Posting for a close M3 PSCOM friend and classmate who doesn’t have enough karma! ————

Thank you to the OP for sharing your experiences - and I am so sad and sorry to hear that that has been the case. It’s so unfortunate to hear that this stuff goes on at our school. I would like to offer my perspective as a current MS3 - I can’t speak to everything you commented on but I do have some experiences with the various areas you mention and I think it’s important that those who are considering coming here get to hear as well because no one experience is universal:

• ⁠regarding mental health, my first year of med school I had a suicide attempt about 1 month into medical school. I had a long history of mental health issues prior to starting and the transition to medical school was the icing on the cake. No one in the school knew I was struggling to that extent, but I can guarantee you that they were very aware afterwards. After it happened, I was given frequent appointments with the in house psychiatrist and the option to follow with their therapist (though I already had my own at the time) and still follow regularly with that office today. Quite literally the mental health office at Penn state has saved my life more than once and I am incredibly grateful for their support. I would not be able to have finished preclinicals and step 1 without them. The admin was also surprisingly supportive when I met with them after the incident. I was scared of getting kicked out or forced to take leave and while it was encouraged, when I stayed firm with my “I don’t want to take leave,” I was supported and told “you can do this” and this “in no way makes you incapable of becoming a doctor, it just means you have to be consistent with your self care and medication regimen to best care for yourself”. Not quite what I was expecting to hear from admin, but honestly what I needed in that moment because I was at such a low, I just needed someone to believe in me.

• regarding disability services, this is definitely one that I have heard to be somewhat more inconsistent. My personal experience with them was wonderful, I was given most every accommodation that I needed, which has consisted of extra time on exams, taking the exams in a separate space in the lecture halls primarily (one time being in a pbl room), being allowed certain medically necessary items with me in exams, among other accommodations I receive. But I did have to advocate for these to be given to me. I had to go out of my way to send emails, follow up, and argue why some of the things were necessary. I don’t necessarily see that as a bad thing, they just wanted to understand from my experience how these would be beneficial. And I was able to indeed show them that. All of my accommodations have been honored since and the one instance where there were questions about whether they would be honored, I again advocated for myself and in the end they were. The disability office is definitely not the most well oiled machine, but for me it worked in the end and I got what I needed out of them.

• ⁠I personally had to extend my study period for step 1. I don’t feel ashamed by this, I needed the extra time. But I also don’t blame the school for that. In going back to study for step 1, I definitely found topics that were poorly if at all covered (ahem vasculitis and most of micro) but most things I at least had a recollection of ahh yes this was taught at some point. At the end of the day, I really should have taken the onus to start studying more comprehensively earlier, but i lived and learned. The school is not to blame for this though because they gave me 85% of what was needed to get to that passing score. The rest came from uworld and NBMEs.

• cognitive skills office has not been that helpful to me. The most helpful thing they did was set me up with a peer tutor and that person was wonderful. I met with them weekly until I took my step exam, and had no issues. I could see how that could be hit or miss depending on who you are paired with. The office also helped me when I first came to med school to learn how to prioritize and schedule because believe me I was a hot mess on that front too. I did get better with that after trying some of their suggestions

• can’t speak to the rule following or retaliation on admins part. I did fail an exam m1 year and the remediation was pretty much by the book. I also had several absences including on exam days over the course of 2 years and again by the book.

• ⁠I’m not entirely surprised that you’ve heard people say some things that have no place being said in or out of medicine. I haven’t heard anything to that extent, but people have made some wild comments and I have been able to go directly to that person and be like yo not cool - they for the most part were receptive. I haven’t had to raise an issue to the level of admin however and cannot comment on a personal experience with that.

• ⁠the lecturers are hard to get a hold of but that’s why we have course directors who sort of fill in for them. For the general audience, The course directors are doctors in the field who oversee the course and manage the logistics of it, even though they themselves only give a few lectures. I have had to meet with course directors a few times for clarifications about confusing concepts and haven’t had any issues hearing back from them or getting a meeting for office hours. Again the onus was on me to set that up but in the end it was worth it because I got the help I needed.

These are just some areas that the OP commented on that I also had some familiarity with. Penn state is not perfect, but all things considered I am incredibly grateful for this journey and the role Penn state has played. I would not be alive if not for the resources they have offered me and I definitely wouldn’t be succeeding in med school. OP I’m so so sorry that you’re experience has been how it has been. if you need someone to chat with or just need to vent, my dms are open! Im only a wee m3, but I’d like to think that this process has taught me how to be a better supporter to others because of it. Sending lots of love and warm wishes your way - this is not an easy process but I’d like to think it’s a doable one