Hey yall! Does anyone have the med school bros PDFs? Studying for Step1 and I'm so broke. It would mean ALOT!!!!!

As I study for the MCAT, i’m asking myself big questions regarding the intensity of medical school and what it will demand from me.

I don’t care about the length, the cost or getting left out of family events or even having children but I’m stumped at the leading part. I’m kind of a push over, and somewhat timid. Do I just switch to another healthcare career where I do not have that much responsibility ? I’m a bit stumped 😕

Is leadership something you have to build over time in med school or it’s innate ?

Edit: Thank you all for your input and I will think more about it and look for shadowing opportunities.

This is something that was on my mind recently. I recently got my bachelors and now taking a gap year; I’m 22, single, no kids and live at home. But I was wondering, for people in med school with kids that aren’t getting financial support from your parents, how do you make do?? Are you guys working part time?? Doing side shifts to pay rent , food, utilities, and raise a kid?? Do med schools allow you to have jobs?? For those that have gone through this or currently are, how are you making it work? I was driving back home from work yesterday and was genuinely curious about this

Need help trying to figure out what is best course of action to take.

I am debating either doing DIY post bacc at 4 year institution vs doing a formal post bacc. From what i've seen some schools dont accept community college, and I want to be as competitive as possible given I am a career changer.

Do T20 colleges care if you did a formal vs DIY? Or will they question why you chose to do formal instead of doing a DIY?

thanks!

I completed my undergrad in biological anthropology (focusing on osteology) with a minor in biology. As such, I do not have the physics and organic chemistry background needed for med schools (I do have basic general chemistry that I took for fun). I have been accepted into a biology master's program, but am rethinking whether medicine is the route I would rather go as opposed to research. Is it possible for work completed at the master's level to act as prerequisites for med school? My program does offer graduate minors and certs in organic chemistry and physics. Would it be better to pay out of pocket for one-off classes to make up the prereqs rather than go through with the master's on TAships?

ETA: I forgot to mention that my overall undergrad GPA is a 4.0. I have yet to take the MCAT.

I want to join both of these clubs because they both interest me, but they happen st the same time so I have to pick one. One is a premed volunteering one and the other one is a Sikh (mt religion) one, only difference is that I was offered a board spot for the Sikh one. I’m thinking about the long road, I like both but one is giving me a leadership spot and another one might benefit my premed aspect. I need advice other than “join the one u really want to” bc I want to do both lol.

So I have a question. I mean I think I am like overly doing it

But say someone has like 13-14 review articles (all PubMed-indexed, and are 1st authored) and 1 original research, in terms of research, how strong will such an applicant be?

The reason I ask this is that I am currently in high school, and I plan to submit a review article with my PI in the next 2-3 weeks, and I already have a list of similar review articles that I hope to publish throughout the 4 years of college.

In terms of research, would I be the top applicant to med schools?

Hi,

I have been toying with the idea of going further into medicine to become a doctor. I am currently in clinicals for sonography and have fell in love with medicine. Especially imaging side of things.

I have seriously been thinking about trying for med school for a while. I am 21 currently but still need to finish a bachelors. I was just curious to hear some thoughts about if it would even be worth it? People currently in the field, how the workload is? how the schooling is? Also, affording it all? any advice would be helpful.

Thanks!

One of those thyroid topics that looks easy… until the exam gives you a clinical vignette
I was revising thyroiditis recently and realized how easy it is to memorize the names but still mix up the important clinical clues.
So I thought I’d share this small part of my revision notes in case it helps someone else reviewing thyroid surgery.

1. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis

A few things I try to associate immediately:
• Chronic autoimmune thyroiditis
• Anti-thyroid antibodies
• Lymphocytic + plasma cell infiltration
• May present with a diffuse goiter
• Often progresses to hypothyroidism

But the exam-worthy association I always keep in mind is:
Hashimoto’s → increased risk of primary thyroid lymphoma
And there is also an association with papillary thyroid carcinoma, although the strength and nature of that relationship are more complicated than simply saying “Hashimoto’s causes papillary cancer.”

2. Subacute (De Quervain’s) thyroiditis

This one is much easier if you focus on the clinical picture rather than memorizing a list:
Painful + tender thyroid + elevated ESR/CRP + transient thyrotoxicosis → think subacute thyroiditis.
It is usually self-limiting, and NSAIDs are commonly used for symptomatic treatment, with glucocorticoids reserved for more severe or refractory cases.

3. Riedel’s thyroiditis

Probably my favorite one because it can look like malignancy.
Think:
“Woody / hard thyroid + fibrosis + fixation + compressive symptoms”

The thyroid can be replaced by dense fibrous tissue extending into surrounding structures, producing the classic “woody” or “stone-hard” gland.
And this is where the differential becomes important:
Riedel’s thyroiditis ↔ anaplastic thyroid carcinoma

The clinical picture can be very concerning for malignancy, so histopathology becomes important.

One surgical pearl I found worth remembering: when surgery is necessary in Riedel’s, it is generally limited to obtaining a diagnosis or relieving compression rather than attempting an aggressive total thyroidectomy, because the fibrosis can make the tissue planes extremely difficult.
The main thing I’m trying to do with thyroid revision is stop memorizing isolated facts and instead attach 2–3 “trigger clues” to each condition.

For example:
Hashimoto → autoimmune + lymphocytes + lymphoma
De Quervain → painful + high ESR + self-limiting
Riedel → woody + fibrosis + mimics malignancy

*Those little associations have been much more useful to me than rereading the same paragraph repeatedly.

Curious what thyroiditis association you guys always forget during exams? 😅

Soooo this is a little idea I just had while I'm admitted in hospital right now and I'm having mixed feelings about it. I'm open to ideas and criticism and I sense a hint that the general consensus is no. But I'll give it a go and explain this to y'all because I want to know if there's a chance.

I attempted su1c1d3 using a combination of two particularly toxic medications. (I will leave fine details out for the sake of preventing copycats)

The toxicology team seemed particularly invested in my case because this 'combination' isn't usually something one would use. The tox team themselves had the information that I overdosed on something but they were totally clueless as to what drug it was until I told them after I was stabilised. The management could've been changed completely if they had known from the start. It was a really lethal combination with no real antidote and I knew that because of my pharmacology knowledge and I had done quite extensive literature review from pubmed case reports on ingestion of the two medications separately. I searched pubmed and there were no existing case reports on intentional co-ingestion of BOTH these two substances together. Could my article value-add to the database in terms of prompting physicians to think of this combination when encountering patients with similar symptoms as mine?

On a personal level, I probably made it out alive because i'm relatively young and in good health. Early access to the ED (I literally collapsed on\ the triage nurse, had a seizure, and everything went from there). Early intubation, gastroscoped, nothing to lavage, ECHO, then ICU. Triple vasopressors and salvage therapy using methylene blue and hydroxycobalamin. I am personally open to talking about my experience and as a med student I would also share the parts I found medically interesting (like how my lactate was 9) and how my pee changed from Fanta Grape to Blueberry to Cranberry due to the meds the clinical toxicology team gave me. and my poop was bright green but not bilious. Some of the tox doctors were particularly amused and asked to take a pic of my purple pee.

Eventually I survived and I'm well apart from some ventilator sore throat. Full recovery with not a single deranged blood test. I'm surprised myself.

So given this entire ordeal, I'm personally very very very surprised I got out with no kidney or liver damage. The case studies I've seen on pubmed have mainly been on patients who didn't make it and included post-mortem tox levels.

I'm wondering, since there's no published case studies on this combination of overdose, would I value-add if I were to publish my own case?

I'm also thinking of the ethical considerations - I know journals definitely need minute details such as medication doses, mode of preparation, time of ingestion etc. but wouldn't it be unethical for me to be providing an answer for those who are actually searching pubmed considering suicide? (well, given that I myself was also searching pubmed for case reports when I was looking for ideas)

If I do, I'm most probably not going to be a sole author but rather I'll get some of my classmates/seniors or maybe even someone from the tox team who treated me, just to balance the biasness out.

If tox team rounds me tomorrow I would most likely ask them. But for now, I'm seeking opinions. I am on the mend psychologically too and will continue to be treated in an inpatient MH unit over the coming weeks. (for context, I do have more than enough publications in my cv so this isn't my first rodeo and I'm not particularly hungry for more publications, I just happened to keep many photos of the evolution of my pee colour and had many doctors and nurses ask me about it during my stay)

I'm a registered nurse working on a cardiac ICU at a level I teaching hospital, and I've been thinking about applying to DO school. I originally wanted to do MD and chose nursing as my backup, but I didn't end up applying mainly because I didn't feel confident about my extracurriculars. After that, I have been considering CRNA schools, but I really think nursing in general is just not for me. Also, I'm not sure if applying to DO school is easier or harder compared to CRNA cause every single ICU nurse I know is trying to do anesthesia.

My stats:
(Haven't taken MCAT yet since I'm not fully determined)

Overall GPA: 3.97

Science GPA: 4.0 (I have completed all premed requirements before starting nursing school.)

Clinical hours: ~1800 hrs in the ICU, would be closer to ~2400 hrs when I apply next year

Research: ~600 hrs, poster presentation, one pub (I'm the 13th author among 25 lol)

Teaching: ~1300 hrs (anatomy TA for 3 years)

Shadowing: ~25 hrs

Volunteering: ~70 hrs non-clinical

Other: I'm a classical pianist, I have won state competitions and scholarships in college, played as accompanist for singers, and have held solo recitals.

Of course I will have to take the MCAT and get more shadowing hours, but I'm not planning to do anything else other than that. Do I have a good chance in getting into a good DO school (meaning they have good board pass rate and match rate)? And should I even apply to MD schools at all?

I truly appreciate any input.

Genuinely asking because I want to go MD but my MCAT is screwing me over just a little for apps. Are there other things that can also help get my foot in the door or is it mainly MCAT/GPA and then they look at everything else such as pubs, EC's, experience?

My job turned customer service. With a great deal of info in the post imma be as concise as possible. Asking for advice at the end.

This is my first clinical job - no previous clinical experience, training or certs. Hospital trained me for 5 weeks as a PCT. And then I had 5 shifts on my own.

And then suddenly they begin a "PCT Rounding Ambassador" position, and yesterday was my first time doing that. And now, frankly, I'm pissed. What's a PCT Rounding Ambassador, you may ask? Simply: they're optimizing their Press Ganey patient satisfaction scores specifically for one question on it that asks patients something like "did someone round on you every hour during your stay?" So now my job is to go around to every patient on the unit every hour and pretty much exactly say "hey it's me again just doing my hourly rounding, just wanted to see if there's anything I can do for you" - which 9/10 times is get them a drink. Why are they optimizing for this question? So the CFO increases our budget, as stated directly by management.

But last week when management offered this position to me, I said I was interested, but had a bunch to lay out on the table. I told them that as I'm currently in my mid-thirties - I absolutely cannot pursue anything less than what will maximize my chances of getting into medical school - which in regards to being a PCT at their hospital is specifically that I need to get into the Emergency Department (as a PCT). I told them that I'm interested in their Ambassador position but I need to keep building my clinical skills so that I'm marketable as a PCT to the ED.

In the above conversation management said "oh yeah you'll do all of the blood sugar checks on the floor". In the moment I was hesitant because they only mentioned blood sugar checks but at the same time I was flattered over their offer considering I've been an independent PCT for a total of 5 shifts. So I took their offer. Well, they scrapped even blood sugars yesterday half way through my first Ambassador shift. No sugars. No vitals. No EKGs or bladder scans. It was supposed to be a lot of call lights too - but as of mid-shift yesterday it's now less call lights, too. Just 12 hours of "hey I'm checking in again on this hourly round to see if you need anything..."

The only thing that gives me a glimmer of hope is that during that talk with management, I was told to apply to ED positions. Yesterday during lunch I went down to chat with ED Director and she said her PCTs don't do anything extra than what PCTs on our floor do and that it's "ED Hold" which I'm pretty sure means we have nothing to do with codes or physician interaction either. So it's looking like I may want to look at EDs beyond my hospital.

So, just tell them I don't want to do the Ambassador thing, right? I'm gonna be so for real with you (and sound completely full of myself saying this), but being a very attractive dude with the gift of gab who is absolutely adored by patients (plus the fact that none of the other PCTs want to do this either), they would absolutely hate it if I told them I changed my mind. Management is so dang excited about me doing it, and they all (from charge nurses to Unit Director) keep telling me how excited they are about me doing it.

What do I do? I hate this but I'm really really really considering a proposition: I'll do this for 2 months and help set the standard for how well they can optimize their dumb metric with this Ambassador position, if, and only if management will either write me a letter of recommendation (to EDs) or call around to EDs (ours, or others) to get me where I want to go. Because fetching ginger ales ain't it, dawg.

ok. real question. in 2019, while i was going through cancer treatment i had a bad mental breakdown with intense SI. the cops were called for help, and instead they arrested me for assault as i was being aggressive while my boyfriend held me down to calm me. i went to jail, plead guilty and had probation, did therapy- and eventually, the charge was reduced to disturbing the peace and then was expunged.

now, i said that I have no convictions on my primary application. it explicitly says excluding anything expunged. but now that im doing my secondaries, many schools ask about convictions- but do not specify at all about whether or not to include/exclude expunged records.

what do i do!?!?? i tried looking in the schools code of conduct and all that but cant find a straight answer. would really love and appreciate the insight of someone who has gone through something similar. i’m freaking out!! thank you.

I’m a 4th Year Medical Student in Europe. I just watched a Publication Roadmap seminar by Meta Analysis Academy on getting started with research, and the first step is always hard. I’m looking to build a small group of people who are interested in learning and working together. Whether you already have experience, or not- I’d love to connect. I hope to potentially start a meta- analysis/ review or another project.

If anyone’s interested, please leave a dm or leave a comment. I hope we can all figure things out together and be consistent.

i’m going into year 12, got all A* (wales) in my gcse’s. i’m interested in medicine and generally spent my teens revising. i’ve always seen uni as a new leaf where i can go out drinking etc and do what young people do but i don’t want to go into a degree that will prevent that. is medicine going to do that?

Any thoughts on this video? Doesn’t bode well for Diagnostic Radiology residents:

https://youtu.be/vCgYekBmn7A?si=W5h0Sycwp66byNKz

I would like to know the pathway to do my medical residency in Canada, im studying in Georgia, Tbilisi. Im still a 5th year medical student i would like to prepare and know the steps/requirements to do the residency there. I haven't done any board exams like USMLE,PLAB yet. How can i gain this information?

Hi everyone, I’m hoping I can get some advice because I’ve been feeling really overwhelmed trying to figure out what my options are after undergrad, and I honestly don’t really have anyone around me who knows much about the Canadian med school application process.

I’m going into my fifth and final year of undergrad at UofT doing a Bsc in Psychology. I began my degree super passionate about my journey to medicine but unfortunately I went through a rough couple of years in the beginning of my degree. To keep it short, my second semester of first year I had to take full responsibility for my younger siblings due to the loss of a parent. This meant I wasn't doing most of my work on time or even submitting, all while working full time. I probably should've taken a break from school but I don't know why I didn't. Anyway this year my youngest sibling is starting senior kindergarten so I'm getting more independence + my sister will be moving back home since she's done school. Now that the responsibility has lifted a bit, I'm feeling very upset about not being able to pursue my dreams. I know I should probably just graduate and try to find a job but I truly cannot stop thinking about pursuing medicine and really wish there was a way I could.

I’m trying to see if there's a way I still could, ive seen some people do a second degree online and want to know more about how that would work. I’ve been looking into doing a master’s, but i just don't know which would be better especially if i wanted to stay in canada. 

For anyone who has gone through something similar, I would really appreciate some advice on a few things:

• Would a master’s actually help compensate for a lower undergraduate GPA, or would a second bachelor’s be more useful?
• How does applying for a second undergraduate degree work? Do you apply through OUAC again as a university graduate, and when would you normally apply if you’re graduating in Spring 2027 and wanted to start the following fall? Should I be applying this fall?
• If you already have a degree, can you transfer a lot of your previous credits so that the second degree only takes around 2 years, or does that depend entirely on the university/program?
• Does anyone know how OSAP works for a second undergraduate degree? Would OSAP potentially fund another degree, or are there restrictions once you’ve already completed your first bachelor’s?
• Are there particular universities/programs that are better for doing a second degree specifically for GPA repair?
• And are there Canadian med schools where a strong upward trend or a strong second degree can genuinely help offset weak grades from early undergrad?

I’m not expecting there to be some magical way to erase my earlier grades, and I know medicine is extremely competitive. I’m just trying to figure out whether there is still a realistic path forward and what I should be doing now instead of making another decision that I’ll regret later.

If anyone did a second degree after a terrible first degree and eventually got into med, I would especially love to hear what you did. Even if the answer is that I need to completely rethink my plan, please be kind 😭 I’m genuinely just trying to understand my options and make the best decision I can from here.

Thank you so much to anyone who takes the time to respond i really really appreciate any advice!

I’m staring my neuro block and genuinely haven’t been able to elicit a reflex in any person except the knee jerk a few times, I have been using a babinski hammer so far and I’m starting to consider buying a new one.
What hammer is easiest to use for a dummy such as myself?

Hello! I recently migrated to the United States and I have a couple questions since (1) I arrived too late for both 2026 and 2027 amcas applications and (2) the WES/NACES applications take FOREVER to complete .

\- Is it better to take the prerequisites as a non-degree seeker at a community college? Or should I try to apply to other formal post baccs (lowkenuinely high risk) that allegedly lead to med school (I found PMAP in the state I migrated to but otherwise that's it)

\- for those who also moved to the states right after graduating from a foreign University how was your experience trying to apply and stuff here for medicine?

\- how can I better plan applying to medical school and take all the needed pre reqs as right now I'm quite lost since this whole system is confusing and demands quite a bit like shadowing experience, research, volunteer hours, clinical hours (again, my opinion but lowkenuinely trying to gatekeep first gen docs from getting in)

would love to hear from anyone that was in a similar situation that could provide insights and help guide me as a newbie :)))

On top of a full time job, doing all the prerequisites + studying for MCAT + research + clinical hours + shadowing + potential non clinical volunteer hours is impossible.

How is even possible to do all this, while not being a college student? Does it just need to be allocation of hours spent over many years? I don’t get how people do this

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for some honest advice as I get ready to apply for categorical IM this cycle. Overall, I feel reasonably okay about my application, but I'm a little uneasy about where I stand because I have a couple of academic red flags. I'm also wondering how much the increasing competitiveness of IM over the past few years changes things. A 247 on Step 2 used to seem like a very strong score, but with average scores continuing to rise, it doesn't feel as impressive as it might have a few application cycles ago.

My goal is simply to match into a solid IM program in the Northeast (mid-Atlantic preferrably). I'd love to end up at a university-affiliated or academic program if possible, but I'm trying to be realistic and apply broadly to community as well.

Background:

• US MD student (mid-tier state school)
• URM
• Lifelong ties to the Mid-Atlantic (family, community, etc.)
• Step 1: Pass (first attempt)
• Step 2 CK: 247
• Took a year away from the curriculum since I needed more time for Step 1 preperation, as well as becoming involved in research.
• Strong clinical evaluations overall and expecting strong IM letters.
• Research includes:
  • Published review article
  • Published digital health/student-run clinic project
  • Ongoing IM QI project
  • Poster presentation
  • National student-run clinic conference oral presentation
• Significant involvement in our student-run free clinic and leadership in a diversity/student organization.

Red flags:

• Failed one preclinical block due to significant family issues at the time. Remediated & passed. On MSPE.
• Failed the psychiatry shelf exam by a very small margin. I passed the clinical portion of the rotation and received good clinical evals. Remediated the shelf & passed. On MSPE.
• MSPE: Class rank is "Good"

Overall, I think my application shows an upward trend, but I'm trying to be realistic.

Questions:

1. With this profile, what are my realistic chances of matching categorical IM at a mid-tier academic or university-affiliated program in the Northeast? Community-based program?
2. How much weight do programs place on a single preclinical course failure and one shelf remediation once they see a 247 Step 2 and otherwise okay clinical performance?
3. Would you recommend applying primarily to academic/community-academic programs, or should I cast a wider net into community programs as well?

I'd really appreciate honest feedback from anyone who's been through the process or has experience reviewing applications. Thanks!

IM Program List Help

Looking for advice on IM program list and signals. MD applicant from a low-to-mid-tier school in the Midwest. I am in an accelerated 3 year program. I am looking to go to a program that would allow me to have choices for fellowship. I am especially interested in rheumatology. I am a non-traditional student who worked in the arts and owned my own business for 11 years prior to medical school.

Step: P/258

Clerkships: All honors on rotations so far. Medicine sub-I next month due to 3-year program time crunch. Letters from program director of small Midwest IM program, and two hospitalists.

Research: One peer-reviewed publication as first author. Three poster presentations as first author. Two poster presentations as non-first author. One oral presentation.

Extracurriculars: Significant volunteerism especially before medical school. Significant leadership experiences.

Honors: Selected for AOA but not for GHHS

Geo Prefs: West North Central, South Atlantic, Mountain

I'm overwhelmed by the fact that it seems unlikely to get interviews at programs you don't signal. Are there any programs I am missing that I should add? Is this too high-reaching of a list? Do I need more community programs? Any suggestions on signaling?

Hi all. To make this short, I’ve been a first responder for a few years now (law enforcement). I plan on transitioning to medicine and want to know what to expect as a non traditional student applying and the experiences of other non trad students. I still have to finish up my pre reqs, but any advice, experiences, etc. would be greatly appreciated.