Question and a Humble Opinion from someone?

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MedStudent28

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Does anyone know who has failed step 2 twice? And if so, would anyone care to comment the difficulty it took to get into a residency program?

Any experience? Opinions on this topic?
It would be greatly appreciated.

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I know someone who has failed Step 2-CK three times and is currently in the process of planning for a 4th attempt. Needless to say, failing any step more than one time will hurt one's chances in obtaining the Residency in the field and institution of choice.
Your question is hard to answer b/c you're only presenting us with one aspect of your record which, presumably, is the weakest part of your application. Your situation is much better if you've passed Step 1 on the 1st attempts and got As and Bs in most/all of your M-3 Clerkships than if you had to retake Step 1 or some of the Basic Sciences or shelf exams.
Given the information you've revealed, it's very unlikely that you'll be able to land a spot in some of the more exclusive fields like: ENT, Ortho, Ophtho, Rads, Derm, Plastics, etc. Beyond that, it's hard to comment and you probably knew this anyway.
Your best bet is to contact the programs you're interested in individually and inquire about your vialbility as an applicant. This may sound arduous but, if it's done through email, it's easy as you bascially send out the same message with different names. If done over the phone, it's not that hard either, as you can speak to the person who functions as Program Coordinator. Each inquiry should take just a few minutes.
 
Here is my story; I failed my Step 1, but passed the second time. I failed my Step 2 CK, twice, now I am in the process of studying for it again. I would like to apply for Family Med. I am aware of my bad usmle history, and my hopes are low for a residency but I am not about to quit either. I am not a dumb ass, I feel these exams do not reflect my potential as a doctor at all. Its frustarting because I know thats one of the first things they look at. I was wondering if anyone was in a similar situation and if things worked out?

I am also going through the process of getting my second oberservership. I have been trying to be very active and always be in touch with medicine.Do you think this will be looked at favourably? Anything else that I should be doing to improve my chances and mitigate my not so favourable history?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Kind Regards,
 
You should be able to land a spot in Family Medicine. It sounds as though you attended an International Medical School. That's fine, but you'll need to be in compliance with any policies regarding the length of time between when you graduated and when your plan to start Residency, other ECFMG requirements, etc. If the logistics are in place and you pass your Step 2 CK, Family Medicine should work out, as there are plenty of open spots nationwide.
 
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