Feelin' the blues

[Retsage]

So, for better or for worse, I just declined my Albany interview. Was thinking about it for the last few days and I just don't think I'd be happy there. Too expensive, also.

[Alastriss]

Man I am so depressed. No acceptances and I have no idea what I wanna do.

I am thinking of rewriting my mcat, doing a masters, and getting more volunteer hours in from here till 2 years.

[Retsage]

I'm thinking of doing a year of undergrad at McGill, taking primarily economics courses, and then transitioning into an MA there and a PhD elsewhere down the line.

 

I dunno. I like economics research more than I like science research.

[token]

With the qualifying year in economics at McGill you take all of the honours (calculus based) econ classes that we take over 3 years, but all in 1 year. It's really difficult and a lot of people drop out. But if you're committed to the field it's an option.

[Halcyon]

Man I am so depressed. No acceptances and I have no idea what I wanna do.

I am thinking of rewriting my mcat, doing a masters, and getting more volunteer hours in from here till 2 years.

 

Don't give up....

[Retsage]

With the qualifying year in economics at McGill you take all of the honours (calculus based) econ classes that we take over 3 years, but all in 1 year. It's really difficult and a lot of people drop out. But if you're committed to the field it's an option.

 

No it's not. I didn't write my GRE.

 

Was planning to just mimic what they do on my own.

[Mashmetoo]

why don't you guys give Osteopathic medicine (in the US) a chance? With your stats, you can easily be accepted, the only issue is the 2 sets of board exams.. You won't have to wait for 2 more years, and you can get on with your life!

[Retsage]

Already enough hoops getting a residency as a Canadian citizen. Doing it as a DO would be far too much.

[Mashmetoo]

Already enough hoops getting a residency as a Canadian citizen. Doing it as a DO would be far too many extra hoops.

 

I suppose that's true to an extent, it depends on how badly you want it I guess. But really, the things I've read doesn't make the DO option all that bad. The choke point seems to be the H1B visa (not that hard if you aim for the primary care residencies), and the inconvenience of doing 2 sets of board exams.. Other than that, it's no more difficult than doing the MD in the US.

[Retsage]

Don't want primary care much.

[Mashmetoo]

Don't want primary care much.

 

Well, suppose it came down to either primary care, or no medical career at all, what would you choose? I realize that lots of people don't want to go into primary care, with the pay being less and all, but as I mentioned before, it's all about how badly you want it. Personally, I wouldn't mind the primary care if I can become a practicing physician

[Retsage]

No medical career at all for me.

[Mashmetoo]

No medical career at all for me.

 

lol, ok, good answer

[Mashmetoo]

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/grad/med/primary_care_residents

 

well, here's a list of the rankings of US schools (both MD and DO), and their output of graduates that go into primary care. As you can see, even with the MD stream, significant portions of them go into primary care, so even if you did end up doing MD in the US, your chance of doing primary care residencies are no more better or worse than some of the DO schools.

 

Just my $0.02 on why going DO is a good option.

[Alastriss]

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/grad/med/primary_care_residents

 

well, here's a list of the rankings of US schools (both MD and DO), and their output of graduates that go into primary care. As you can see, even with the MD stream, significant portions of them go into primary care, so even if you did end up doing MD in the US, your chance of doing primary care residencies are no more better or worse than some of the DO schools.

 

Just my $0.02 on why going DO is a good option.

 

you failed to mention that a J1 visa isn't even an option if you go DO. its all or nothing or the H1b.

[token]

Another thing is that most DO graduates do osteopathic residencies. Most DOs in allopathic residencies go into primary care (because they have their own specialties, and allopathic specialties will almost never go for a DO when an MD is available).

 

On the other hand, MD -> allopathic internal medicine residency -> fellowships in cardio, GI, ENT etc. some of the most lucrative specialties out there. So I don't see primary care as that limiting (you can even do a sports med fellowship out of family med). That requires that you do a good university IM program, practically impossible to do from DO.

 

There are just so many better options for Canadians (carribean, commonwealth countries) you could go for before DO. Yes, it would also be difficult to return because of stigma, but at least if you pass the exams you're legally in. Practice rights will never be as secure as a DO.

[token]

No it's not. I didn't write my GRE.

 

Was planning to just mimic what they do on my own.

Oh right. Well if you're just doing it for your own benefit you probably don't have to take all of them at once which is good. I would have had pretty much a 4.0 if it weren't for the honours classes, and I took them spread out.

[Mashmetoo]

you failed to mention that a J1 visa isn't even an option if you go DO. its all or nothing or the H1b.

 

Ya, it'll be a ***** getting health canada to issue you a J1 as a DO, that's why it's probably a good idea to do a primary care residency (such as internal medicine as token said, which can lead to more lucrative specialties). From my understanding, getting the H1B in a primary care specialty like IM isn't that difficult, especially more so for DOs compared to graduates from the caribbean and etc. As a DO, you start off with a F1 student visa, just like other foreign students in US MD programs. Trying to obtain a H1B will be no more difficult than a US trained Canadian MD trying to do the same (ie obtain a H1B). The only drawback is a DO won't have the backup of a J1.. On the other hand, DOs are considered A(merican)MGs, and get first pick with other AMGs of MD schools when it comes to residency matching.

 

Also, I dug this up on practice as a US trained DO in Ontario:

 

***ONTARIO

Scope of Practise: Unlimited

Requirements: Ontario is the only province that currently recognizes the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensure examination (COMLEX). A graduate of an AOA accredited American osteopathic college that has completed ACGME accredited post-graduate training and has the COMLEX examinations including the PE component in part II is eligible for Ontario registration.

In 2002, the Premier of Ontario and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) announced that changes were being implemented to recognize international medical graduates, including D.O.s who are now being recognized by the CPSO.

In addition, the CPSO has created a Fast Track Assessment Program for international medical graduates who wish to practise in Ontario. The Fast Track Assessment is an expedited process designed for doctors with experience. It focuses on an evaluation of practise skills and can be tailored to the individual applicant. By evaluating the practise skills of the individual doctor rather than looking at the grades and training programs, the College acquires a more realistic view of the abilities of the individual physicians. For more recent graduates, there is the Standard Assessment process. It concentrates on examination grades and completion of an approved course of education and residency. All candidates are assessed in the same way. ***

 

Please correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't that first sentence basically say you can register (and practice) in Ontario with a US DO degree, and a MD residency (with no need for further MC

CEE, QE1/QE2?)

[Alastriss]

I think I will really like IM. From my job shadowing experiences surgery was kind of boring . There are so many fellowships to do in IM that it is such a vast field.

 

Pathology was really cool too. I'm glad that's moderately competitive as well.

[n00b]

lol how was pathology cool?

[A-Stark]

IM is cool, though depending on the specialty it may not be that satisfying in a hands-on way (e.g. haem/onco, ID, endo). On the other hand, it's a frequent route to critical care and, of course, the more procedure based specialties too. I like ID a lot - you get to see a lot of different things, but I get the sense that it gets a bit run ragged as a consult service.

 

What did you get to do in Path? I'm hoping to see an autopsy for our current unit.

[n00b]

wow A-Stark in the US forums eh ? cool lol

[Alastriss]

IM is cool, though depending on the specialty it may not be that satisfying in a hands-on way (e.g. haem/onco, ID, endo). On the other hand, it's a frequent route to critical care and, of course, the more procedure based specialties too. I like ID a lot - you get to see a lot of different things, but I get the sense that it gets a bit run ragged as a consult service.

 

What did you get to do in Path? I'm hoping to see an autopsy for our current unit.

 

Btw Im not in meds!

 

I got to go into the pathology lab at the hospital. The guy showed me this slide and he was going to show me on the microscope (He didn't know that I knew how to use a microscope given that I looked at cells for almost a year), so I took it, adjusted the power, and used the knob thingy to move the stage. Looked at it, saw what looked like respiratory epithelium from histology, saw lymphocytes too, then and saw little purply rod things that looked like tuberculosis from a histopathology slide in my textbook. I called out tuberculosis, and he goes si! si!. I proceed to jizz my pants at this point and I felt like a million bucks. Maybe I am biased because of this

 

 

I think I said surgery was boring because it just seemed so unsophisticated. It was also in a 3rd world country. It is literally cutting someone open, taking out the gall bladder, and stitching it back out. It just seemed so ungraceful. But I think if i were the surgeon who ended up seeing the fruits of my labor via immediate results I might have though differently.

 

 

Wait A-stark, do you mean ID as in infectious disease? I was told that is a very satisfying field? you don't think it is?

[A-Stark]

Yeah, infectious disease. I imagine it's quite satisfying, especially for out-patient work, but here at least the in-patient consult service gets pretty busy - my impressions come more for residents who are probably just over-tired.

[n00b]

HAAHAHA alastriss you're hilarious