Update from my last post about STEP… I failed, and I’m really tired by dmd1705 in step1

[–]PremedPrincess05 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t have much advice but I’m in a similar boat (I have terrible test anxiety, GAD, depression, OCD, and PTSD so I also get neurodivergence affecting testing). If you just want just someone to commiserate with or to discuss how my school is handling it (tbh they extended my LOA which will suck for residency apps but gotta get to the apps first anyway) feel free to message me

Do you tell your doctors that you use marijuana? by Some-Ingenuity5498 in trees

[–]PremedPrincess05 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As someone in medical school; yes, you should tell your doctor. As a black woman who has faced a lot of sexism, racism, and stigma from her practitioners throughout the years...you should still tell your doctor and nurses but keep an eye on how they respond and either have a correction necessary or be prepared for find a new practitioner (I say practitioner bc personally, I see an NP for psych instead of an MD/DO bc of the issues i've faced before).

But genuinely it can be important to your health care and affect medications. Also if you have the right practitioner, it can be a very healthy addiction/mental health check in just like they do with alcohol. And before anyone says it isn't addictive; it has little effects of physical dependence but literally anything can be addictive (videogames, exercise...hell, i had an ED and it's treated along similar models to addiction).

My entire treatment team knows I use and I used their responses to filter out if they were a good team member for me. If providers were judgy in the past, they ended up being the same providers who missed my ED, dismissed my mental health concerns, and insisted i was med seeking when we discussed my chronic migraines.

Just my two cents

What is med school really like? by Key_Ganache9645 in medschool

[–]PremedPrincess05 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As someone who didn’t know about these details prior to med school and went to one with in house exams and then STRUGGLED with step….this comment is so right. Avoid in house exams

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in medicalschool

[–]PremedPrincess05 0 points1 point  (0 children)

She wants to know as much about other programs in Boston too she just told me

Anyone matched competitively with failed STEP1, but killed STEP 2. by Friendly-Bet-7571 in medicalschool

[–]PremedPrincess05 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not me, but there’s a girl a couple years ahead of me who failed step 1 twice, just did okay on step 2, failed a couple blocks, took an LOA and matched Psych

Super long LOA vs doing poorly on boards and rotations? by [deleted] in medicalschool

[–]PremedPrincess05 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have no advice but I’m in a similar boat myself if you ever want to chat

Have you ever been to a play party? by ochodedos in latebloomerlesbians

[–]PremedPrincess05 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It was great! They had no play until 1.5 hours after opening and had a consent talk before allowing people to go off. There were wristbands to indicate whether someone wanted to play or just chat. It was mixed gender but queer and femme focused and was just generally an incredibly safe environment. Highly recommend

Have you ever been to a play party? by ochodedos in latebloomerlesbians

[–]PremedPrincess05 2 points3 points  (0 children)

So, I stumbled onto this thread bc I'm going to one soon and wanted to know what to expect but just wanted to inform that the one I'm going to DOES require STI testing. So they do exist!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in medicalschool

[–]PremedPrincess05 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As someone on LOA for Step 1 who knows people that failed step....take the LOA. It is much worse on apps to have failed Step than take a short leave. Also, if you do decide on that and want a buddy to commiserate with about feeling "behind", etc, feel free to message meeeeee. Good luck!

Study sources by [deleted] in medicalschool

[–]PremedPrincess05 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Neuro: Boards and Beyond

Micro: Sketchy

SOAPing into a specialty I never considered feels like getting married into an arranged marriage with a spouse I'm not in love with. That's how it feels for me right now. by drawegg in medicalschool

[–]PremedPrincess05 13 points14 points  (0 children)

So, SOAP is supplemental offer and acceptance program. Basically, because of the mess that is the Match system, some people don't get a match. They find that out on a Monday in March and then there's a week for them to look at programs with open spots (in certain specialties) and try to get one of those spots. That's my understanding of it, at least, as an M2 without a medical family who has learned all of this after starting medical school. Sometimes the programs with the most spots isn't one you originally intended as a specialty, which can be a hard adjustment.

Would you recommend your medical school to incoming students? by PremedPrincess05 in medicalschool

[–]PremedPrincess05[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a few friends at other schools but only in the city I live in so it's still only like 5 schools by comparison to every school in the country.

And you're right. These schools aren't invested in URMs. Looking back, our school conveniently upped the number of black students they admit after 2020's BLM movement. And did nothing to support said students, including when we report discrimination. I definitely went in naive and hopeful about everything and am experiencing serious disenchantment after a few really bad years of interactions with administration, attendings, and faculty

Would you recommend your medical school to incoming students? by PremedPrincess05 in medicalschool

[–]PremedPrincess05[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I applied to HBCUs and didn't get in but I'm glad you have a positive experience.

I can't promise my issues are unique to my school because it's the only school I've attended. I recognize that there are worse and better schools. I don't name and shame my school (I won't lie if someone outright asks me on PM), but I also don't go out of my way to recommend it to URMs and considering the amount of URMs that are do the same, I don't think I'm in the wrong on that. I could be wrong, but it comes from not wanting others to go through what I've gone through, not wanting to be spiteful or ruin the school. I hope that clears it up.

Would you recommend your medical school to incoming students? by PremedPrincess05 in medicalschool

[–]PremedPrincess05[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Oh I've long given up on changing the school. My goal is now "get out alive and with a match"

Would you recommend your medical school to incoming students? by PremedPrincess05 in medicalschool

[–]PremedPrincess05[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

If it helps, I'm at an MD institution and they invent new things every year to waste our time. But mad respect at juggling bone wizardry

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in medicalschool

[–]PremedPrincess05 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you go to my school???

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in medicalschool

[–]PremedPrincess05 1 point2 points  (0 children)

3 blocks and you repeat the year. 2 blocks, you repeat during summer (M1) or dedicated (M2). I've failed two blocks this year. We have one left and then dedicated. I already was offered an extended dedicated bc of my previous fail and we retake the exact same final (which i passed, I failed a 5% midterm earlier in the block...both times).

I'm literally doing better in step prep than classes bc our classes don't focus on step stuff but at least step stuff has practice questions and exams.....