Keep Grinding
- US IMG
- Step 1 : 205
- Step 2CK : 235
- Step 2CS : Pass
- YOG : 2017
- Didn't match last year
What do you do when you don't match.... you keep on grinding! Here's a success story to keep your spirits high!
Hello Dr. Barone
I saw your post about looking for successful match stories, took one of your step1 prep lectures in 2017. I match this year in internal medicine. Step scores 205/235/pass all on first attempt, no step3. Graduated in 2017.
I applied late last year and only got 1 IV, I was left unmatched and went through SOAP and I didn't get any position.
After that I was depressed but I told myself I had to give myself at least one good shot at it, so emailed everyone I knew. I am not gonna lie I send 60+ emails but only got 1-2 replies. Luckily one doctor I met at a conference was looking for a research fellow for service in a university program in cardiovascular medicine and he offered me a 3 month internship. After 1 month the service liked me enough and wanted to give me a full time post-doc position with salary, so I could sustain myself. I think I did impress them a lot! I manage to work hard on the studies and trials that the service was running and during my time I manage to co-author 1 manuscript, 4 abstracts presentation and wrote several other manuscripts for publication + LORs from my mentor, attendings and chief of the service.
I applied again early in September and only had 2 interviews, I was sad about it but truth be told I only needed 1 program to rank me high enough and I kept hoping that was the case. None of those interviews were at the program I am doing research for but I matched in my top choice.
For sure I think what was pivotal were my publications and my LORs because I am sure I impress them enough with my work ethic for them to give me a full time position right away.
My only advice is that everyone's story is different but what's always the same is that you have to keep grinding and when luck comes around be sure not to miss that opportunity. One of my mentors during med school always told me this quote and it has helped me through all of it. “Luck favors the prepared." -Louis Pasteur
The service I am doing research is not internal medicine maybe that's why I didn't get any interviews from them (university programs can get picky I guess). My mentor and the chief of the service wants me to come back for fellowship. So that's good news for me!
K. G. April 5, 2020
Photo by Shawn Henry (Unsplash.com)