u/Empty_Profile_7887

Limited information for anonymity.

I got pulled from a clinical rotation after reporting my preceptor for ethical, educational, & behavioral concerns to my rotation director. They agreed the environment & preceptor were both very problematic and told me not to return.

But then a higher-up admin said the school doesn’t have another preceptor available now and asked me to find one myself or go back.

If the environment was bad enough to pull me, why am I responsible for fixing the school’s shortage?

I offered to contribute to finding a solution, but I don’t understand why I am having it offloaded on me. (This is probably the issue I created for myself.)

Am I being unreasonable? What can I do besides the obvious of making cold calls?

I have about three months until I take Level 2, and honestly I feel like I haven’t retained much from rotations. I feel pretty behind and, if I’m being real, kind of stupid. I also failed one shelf exam and will be retaking it soon.

Dedicated starts in June, and I’m not really sure where to start. I know that’s a broad question, but I’m feeling overwhelmed and could use some direction.

Any advice on how to approach the next few months?

I understand the general advice for DO students: take both COMLEX and STEP, or risk closing doors.

How many EM residents (DO) took only COMLEX and succeeded without issues?

I couldn’t take STEP due to unforeseen personal circumstances.

I’m predominantly interested in community based programs.

Any success stories? Advice?

I understand the general advice for DO students: take both COMLEX and STEP, or risk closing doors.

How many EM residents (DO) took only COMLEX and succeeded without issues?

I couldn’t take STEP due to unforeseen personal circumstances.

I’m predominantly interested in community based programs.

Any success stories? Advice?

TL;DR: DO student, EM(m1)—>FM(m2-3)—>EM(m3); asking about EM vs FM perspectives, daily life, behind on the process for auditions.

I’ve seen a lot of posts about this, but I wanted to get a bit more specific.

I came into med school set on EM, then switched to FM after realizing I really liked seeing patients over time, especially in rural settings and getting to work in the ER as a FM doc. But the more FM rotations I did, the more I realized clinic just drains me. I enjoy talking to patients and I like procedures, but day-to-day clinic started to feel like a grind, and I’d honestly feel a little down knowing I had another full clinic day.

I also saw FM docs covering the ER. Some were solid, but there were definitely cases where things were missed or handled differently than what I’ve seen from EM physicians, and that stuck with me. It made me start questioning the training differences more. At the same time, I actually prefer shift-based work, as I’ve done a lot of shift work before school.

Now I’m seriously considering pivoting back to EM, especially with how strong the opinions are about FM working in the ER. A lot of EM physicians argue the training just isn’t the same, and I understand that. I’m trying to figure out where that leaves someone like me when deciding between these paths. I do want to work in a rural setting, but I’m not sure if that’s something I want long-term. Given all of this, I’m trying to figure out whether it still makes sense to pursue FM or just commit fully to EM.

Do FM docs who work in the ER feel like they can truly keep up with EM docs? And for EM docs, do you actually see that as equivalent, or not?

I’ve also seen a lot of people say FM with EM fellowships aren’t really worth it.

On the other side, FM constantly gets labeled as having a better “lifestyle.” I asked about EM vs FM and lifestyle on r/FamilyMedicine and got absolutely ripped for even bringing it up. One person said no other specialty has a lifestyle, which didn’t really help when trying to truly evaluate future lifestyle with my career.

If you switched between FM ↔️ EM, why did you do it, and what would you tell someone trying to decide this late in the game?

I have had my focus mainly on FM auditions but realize that this shift towards EM auditions is not ideal this late in the game. Any advice? (Am I too late or not?)