Not everyone heads straight into residency after medical school. The reasons for someone taking a non-traditional path to residency can vary significantly, from not matching to a leave of absence and much more.
In this post, we’ll broadly cover what it means to be a non-traditional residency applicant, the benefits and drawbacks, and how to make the most of your less traditional path.
Benefits and Drawbacks of a Non-Traditional Path to Residency
As with anything, taking a non-traditional path to residency comes with both benefits and drawbacks.
Let’s start with the benefits.
Non-Traditional Path Benefits
A non-traditional path, as in, not going straight from medical school into residency, gives you more time to prepare your residency application. This could mean more time to boost your qualifications by fostering relationships with future letter of recommendation writers, gaining more research experience, earning publications, and generally bolstering any potential weak areas in your ERAS application.
It also gives you more time to prioritize physical and mental health, which may have suffered during the grind of medical school.
Going into your residency application and interviews with enhanced qualifications and a refreshed and invigorated mindset could potentially equal a better match if you utilize your extra time well.
Non-Traditional Path Drawbacks
Taking a year or more before applying to residency delays an already long journey. You’ve already spent four years as a premed and four years in medical school. Depending on your specialty, you could spend another three to seven years in residency. Taking extra time before residency further delays both your residency salary and your physician salary, which will likely add to your debt.
Of course, sometimes the delay is out of your control, such as if you have to take an extra year because you didn’t match or suffered a physical or mental health scare. Regardless of whether the delay is within or outside of your control, there are a number of reasons you might take a non-traditional path to residency.
What Are Non-Traditional Residency Paths?
1 | Research Year
Some med students choose to take a research year, as research is an extremely sought-after experience when applying to residency
A research year can allow you to dig deep into a project to gain experience, build strong connections for letters of recommendation, present your findings, and potentially earn publications.
If research has always particularly interested you, it’s also an opportunity to pursue a research topic you won’t have the extra time for once you begin residency. If you’ve always wanted to pursue research further, this may be your chance to fully focus on it for an extended period of time, as there is little extra time left over once residency begins.
Plus, this could also be an opportunity to foster a relationship with another mentor. Not only could they write you a letter, but depending on the strength of your relationship and their faith in your abilities, they could even make a call on your behalf. A rock solid mentor who has your back is far more beneficial than the coolest sounding project.
2 | Gap Year to Pursue Interests
Residency is a whirlwind that could last up to seven years, depending on your specialty. And if you think you’ll have time after that, think again. After residency, you may choose to pursue a fellowship or get started building your career. After all, that mounting debt won’t pay itself
If you have a passion or interest you’ve always wanted to pursue or think you may regret not trying before jumping into your career, taking a gap year may be your only opportunity for some time.
A gap year is sometimes taken by medical students toward the end of medical school before applying to residency if they have other passions. Examples include volunteering either locally or abroad or pursuing an interest outside of medicine, such as starting a side business, prioritizing an athletic career, or traveling.
3 | Health Leave
Medical students may need to delay their path to residency for health reasons, whether physical or mental. Entering the residency application process or residency with a notable health concern is a recipe for disaster, as this time of your life will be more stressful than anything you have faced thus far in your medical training.
What’s most essential is understanding that taking a medical leave should never be looked at as a failure or giving up. It takes courage, maturity, and significant self-awareness to understand your limits. Prioritizing your own personal needs and wellness is something that far too many doctors in training completely neglect, which sacrifices their mental and physical health.
Burnout among medical students and residents is an epidemic. Learn more about Burnout in Medical Students & Residents and What to Do About It.
It’s also possible that the health concern is not your own. If you have ailing parents or a close family member who is ill, you choose or be forced to take a year or more off between medical school and residency to care for them. You may also need to take your own time to greive a sick, dying, or passed loved one.
4 | Longer Program
Choosing to pursue a dual-degree program, such as an MD/PhD, a Masters of Public Health (MPH), or a Doctor of Medicine/Juris Doctor (MD/JD) program may also lead to a nontraditional path residency. Most of these programs MD/PhD take six to eight years before residency.
While people who choose this path have a much longer journey before they begin their career, they are set up with unique qualifications and a wealth of experience to add to residency application essays and interviews. Although dual-degree programs are a non-traditional path, they can be extremely lucrative and indicate passion and dedication to residency programs.
5 | No Match
It’s not something most applicants even want to think about, but despite your best efforts, it’s possible that you may not match into residency.
Timing is critical for residency reapplicants. You only find out whether or not you matched in mid-March, and residency applications must be submitted by September. This only leaves five months to reassess your application and make significant improvements to it before the following cycle.
While choosing whether to reapply in the immediate next cycle is a personal choice based on your own unique circumstances, what must be avoided at all costs is a second no match.
This is why many reapplicants choose to take a year to bolster their qualifications, collect new experiences, and cultivate new relationships to help them reapply successfully the following year.
Learn more from our guides: What Happens If You Don’t Match and Reapplying to Residency: 5 Steps to Improve a Residency Application.
Advice for Those Taking a Non-Traditional Residency Path
Maintain Your Relationships
No matter the reason for taking a non-traditional path to residency, it is vital that you maintain your relationships throughout this time. Don’t burn bridges by neglecting the relationships you’ve cultivated over the course of medical school.
Your relationships will play a huge part in your residency application through your letters of recommendation. The letters give programs an inside look at what the people you’ve worked alongside think of you. If the professionals you’ve worked with over the years have glowing praise and anecdotes about you, programs will certainly take notice.
If you’re leaving the academic environment to volunteer, travel, or due to the health of yourself or a loved one, stay in touch with your mentors. Keep them informed of what you’re up to and stay up to date with any research or projects they’re working on. Offer to lend a helping hand if you have the time or ability.
Having mentors you can depend on is invaluable to your future medical education and career. Do what you can to maintain and continue to develop these relationships.
It’s also essential to keep your school aware of what you’re doing so that they can support you in the best way possible. Whether it’s a research fellowship at another institution or you have to take a leave of absence, do not alienate yourself from the school. The faculty of your school are your advocates. They need to give you your transcript and Dean’s Letter (MSPE), so stay in touch and keep them informed.
If you’re taking a research year to indulge your passions, extend your qualifications, or because you need another stronger letter of recommendation, this is also the ideal chance to build brand new relationships and connections. Put yourself out there and intentionally look for these opportunities.
Keep a Journal of Activities
The details matter when it comes to applying to residency, and if you are taking an extra year or more before applying, you’re all the more likely to forget the stories and anecdotes that could connect with an admissions committee.
Telling stories in interviews is arguably the most powerful way to sell your application and sell yourself. But before you even get there, you’ll also need to craft your experiences section on the residency application.
Keep a detailed journal of your experiences, including notes about hours, contacts, who you worked with, how you felt about the experience at the time, and what you learned. Regardless of the reasons behind your non-traditional path, how are you continuing to invest in and expand your medical education? Think about how your path ties into your future specialty.
Build Your Unique Path Into Your Narrative
Taking a non-traditional path to residency can be an advantage to your residency application, as your unique story can help you stand out. Amongst thousands of other applicants applying in the traditional way, you have something unique to speak about in your application, essays, and during interviews.
Whether you chose to take a longer path or were forced to due to extenuating circumstances, build your non-traditional experience and journey into your application narrative.
If you had setbacks along the way, explain how those setbacks made you stronger and more determined to pursue your medical aspirations. How have you matured? What key strengths have you honed or discovered about yourself? How specifically are you a different applicant now?
If extenuating circumstances forced your hand, show your grit, determination, and resilience. Yes, you didn’t succeed the first time, but instead of wallowing in self-pity, you picked yourself up, dusted yourself off, and improved your qualifications. Demonstrate how this setback has only proved your strength of character.
If you chose to take extra time, how has that choice made you an even better candidate now? How did that time further inspired your passion for your chosen specialty?
It’s critical to keep in mind that, depending on the type of extra time you took, programs will expect you to have something to show for it. If you’re considering taking a research year to secure more publications, for example, know that it’s a gamble because research is far from a sure thing. Your project may not pan out, and adcoms will be curious to hear more about what you accomplished in this time.
Build a Unique and Stand Out Residency Application
Every situation and journey is different, but whatever your reasons for taking a non-traditional path, fully commit to your decision. Having a core activity will ensure you don’t overcommit and underperform.
What’s critical to a future match is crafting a cohesive and compelling narrative that demonstrates how your time before residency has made you a stronger, more capable candidate, and a more mature human being.
Fortunately, you’ve come to the right place. Med School Insiders can help you prepare a stand out residency application. We offer a number of Residency Admissions Consulting Services tailored to your needs, including ERAS application editing, residency personal statement editing, one-on-one advising, and interview prep. We’ll help you hone your narrative and get the attention of your top choice residency programs.
This Post Has 4 Comments
If only, a medical school Pre Med program like in your country in the United States (U.S) could be implemented in my country in Indonesia as a second option for theres admission requirements, along with the current medical school admission requirements that are currently still ongoing here. Really, what a big benefit it is for high school students who don’t have a science background (non science background student), so it opens up opportunities for those who are seriously interested in the medical profession to become real medical doctors in the future. Sadly, in my country, the requirements for admission to medical school at college only look at a majoring in science from the high school of origin, a copy of report card grades majoring in science from semesters 1 – 5 only (the important thing is that you have been majoring in science at your school), and very competitive and tight medical school admissions. The High School Alma mater of the high school graduate from which they originate also influences Medical School admissions success rate. Really, How expensive is the opportunity to study in that’s major. Who Knows, when the change (in the medical school admissions in my country) might happen? In Future? Just hope. If it could happen… for this Beautiful Profession.
for your information, to becoming a doctor in my country, especially for majoring in speciality level in the medicine. sure, is really harder, limited, and strict. rather than start majoring in general level doctor which more popular choice for any pre clinical student at beginner.
short words, for getting the Speciality level graduate in the medicine major was very limited and not for all, especially for in my country.
i hope in the future, the medical school admission requirement especially in my country can change to provide more open, bring change, beneficial, and fair opportunities for all.