i've been thinking for the last couple of weeks whether or not i should write the USMLE Step 1 at the end of this year.
i can't seem to make up my mind so i've come up with a list of reasons why i should/should not write them.
why i SHOULD:
- it keeps my options open, I don't want to close the door of going to the States for my internship/residency.
- it would suck if I didn't match with a Canadian residency program & had to wait and reapply the year after that.
- Step 1 primarily consists of material that I will have covered in the first 2 years medical school - that means the material is going to be fresh in my head NOW. not after i graduate.
- more knowledge is always good. You can't argue with that.
- if i want to specialize in something, it'll be easier to do so in the States than in Canada.
- there is potential that our cohort is going to be screwed. there are more and more Canadians that are studying medicine outside of Canada each year. no one really knows what the matching process is going to be like come 2011.
why i SHOULDN'T:
- the idea of studying in the US even if it's just for a few years does not seem very appetizing. i'd much rather spend a few years up in Sudbury, Timmins, heck even Thunder Bay! than go down to the states. or would i?
- lack of time/memory space. there is plenty of work to do as it is. Do I really want more? sure i can better manage my time but what about the brain space? how do i get more of that???
- i haven't decided what kind of doctor i want to be, but GP is still very high up on my list. things might change but from my current understanding, it is not and won't be impossible to match into a GP program.
- worse case scenario might be that I don't match & need to take a year off to reapply. i could study for my USMLEs at that point. in the big picture, would that be so bad?
- perhaps the biggest question of all - and no one really knows the answer to this one. if you do, then you are a god in my eyes - is will I NEED it??? i don't want to study and sweat for something that I'm not going to use. it's not like buying an extra loaf of bread because you're not sure how much bread you're going to consume over the week. that's easy. just buy an extra loaf, you could freeze it before it goes bad. worse case scenario, it grows some mold, you throw it out and your down $2.49. big whoop.
some help please???
2 comments:
캐나다의 생활환경이나 수준은 세계의 어느나라와 비교해서 뒤떨어지지 않는다는것은 그리고 네가 미국이나 다른 곳에서 지내는 것보다 캐나다에서 지내고 싶어하는 것을 잘 알고 있다. 나도 가능하다면 네가Toronto, Sudbury, Timmins 그리고, Thunder Bay 등 Ontario 아니 Canada의 어느곳에서든지 internship 이나 residency 를 네가 하고 싶은곳에서 하기를 바란다. 다만 나의 생각으로는 어느한곳에 국한되지 않고 될수있는한 많은 가능성을 만들어 놓는것이 어떨까 싶다. 네가 미국이란 나라를 그리 좋아하지는 않는 것으로 알고 있지만 그렇다고 많은 가능성의 기회가 주어질수 있는 미국행을 무조건 막는 것보다 열어놓고 기회를 만들어 보는 것이 어떨까 싶다.
지금하는 공부도 어렵고 시간에 쫒기고 있다고 생각한다. 그러면서도 자꾸 무엇엔가 도전하는 기회를 갖는다는 것은 젊은 우리로서는 즐거운 일이 아닐까 싶다.
항상 이야기하지만 지금 1년이 너의 인생에 있어서는 아무것도 아니라고 생각한다. 캐나다에 응시했다가 혹시 안되서 그때 다시 1년을 투자하여 미국에 응시한다고 해서 그 1년이 너의 인생에 크나큰 마이너스라고 생각하지 않는다. 다만 네가 할수있다면 지금 좀 어렵더라도 도전해봤으면 한다.
한가지 더 이야기한다면 2011년의 상황이 어떻게 변할지 아무도 모른다. 그저 현실에서 할수있는한 최선을 다한다는 것만이 우리 자신을 기쁘게 하는 것이 아닐까 싶다.
My uncle told me that there were a few articles he read not too long ago saying that they want to take more Canadian IMGs back for post-grad training. If/when I get a hold of them I'll fwd them to you to have a look.
I don't think the IMG situation will get worse despite the increasing numbers.
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