OK, I guess I should post an intro here. Those of you who’ve been on OPM as a mailing list probably know who I am, but here goes…
My name is Betsy. I’m 39, and finished my residency training in Internal Medicine a few months ago. I will be starting practice in the Boston area in a a few weeks. I spent almost 10 years after college figuring out that I wanted to go to medical school and then 2 years figuring out how to get in. I wound up at EVMS in Norfolk VA, had a great time, and haven’t looked back since!
I joined OPM because I wished it had been around when I was struggling with the application process and I thought I could contribute a little something, as I had successfully gotten in and gotten thru.
I am owned by multiple cats, drag around way too many cartons of books whenever I move, and can’t contribute too much on the partner or family issues because I have neither and don’t expect that I will.
Hi Betsy, I am on the waiting list at EVMS. I really want to go to school there. Do you know what percent of people get in off of the waiting list, or if there is anything that I can do to improve my chances of getting in off of the waiting list? All this waiting is driving me batty.
Hi, Betsy. I posted previously as "goodcat (the nickname refers to my old cat, Spot, a very loving calico who now rests underneath a Eu tree, but whose spirit is romping in the happy sand box in the sky…).
Congratulations on graduating from your residency program and on your job.
I had a 7 year hiatus between undergrad and med school, did a 1 year post bacc at UCSD, and ended up at USC. I have been posting at premed forums since my 1st year med school. I was especially interested in joining OPMs so I could encourage others to pursue their dreams even if they have had less than stellar academic backgrounds – and avoid the pitfalls I encountered myself.
Right now, I am finishing my internship in IM, and then I will go on to my formal residency training in Radiology in So. Cal. 17 more weeks, and I don’t have to be an intern anymore!
Hi. My name is Andrea. I just turned 37 and June will mark the end of my IM residency in Oregon. I’ll be chief resident for the next year. From there on out, who knows (1st choice academic medicine. Other possibilities include hospitalist or general practice).
I started med school at age 30. My previous life centered around computer programming. It took 2+ years of night-time classes to complete my pre-med requirements before applying to med school. The application process produced enough fear in me that I applied to something like 30-40 med schools!! I figured med school would put me in debt, so why not start the financial crush from the get-go. Fortunately, my efforts paid off and got into a small handful of programs. I chose to attend Michigan State U, a program that welcomes the “maturity” and life experience of non-traditional applicants.
I too remember searching high and low for a resource like this when applying. Thanks to all those that made this happen.
This is to Goodcat Anne: I am premed, not even in med school yet, and I am already seriously thinking about going into diagnostic radiology. I go to different sites such as auntminnie.com and radiology.org etc, and , I don’t know, I just really think this is what I would want to get into. I just had a couple of questions if you didn’t mind… Are you happy with your choice, if you could pick radiology again would you? Are there any books by radiologists for aspiring radiologists that you can recommend? Did you know from the beginning that radiology was it for you, or did you start thinking about it during your rotations? Sorry for the ambush…
I haven't been active on the board for a while. Lots of reasons… I accepted the job outside Boston because I really liked the opportunity. I originally hoped to relocate to the Philly area because I have so many friends there (that's where I lived before EVMS) but it didn't happen, and the position I interviewed for, in the suburbs of Boston, is a great one. I'm in a small office with another IM doc and a nurse practitioner, and I love both of them. We share similar philosophies and approaches, and enjoy each other's company enough to do things socially. As to how to get into EVMS from the waiting list, I don't know the answer, but one thing I did was I wrote them and told them why EVMS was my first choice (I was wait-listed at 4 schools) and that may have helped my cause. Blessed be, Betsy
Hello Betsy and the rest of the group, I had kinda lost track of OPM for a while. Glad to see that OPM has its own site away from all the other Yahoos. Some of you may know me from previous postings. I used to bill myself as the world’s oldest family med intern. Well I can’t do that now as I am now the world’s oldest 2nd year resident in family med. As Betsy and others who have made it through the med school thing and can now call themselves doctors I intend to make myself available to those of you who have toe fortitude to stay with your quest to get to that special place. We who have gone before have made enough mistakes and have learned a lot of lessons. We are more than glad to pass on what we have learned by hard knocks. The usual term is mentor and that is what we are. I can say at the age of 54 years old, going on 55 in October, that I am still glad I made the choice I did. I feel that older physicians hold a unique place in the profession and invite all who have the stamina to join us. Congratulations on finishing residency in IM Betsy. I don’t know about your program but the one here at OK University is a real butt kicker so you should be very proud. Cheers all, Bruce Stafford, DO Resident, PGY-2 University of Oklahoma College of Medicine Department of Family Medicine
