are worried about their statistics and what not. hmmmff. so not pretty seeing this play out.

My question is: if NBME allows me more attempts, my school is a caribean school. does that make NOT under the jurisdiction of the US NBME system? This is so complicated.

I went into a lawyers office today and he said he could not help me. That I had to get an attoprney in the caribean. Now that is crazy.

I never thought that maybe Ross is even in the caribean because they want out of the jurisdiction of the USA.

Any ideas for me? I have until May14th to sit for and pass this exam to get ECFMG certification.

An attorney I spoke with today is optimistic he can get me an injunction to take the test again by May; but after that he is not optimistic even if ECFMG will allow it.

I sent a certified letter to my school asking for reasons they are not letting me take this exam again. I am awaiting a response.

I have until May14th before my 7 year deadline runs out. after that I will have to retake Step1 adn step2ck by dec 2012 to get a license.

 

[slowlybutshelly]

I am talking to an attorney in Illinois who thinks NYState law would have jurisdiction over Ross University. He thinks I could win an injunction to sit for this exam by May14th. After that he is not too optimistic.

any ideas for me?

 

[Depakote]

merging similar threads

 

[FrickenhugeMD]

I am talking to an attorney in Illinois who thinks NYState law would have jurisdiction over Ross University. He thinks I could win an injunction to sit for this exam by May14th. After that he is not too optimistic.

any ideas for me?

take it by may 14th?

 

[Guyton Killah]

I am talking to an attorney in Illinois who thinks NYState law would have jurisdiction over Ross University. He thinks I could win an injunction to sit for this exam by May14th. After that he is not too optimistic.

any ideas for me?

Hi. I am sorry to hear that you are having a pretty tough time over there. I wish I could help, but there isnt much I can do. But I can assure you that determination and devotion beat the rest. So keep on trying and never give up. The door of opportunities will open once you finish your exams. Will keep you in my prayers.

 

[OveractiveBrain]

Hi. I am sorry to hear that you are having a pretty tough time over there. I wish I could help, but there isnt much I can do. But I can assure you that determination and devotion beat the rest. So keep on trying and never give up. The door of opportunities will open once you finish your exams. Will keep you in my prayers.

Awh, you're so sweet! Looks like you missed the 97 posts and litany of dialogue that went into saying she's basically ****ed! You know, the week her account was disabled? Thanks SO MUCH for bringing this thread back to the top. It definitely deserved a good bump. In case you didnt realize the sarcasometer is in the red here...

I don't even think you paid attention to her post. She's out of opportunities. She may have one time left. "a door of opportunites will open once you finish your exams" which is sort of the point of this ridiculous thread. She won't. One more post logged for you!

 

[slowlybutshelly]

I am going to court with Ross. Trying to get an injuction.

The bend in the road is not the end of the road unless you refuse to take the turn.

No one has ever sued me, so I just keep plugging along.

Awh, you're so sweet! Looks like you missed the 97 posts and litany of dialogue that went into saying she's basically ****ed! You know, the week her account was disabled? Thanks SO MUCH for bringing this thread back to the top. It definitely deserved a good bump. In case you didnt realize the sarcasometer is in the red here...

I don't even think you paid attention to her post. She's out of opportunities. She may have one time left. "a door of opportunites will open once you finish your exams" which is sort of the point of this ridiculous thread. She won't. One more post logged for you!

 

[kcin]

I am going to court with Ross. Trying to get an injuction.

The bend in the road is not the end of the road unless you refuse to take the turn.

No one has ever sued me, so I just keep plugging along.

Just out of curiosity, how do you intend to ever find a residency willing to take you on?

 

[Dirt]

This thread reads like the thoughts of someone in an acute manic episode.

 

[azntxn]

This thread reads like the thoughts of someone in an acute manic episode.

5150 anyone and a trial of Risperdal & Lithium