Returning to med?

[tak4]

Hi all

 

Here's a situation I would love to get some thoughts on:

 

I graduated from med school in Canada about 7 years ago. I did great in school and was near the top of my class. Instead of doing a residency, I decided to take a gamble and started work in the business world. I've been working in the U.S. in the pharma / biotech / finance industry now for the last 6 years.

 

It's been great but I am now burning out and looking for a change. Some part of me wants to go back to clinical medicine, to prove to myself that I can actually do it - to finish off my "unfinished business."

 

I'm not sure what I would do if I came back or what the best path would be. I forget most of my clinical skills (I don't even own a stethoscope anymore!) but my clincal knowledge is surprisingly sharp given I've been working on pharmaceuticals for the last half-decade.

 

Have you ever heard of anyone in the same position? If so, would love to get your thoughts and impressions.

 

Tom

[justletmein]

I'm sorry I cant help you but I would love to know the answer... that is a really interesting situation.

 

I would imagine there is no formal policy in place in terms of your medical education "expiring" since there cant be that many people in your situation.

 

I think that you would probably have to talk to some specifc programs since they may want you to do some observerships to refresh your skills, sort of like what they do for many foreign-trained physicians who want to come practice in Canada....

anyway, good luck!

[monkey799]

If you can get solid letters of reference, I think you'll be a competitive applicant, given you are still eligible in round 1 of CaRMS match and you were a strong med student.

[tak4]

Thanks for your helpful answers.

 

I agree with both of you - I checked and there is no formal policy in place since it is such an unusual situation. And I agree that the path that makes the most sense would be to spend some months doing an observership - sort of like doing parts of clerkship over again - to get the skills and knowledge base back. Also I would hopefully be able to obtain letters of reference via an observership.

 

It's funny. After years of working in industry I know a lot of useful information that I never knew in med school: treatment regimens for multiple different cancers, new approaches to the treatment of chronic disease, the state-of-the-art on clinical evidence, etc. What I don't remember is how to auscultate, palpate, or percuss. I also don't remember a whiff of anatomy.

 

On another note - is there still a physician shortage in Canada? That would certainly help my case if I did try to appeal to my dean for an observership, etc

 

Tom

[BlackJack]

Hi Tom,

 

what specialty do you see yourself pursuing?

[tak4]

Hi Tom,

 

what specialty do you see yourself pursuing?

 

Hi BlackJack

 

Thanks for your question

 

When I was in med school I was pretty keen on being a surgeon. Since I've forgotten every whiff of anatomy I ever knew and also since I am now in my mid-30s, I think that's an unlikely choice. Also I think it is unrealistic to expect that I could stack up against current graduates who are gung-ho for competitive specialties. If I had applied for the match back when I graduated I would have had a great shot - now, not so much.

 

As a result, I think the most realistic option is to look at family practice or internal medicine. This is all speculative at this point - I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do here.

[Lactic Folly]

Yes, there is a physician shortage in Canada - especially in family medicine. see: moredoctors.ca