Medical Difficult Time in SMP - is it realistic to continue to pursue medicine?

[Question]

Hello everyone! Thank you for taking the time to read this post! Hope you are all staying safe and doing well!

I am currently in a SMP and finished my first semester with a sub-3.0 GPA.

If I cannot succeed in this program, does this indicate that I am just not fit for medical school?

I have not taken the MCAT so I apologize that I cannot give any other metrics.

Theoretically speaking, if I do NOT want to drop the idea of being a doctor, what are my options besides going Caribbean? Take more years off? Gain clinical experience? Take graduate level classes to raise my graduate GPA?

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[GoSpursGo]

I'm sorry you're having a rough time. It sounds like you have some extenuating personal circumstances, and while you had hoped you would be able to prove yourself unfortunately it hasn't worked out that way.

While I wish I had better news, the honest truth is that this is the end of your dream to matriculate at a US medical school, at least in the short term. An SMP is your chance to show that you can handle the academic rigor of medical school--and for reasons that may not be your fault, you could not. No medical school is going to take a chance on someone who is clearly not yet ready for the academic rigor. Additionally, I cannot recommend going to the Caribbean. The problems holding you back now are not going to magically disappear when you go overseas to a new environment with no support system.

Some of the other options you suggested are also unrealistic. Your problem is that you have not shown the ability to handle the rigor that will be expected in medical school. No amount of clinical experience will counteract that, nor will graduate courses be seen as equivalent. The only path forward is pursuing another field entirely and gaining "real world" experience. Do that, figure out how to be a responsible adult, and then in ~5 years if you still have the itch to be a physician look into another SMP/post-bacc option to redeem yourself.

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

I would really look into other careers at this point, unfortunately. For an SMP to help you, you would need to do WELL (3.7+ish) which you are nowhere near. I would look into something else at this point (NOT Caribbean).

 

[PerioDont]

I agree with all of the above.

It's a very tough pill to swallow, but you will get through this and find yourself in a much better spot for it in your future.

There are plenty of people outside of medicine who make a huge positive impact even in the healthcare world and are very successful