Quoted: Re-entering clerkship

[Doodledog]

I am between my 2nd and 3rd years of medical school, in a research program, and am trying to decide when to restart clinical clerkships. My research hasn't resulted in anything extraordinary, but isn't shabby, a few mid-tier publications, lots of presentations, etc. I'm planning to apply to an internal medicine residency, and would love to find something at an academic center.

The problem is - my application so far for residency is far from stellar. My step 1 score was 190. I worry my residency application won't even be read. I have no excuse - other than crippling test anxiety in the second year of medical school, which I hated. I couldn't remember the beginning of a test question by the time I read to the end of it, and couldn't effectively study anything no matter what I did, including meds. It's been years, but just thinking about step 2 and shelf exams makes my head feel foggy again, and I wonder if the pressure to perform on the wards will throw me for a loop. Although my general medical knowledge is more than a little rusty, I love patients, taking histories, taking care of little things for patients, and I've done well with any clinical experience I've done so far. Still, there's been very little pressure so I have no idea what to expect later.

Right now, I have the option of pushing through the very end of the research program in a hurry and starting 3rd year clerkships this fall, or pushing back starting the clerkships until a year from now in hopes of publishing yet another paper (nothing amazing, another low-tier publication). In residency applications, would there be any benefit to taking this extra year? If so, is there anything you could recommend doing in that year that would help, assuming my step 2 score isn't likely to be great? (other than study for step 2, I figure that's a miserable given).

I will defer to others such as aPD, but my general thought is that waiting an additional year is unlikely to be very helpful or useful.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Goro]

OP, have you done anything for your test-taking anxiety?

I will defer to others such as aPD, but my general thought is that waiting an additional year is unlikely to be very helpful or useful.

 

[michaelrack]

Assuming you will be applying for a specialty of low to average competitiveness (IM, FP, peds, psych, neuro, PMR), taking an extra year will NOT be helpful. Get started on your 3rd year rotations asap.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

I'm going to agree with the above. More publications are not going to impress programs. More publications might help you develop your career in a research direction, but it's not going to help with applications for a clinical residency.

However, it's critical that you get your anxiety under control before starting third year. You really want to do well on your shelf exams and Step 2 -- that will put you in a good position to argue that the Step 1 issue is in the past. So,I would put off your clinical rotations if more time will help you get things under better control.