Please Help me .

[genfam]

Hello all,

 

I did not match.

I owe money on my loans, Credit cards, I am so screwed. I need to pay 1300 a month and I cant even make that. I want to end this BS life I am living. I just found out I have IBD-Crns.

 

I applied to over 300 post doc, research. no help. nothing. I owe so much. My wife is on my back, my parents are, I just cant take this anymore.

 

if anyone knows anything please help. I am willing to work anywhere. I need to make money. My parents have no money. I hate this , I wish it would be all over.

[mike james]

Hello all,

 

I did not match.

I owe money on my loans, Credit cards, I am so screwed. I need to pay 1300 a month and I cant even make that. I want to end this BS life I am living. I just found out I have IBD-Crns.

 

I applied to over 300 post doc, research. no help. nothing. I owe so much. My wife is on my back, my parents are, I just cant take this anymore.

 

if anyone knows anything please help. I am willing to work anywhere. I need to make money. My parents have no money. I hate this , I wish it would be all over.

 

i can definitely empathize with your situation. I also did not match and have a similar loan to pay off monthly as well.

 

also personally i am struggling financially. if anyone can advise or suggest anything to help also would be deeply appreciative

[AnxiousBoy]

Please don't take this the wrong way. I'm just throwing out a practical view to match the reality you are now stuck in. I've been there, done that, and unless you stop feeling sorry for yourself and move on in a more constructive way, you are just blowing things up more than what it really is.

 

1. Government student loan ===> temporary loan relief program

 

2. Private Bank Student Loan ====> renegotiate with bank for higher cap (may incur unfavorable terms). Although I am not sure how you would have racked up $250K in 4 years unless you were living too comfortably. If you have space, then budget the remainder for the rest of the year.

 

3. Job. No one here can offer you a job. Hiring employees are quite expensive. Post-doctoral or related jobs paying handsomely are few and far between and I do not believe these are meant for people in situations like yourself. If you have the right connections, it may work out; however, those who don't I see minimal chance of success through this route. I think temporary low paying jobs, related or unrelated to the medical field, is the probable route if you so desperately need it.

 

4. Majorly cut down on expenses. I say to myself always, if you are a peasant, live like a peasant. This means no more dining out, groceries at cheaper alternatives, no vacation, re-evaluate all your monthly subscription bills, no major purchases, put off replacements of clothing, household goods, and electronics unless absolutely necessary, sell motor vehicle and use public transportation, and if necessary move in with family. I understand that cutting expenses is the biggest denial people have, but it is also the most important, the most responsible, and the most directly implementable course you have.

 

5. Relationship. I can't help you here as I am not married. However, I can understand how this may add strain to the relationship. I can only suggest that you be able to make your wife see this as short-term pain for long term benefit. I think you would be adding unneeded stress to both of you if you cannot move past this.

 

I see your current situation as a minor setback rather than the big catastrophe you seem to make it out to be. So what is it in the big picture? One year loss in salary? You can always put off retirement by one year. There is a lot you can do with the off year such as reclaiming a lot of lost interests during medical school, starting new hobbies, or thinking about starting a family. I have a feeling that you are not applying to a competitive specialty next year because these people tend to have a detailed roadmap to making their application better by now. So you shouldn't be too hard on yourself, enjoy your year, and be smarter on how you apply next year. I can't sympathize more because if you have gotten this far in your education, then I assume you are smart and resourceful enough to figure out such a small financial hurdle.

[mavrik13]

Please don't take this the wrong way. I'm just throwing out a practical view to match the reality you are now stuck in. I've been there, done that, and unless you stop feeling sorry for yourself and move on in a more constructive way, you are just blowing things up more than what it really is.

 

1. Government student loan ===> temporary loan relief program

 

2. Private Bank Student Loan ====> renegotiate with bank for higher cap (may incur unfavorable terms). Although I am not sure how you would have racked up $250K in 4 years unless you were living too comfortably. If you have space, then budget the remainder for the rest of the year.

 

3. Job. No one here can offer you a job. Hiring employees are quite expensive. Post-doctoral or related jobs paying handsomely are few and far between and I do not believe these are meant for people in situations like yourself. If you have the right connections, it may work out; however, those who don't I see minimal chance of success through this route. I think temporary low paying jobs, related or unrelated to the medical field, is the probable route if you so desperately need it.

 

4. Majorly cut down on expenses. I say to myself always, if you are a peasant, live like a peasant. This means no more dining out, groceries at cheaper alternatives, no vacation, re-evaluate all your monthly subscription bills, no major purchases, put off replacements of clothing, household goods, and electronics unless absolutely necessary, sell motor vehicle and use public transportation, and if necessary move in with family. I understand that cutting expenses is the biggest denial people have, but it is also the most important, the most responsible, and the most directly implementable course you have.

 

5. Relationship. I can't help you here as I am not married. However, I can understand how this may add strain to the relationship. I can only suggest that you be able to make your wife see this as short-term pain for long term benefit. I think you would be adding unneeded stress to both of you if you cannot move past this.

 

I see your current situation as a minor setback rather than the big catastrophe you seem to make it out to be. So what is it in the big picture? One year loss in salary? You can always put off retirement by one year. There is a lot you can do with the off year such as reclaiming a lot of lost interests during medical school, starting new hobbies, or thinking about starting a family. I have a feeling that you are not applying to a competitive specialty next year because these people tend to have a detailed roadmap to making their application better by now. So you shouldn't be too hard on yourself, enjoy your year, and be smarter on how you apply next year. I can't sympathize more because if you have gotten this far in your education, then I assume you are smart and resourceful enough to figure out such a small financial hurdle.

 

Great advice. Can't think of anything else I can add, other than to discuss job prospects - I would start asking around to see what sort of work you can pick up. Don't sit back and apply for posted job positions - that is the number one mistake people make when job searching. What sort of research experience do you have? Any connections you can draw upon to see if they can hire you for a 1 year research work term? What sort of post-doc positions are you e-mailing about? Do you already have a PhD? MSc? In that case, you should be able to find a research position relatively easily, even if it won't pay that well.

 

If not, and you went straight from undergrad to MD, I would start contacting people who have large grants at your home institution to see if there is some clinical epidemiologic work you can do (make sure you brush up on your epidemiology before going to any sort of interview). Bonus if you've worked with them/their colleagues on clinical rotations. Draw on past favourable experiences to generate reference letters, and perhaps even ask them if they are aware of any job prospects. I'm only mentioning research because that's what I'm familiar with, but I'm sure there are other short-term options as well.

 

Best of luck.

[cdnmaple]

genfam and mike_james, you both have private messages.

[Vidhya]

Some additional work opportunities may come from broadening your view and looking towards places like academic publishers, MCAT programs, or even teaching positions at smaller colleges.

 

MCAT programs are frequently looking for instructors since they need someone quite competent in these topics and as an MD grad you have some significant assets. Academic publishers, both textbook and various websites, will often pay to have you review manuscripts or conduct research in their organizations. Large medical websites for that matter sometimes pay for article contributions as well.

 

Smaller colleges, particularly community colleges, are often looking for instructors to teach high-school upgrading and introductory college courses in biology/chemistry, etc. The pay isn't bad at all and they aren't particular about graduate degrees if you don't have one. Generally for high-school upgrading they just need a bachelors, but they may even consider an MD equivalent to a graduate degree (depends on institution or province).

 

Regarding post-docs, most require PhD's. If you don't have one, I would search university websites for "research assistant" or "research associate" positions. These are simpler, salary-based positions in various labs and they don't require you to seek out or obtain external funding like a post-doc would.

 

If you want to PM me some basic details like your location and degrees, I might be able to find some other suggestions.

[genfam]

I live in Ottawa now.

thank you all.

I have B.A in politics,

BSc in integrated sciences,

MPH (online)

MD

 

so I should walk in and ask for job ????

[xIcewind]

Man, I can really sympathize with your positions. I echo the above posts in cutting down any undue expense, consider moving back in with family, and seeing any loan consolidation program or any other cap in the loan you may already have.

 

As for jobs, it's not an "MD job" but if you cut down much of your expenses there are things to do.

Already mentioned, but teaching the MCAT or other things for Kaplan, TPR, etc. They're often hiring and it's not that bad of a gig especially if you can load up on courses.

Waiter/waitress jobs can have flexible hours should you have commitments during the day.

Any labor job you can get in? Canada Post, etc.

 

As said before, it's a temporary hitch in the grand scheme of things, although it is a difficult situation right now. The biggest thing financial aside is to talk to your wife and resolve this if you can.

 

Also, if you feel you need help (you know the signs...) do seek it.

 

If you would like to converse via PM or just someone to talk to, feel free to give me a shout. I can't offer you a job but at least I can help brainstorm.

 

Keep on truckin'

[genfam]

Man, I can really sympathize with your positions. I echo the above posts in cutting down any undue expense, consider moving back in with family, and seeing any loan consolidation program or any other cap in the loan you may already have.

 

As for jobs, it's not an "MD job" but if you cut down much of your expenses there are things to do.

Already mentioned, but teaching the MCAT or other things for Kaplan, TPR, etc. They're often hiring and it's not that bad of a gig especially if you can load up on courses.

Waiter/waitress jobs can have flexible hours should you have commitments during the day.

Any labor job you can get in? Canada Post, etc.

 

As said before, it's a temporary hitch in the grand scheme of things, although it is a difficult situation right now. The biggest thing financial aside is to talk to your wife and resolve this if you can.

 

Also, if you feel you need help (you know the signs...) do seek it.

 

If you would like to converse via PM or just someone to talk to, feel free to give me a shout. I can't offer you a job but at least I can help brainstorm.

 

Keep on truckin'

 

The Issue with my Wife is that , she is an IMG. She scored 271 Step 1, 241 Step 2. She wants to move to USA, and has given up in Canada.

 

The post doc I am applying are in USA. In Canada I have no luck, they all want PhD.

 

I just can not believe I did not match. I can not live without my wife. I really thought I could match in Canada. All the signs pointed to yes. I am ranked so high I should just rank them.

 

Now she is so frustrated, she is so angry.

 

I used the loan to get married, get a lawyer to bring her here and also support my parents. I am capped out at 250 K , 40 before and 20 K on credit cards.

 

I think best option is to declare Bankruptcy.

 

I feel better , My wife made me go see a doctor. But I was not brave enough to say I want to harm my self. I am not , I just feel so ashamed and down. But I guess you all are correct I need to really do something positive.

 

Honestly, thank you all, please keep it coming, I really needed this.

 

My wife also thanks you all.

[genfam]

I have just realized, I should apply to any job possible.

 

Please guys, does it work better if I go in, or just email as said on the page.

[goleafsgochris]

The Issue with my Wife is that , she is an IMG. She scored 271 Step 1, 241 Step 2. She wants to move to USA, and has given up in Canada.

 

The post doc I am applying are in USA. In Canada I have no luck, they all want PhD.

 

I just can not believe I did not match. I can not live without my wife. I really thought I could match in Canada. All the signs pointed to yes. I am ranked so high I should just rank them.

 

Now she is so frustrated, she is so angry.

 

I used the loan to get married, get a lawyer to bring her here and also support my parents. I am capped out at 250 K , 40 before and 20 K on credit cards.

 

I think best option is to declare Bankruptcy.

 

I feel better , My wife made me go see a doctor. But I was not brave enough to say I want to harm my self. I am not , I just feel so ashamed and down. But I guess you all are correct I need to really do something positive.

 

Honestly, thank you all, please keep it coming, I really needed this.

 

My wife also thanks you all.

 

Very tough situation, sorry you ended up in it.

 

Dont take this the wrong way, but it seems your wife may be the one who really needs a reality check. As an IMG especially, she should know that the match can have a lot of randomness, and can be very unforgiving even when the applicant is not really at fault. It also seems that you used tho loan for your wedding/to help parents--its not like you were blowing $$ at bars/strip clubs and on fancy cars--I would just hope she could be understanding of your financial situation.

 

I would take ANY job (like think office/HR job, hell even starbucks), and then once you have a job and SOME income coming in, continue to look harder for a more relevant job that could possibly help your app next year (research, some sort of health admin, etc). Honestly since you have an MPH, a job relating to that would likely be ideal as it could help your app next year...but as I said, I would take anything now.

 

Also agree with others, it is of course frustrating but one year is only one year, most people take many "one years" to even get into med school. It would just be much easier im sure if your wife could be understanding. Good luck!

 

Edit: Do you mind if I asked what specialty you applied to and where you did med school?

[xIcewind]

Not that it's easy to get, but have you thought of marketing/drug rep? Not just repping one or two drugs, but you could try the highly skilled reps (such as for pacemakers, MRI, etc...)

 

Pay is decent, MD is a big bonus if they are hiring. Cold call and send resume as these jobs are not necessarily advertised heavily.

[costar]

I am so sorry to hear about your IBD diagnosis. How recently did you get sick? Are you taking time to take care of your health? I'd definitely make your health is strong before taking on any major tasks, without your health you have nothing. Right?

I know that stress is one of the things that can really cause IBD to flare. Have you considered visiting a nutritionist? People with IBD have a huge change in how they feel from how they eat.

[Vidhya]

I did a quick search for teaching positions in Ottawa and Algonquin college looks very similar to the community college I taught at for many years. This position in particular seems to suit you since you already have a masters:

 

http://extraweb.algonquincollege.com/HRApplication/UI/JobPosting.aspx?JobID=1699

 

They appear to have a nursing program, so probably lots of opportunities to teach biological or medical courses. I taught in a nursing program and my background is in Psych, so I taught the developmental psych courses in the program.

 

Here's another one that's more of a program coordinator but it's for a cardiology technologist program.

 

http://www.careerbuilder.ca/CA/JobSeeker/Jobs/JobDetails.aspx?Job_DID=J3J5G46MYY7K4S29CJQ&siteid=sep_can_indeed&ipath=EXGOO

 

Try anything relating to medicine IMO. Teaching pays decently, often with benefits.

[genfam]

I did a quick search for teaching positions in Ottawa and Algonquin college looks very similar to the community college I taught at for many years. This position in particular seems to suit you since you already have a masters:

 

http://extraweb.algonquincollege.com/HRApplication/UI/JobPosting.aspx?JobID=1699

 

They appear to have a nursing program, so probably lots of opportunities to teach biological or medical courses. I taught in a nursing program and my background is in Psych, so I taught the developmental psych courses in the program.

 

Here's another one that's more of a program coordinator but it's for a cardiology technologist program.

 

http://www.careerbuilder.ca/CA/JobSeeker/Jobs/JobDetails.aspx?Job_DID=J3J5G46MYY7K4S29CJQ&siteid=sep_can_indeed&ipath=EXGOO

 

Try anything relating to medicine IMO. Teaching pays decently, often with benefits.

 

wooow , thank you so much. thank you all , you all made.ky day.

[future_doc]

Bankruptcy is a legitimate option and you should do this sooner rather than later. There is no shame, Go see a trustee in bankruptcy and start the process, taking a huge load off your plate. Use the little money you have to pay the trustee, not your impossible debtload. It is meant to be used for people in your situation.

[Vidhya]

Although I do agree that bankruptcy can be a legitimate option, I would try to see if you can find something that can help you make the payments until Match Day next year first. Bankruptcy is a long and arduous process, where you will still be expected to make some payments and it won't get discharged until 6 years from the date it was completed.

 

I had a family member who was in a similar situation to you, almost a licensed professional (different field), racked up lots of debt, and then got divorced and a bankruptcy was essentially pushed hard by the ex-spouse. It was a decision that person always regretted because they admitted they could have found other ways to cope in the short term because it ony took a couple years until their profession was paying well. 5 years later they still couldn't qualify for a mortgage even though income was high and other payments were made.

 

All I'm saying is don't do it lightly if you can. Ironically being late on a few loan payments doesn't hurt your credit rating for as long as a bankruptcy.

[AnxiousBoy]

Dont take this the wrong way, but it seems your wife may be the one who really needs a reality check. As an IMG especially, she should know that the match can have a lot of randomness, and can be very unforgiving even when the applicant is not really at fault.

 

Bankruptcy is a legitimate option and you should do this sooner rather than later. There is no shame, Go see a trustee in bankruptcy and start the process, taking a huge load off your plate. Use the little money you have to pay the trustee, not your impossible debtload. It is meant to be used for people in your situation.

 

I completely disagree with these two quotes.

 

1. Bankruptcy. I do not believe bankruptcy is meant to be used for people in this situation. Bankruptcy is used for those who are in financial difficulty AND have no reasonable prospect of paying off the loan in the future. It is a tool of last resort. In this case, the person would have to throw away their MD degree and vow not to pursue a career in medicine. You can't declare bankruptcy and tell your creditors to **** off. It doesn't work that way. Creditors can come after you for many years after you declare to recuperate what that they are owed. Banks aren't stupid. There's a reason why the LOC has such a low interest rate. They are banking on the fact that you will eventually utilize your degree and then BAM! They'll squeeze you dry utilizing all avenues of the law on their side. In the meantime, you will feel the heat for many years as you find yourself feeling like a third class citizen whenever trying to use any type of credit. Bottom line: Don't do it.

 

2. Wife. I'm gonna make a lot of assumptions here and for that I apologize in advance. With some of the newer information presented, it seems to me that she is acting quite rationally and does not need the said reality check. The OP is telling us that his wife is also an MD, albeit an IMG. Since she wrote steps 1 and 2, I assume she is at the same stage of training as the OP. I also assume she applied to this years carms cycle and went unmatched. I also assume (big) they tried couples matching which I don't know if that's possible between and IMG and a CMG. I also assume the wife knows how tough it is for an IMG to match. I also assume they got to the point where they realize if the hubby ended up matching, that she would be satisfied in continuing to apply year after year or even forgetting about practicing altogether. I also assume the hubby told the wife how great being a doctor is in Canada compared to anywhere else in the world including the USA. I finally assume that the wife could not anticipate that both would go unmatched. Is it possible that they went unmatched because they couples matched in which case the co-applicants are only as competitive as the weakest link (IMG wife)? The wife has superstar step scores (~99 percentile) which will go a long way in securing a residency in the States. Given everything that's transpired, I think she came to a logical conclusion where she wants to try their luck in the States where BOTH can have the opportunity to play doctor. Personally, I couldn't see myself blocking someone from pursuing their own big dreams just for my own personal sake. Bottom line: Explore all options including moving to the States. What's wrong with States, anyways?

[genfam]

I completely disagree with these two quotes.

 

1. Bankruptcy. I do not believe bankruptcy is meant to be used for people in this situation. Bankruptcy is used for those who are in financial difficulty AND have no reasonable prospect of paying off the loan in the future. It is a tool of last resort. In this case, the person would have to throw away their MD degree and vow not to pursue a career in medicine. You can't declare bankruptcy and tell your creditors to **** off. It doesn't work that way. Creditors can come after you for many years after you declare to recuperate what that they are owed. Banks aren't stupid. There's a reason why the LOC has such a low interest rate. They are banking on the fact that you will eventually utilize your degree and then BAM! They'll squeeze you dry utilizing all avenues of the law on their side. In the meantime, you will feel the heat for many years as you find yourself feeling like a third class citizen whenever trying to use any type of credit. Bottom line: Don't do it.

 

2. Wife. I'm gonna make a lot of assumptions here and for that I apologize in advance. With some of the newer information presented, it seems to me that she is acting quite rationally and does not need the said reality check. The OP is telling us that his wife is also an MD, albeit an IMG. Since she wrote steps 1 and 2, I assume she is at the same stage of training as the OP. I also assume she applied to this years carms cycle and went unmatched. I also assume (big) they tried couples matching which I don't know if that's possible between and IMG and a CMG. I also assume the wife knows how tough it is for an IMG to match. I also assume they got to the point where they realize if the hubby ended up matching, that she would be satisfied in continuing to apply year after year or even forgetting about practicing altogether. I also assume the hubby told the wife how great being a doctor is in Canada compared to anywhere else in the world including the USA. I finally assume that the wife could not anticipate that both would go unmatched. Is it possible that they went unmatched because they couples matched in which case the co-applicants are only as competitive as the weakest link (IMG wife)? The wife has superstar step scores (~99 percentile) which will go a long way in securing a residency in the States. Given everything that's transpired, I think she came to a logical conclusion where she wants to try their luck in the States where BOTH can have the opportunity to play doctor. Personally, I couldn't see myself blocking someone from pursuing their own big dreams just for my own personal sake. Bottom line: Explore all options including moving to the States. What's wrong with States, anyways?

 

 

all your assumption are correct.

I think my wife is my key to this game. all her friends with scores less than her got matched this year in USA.

funny thing is that my friends who went to Ireland got matched to this year.

 

What i did wrong this year is clear. I really needed to apply to all the FM programs as back up. Also I needed to apply to Quebec Genetics programs.

 

Guys , I still need a job. I am also thinking bankruptcy is not an option anymore.

Please keep this coming. I need it.

[genfam]

Although I do agree that bankruptcy can be a legitimate option, I would try to see if you can find something that can help you make the payments until Match Day next year first. Bankruptcy is a long and arduous process, where you will still be expected to make some payments and it won't get discharged until 6 years from the date it was completed.

 

I had a family member who was in a similar situation to you, almost a licensed professional (different field), racked up lots of debt, and then got divorced and a bankruptcy was essentially pushed hard by the ex-spouse. It was a decision that person always regretted because they admitted they could have found other ways to cope in the short term because it ony took a couple years until their profession was paying well. 5 years later they still couldn't qualify for a mortgage even though income was high and other payments were made.

 

All I'm saying is don't do it lightly if you can. Ironically being late on a few loan payments doesn't hurt your credit rating for as long as a bankruptcy.

 

I understand. I thought i could do it and just be safe. but the more I study about it, is very scary.

[genfam]

I am trying to talk to a private banker. hoping for the best.

[genfam]

Clear this up: are you IMG or CMG?

 

I am a Canadian Medical grad, CMG.

My wife is IMG.

[genfam]

I thought you had mentioned this before. Just confirming.

 

A lot of posters thought you were IMG by the sounds of their replies.

 

I think as a CMG you should not have much trouble getting a spot in family.

 

Don't worry about genetics micro or biochem not taking you. Maybe even consider it a badge of honor that they thought you were too normal for them?(kidding!!!!!!)[/quote

 

where can I get this family medicine. I had interviews for FM also.

[bloh]

No offense but how can you possibly be a CMG with that grammar?

 

I think there's a good chance that everyone here is getting majorly trolled.

[Vidhya]

No offense but how can you possibly be a CMG with that grammar?

 

I think there's a good chance that everyone here is getting majorly trolled.

 

 

hmm I just assumed he was a Quebec grad, so maybe English isn't his first/commonly used language, but you never know.