I Didn't Match into Residency More Than Once...Now I'm a Plastic Surgery Resident - My Match Story

Sharing my journey of not matching into residency as a 4th year medical student, then again as an intern / practicing physician, and then matching into a competitive specialty after not matching previously. I am currently a second year plastic surgery resident, and sharing my journey with hopes that it helps inspire and motivate those who have had the unfortunate experience of not matching into residency. If you would like to read about my full journey in more detail, you can find the links to my previous blog posts below:
2018 Match: www.aspiringminoritydoctor.com...
2019 Match (Part One): www.aspiringminoritydoctor.com...
2019 Match (Part Two): www.aspiringminoritydoctor.com...
2021 (I finally matched!!!!): www.aspiringminoritydoctor.com...
Post for the unmatched: www.aspiringminoritydoctor.com...

Пікірлер: 66

  • @trucmaitran3469
    @trucmaitran34697 ай бұрын

    Thank you doctor for sharing. MATCH should be fixed. Medical students have been working so hard every single day in their four years. Each of them deserves a residency after graduating.

  • @minoritydoctor

    @minoritydoctor

    7 ай бұрын

    I 100% agree! Just wish I had the answer on how to fix it 😔 Thank you so much for watching!

  • @DrSelva01
    @DrSelva016 күн бұрын

    Congratulations doctor! Happy for you! 🎉🎉🎉

  • @minoritydoctor

    @minoritydoctor

    6 күн бұрын

    Thank you so much! ❤️

  • @sebastianochoa4313
    @sebastianochoa4313 Жыл бұрын

    What an inspiring story! All the effort you put to overcome the obstacles that arose led you to where you are now! Congratulations and thanks for sharing your story. You just forgot to say that you also help IMG's (like me) too 😁🙌

  • @minoritydoctor

    @minoritydoctor

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for watching and for the kind words 🤗 And yes, always happy to help anyone no matter if DO, IMG, MD, premed, whatever...I want us all to make it!

  • @bettyconfettii
    @bettyconfettii22 күн бұрын

    I am subbing to your channel because I want to be a physician and matching is the part that concerns me lol. I’m not even in med school yet lol

  • @minoritydoctor

    @minoritydoctor

    21 күн бұрын

    Thank you for subbing! And please don't stress about the match process....honestly for me, the hardest part of this journey was getting into medical school! I plan to do more videos for premeds in the future, so stay tuned 🤗

  • @cherylh1864
    @cherylh1864 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for sharing! I think there are a lot more Doctors who don't match than what people realize! MATCH needs to be fixed with more transparency. God bless you!

  • @minoritydoctor

    @minoritydoctor

    Жыл бұрын

    I completely agree! Makes no sense to undergo years of education, pass exams, and then graduate without a job! Thank you for watching and I appreciate your comment

  • @valerievhytie
    @valerievhytie Жыл бұрын

    $10,000 is a lot. I’m happy you eventually matched. You’re gonna be a great surgeon ❤

  • @minoritydoctor

    @minoritydoctor

    Жыл бұрын

    I definitely cried a little when I hit the submit button, but I didn't want to have it in the back of my head that I may have missed out on applying to a place I had a chance at. Thank you so much for watching and for the kind words ❤️

  • @constantinerobert6396
    @constantinerobert6396 Жыл бұрын

    Danielle, Thank you for sharing your story of perserverance. I hope many will watch your story.

  • @minoritydoctor

    @minoritydoctor

    Жыл бұрын

    My pleasure and thank you for watching!

  • @annieboabeng9788
    @annieboabeng9788 Жыл бұрын

    After following your blog for so long it’s great seeing you on KZread. You are such an inspiration!!

  • @minoritydoctor

    @minoritydoctor

    Жыл бұрын

    Awww thank you so much! I appreciate you following along on my journey 🤗

  • @andrewp.5099
    @andrewp.5099 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much for sharing your inspiring story. I first heard about your story when listening to the Black Men in White Coats podcast. Your story is one that inspired me during the application cycle and continues to as a first year medical student now!! Wishing you the absolute best in your path and I hope to meet you one day in the near future. Looking forward to seeing what comes next on your journey!

  • @minoritydoctor

    @minoritydoctor

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much for watching and for the kind message. I am so happy I could help inspire you on your journey. Wishing you the absolute best as well!!!!

  • @ekisseka
    @ekisseka Жыл бұрын

    Wow, truly inspiring!

  • @minoritydoctor

    @minoritydoctor

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you 😊

  • @DoctorFashion
    @DoctorFashion4 ай бұрын

    Thank you so much for sharing! As a premed student, having this knowledge is incredibly valuable and greatly appreciated. ❤️

  • @minoritydoctor

    @minoritydoctor

    4 ай бұрын

    It's my pleasure to share! Glad you found it helpful 🤗

  • @dREAMwShan
    @dREAMwShan Жыл бұрын

    And you are soo deserving of your position!! Love your grit and determination!!

  • @minoritydoctor

    @minoritydoctor

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you sooo much! We've both come a long way 🤗

  • @chideraosuji6353
    @chideraosuji63533 ай бұрын

    You are such an AMAZING inspiration Dr. Ward. Just wow! You are so right that your dreams are not over!!

  • @minoritydoctor

    @minoritydoctor

    3 ай бұрын

    Thank you for the kind words! Let's me know I'm on the right track 🤗

  • @MelissaMaiga
    @MelissaMaiga2 ай бұрын

    Thank you for sharing !

  • @minoritydoctor

    @minoritydoctor

    2 ай бұрын

    My pleasure!

  • @msf8297
    @msf82979 ай бұрын

    i am not in the medical profession but this gives me hope as someone that has a master's degree but has been unable to find work for almost 3 years now. how??? i live in a country where unless you know someone, you will be working in a shop.... and even working in the shop, i am over qualified, over educated

  • @minoritydoctor

    @minoritydoctor

    7 ай бұрын

    I'm so sorry to hear that, but happy my story could help give you hope

  • @tee.chandler
    @tee.chandler8 ай бұрын

    Thanks for sharing. I am reapplying for fellowship this year.

  • @minoritydoctor

    @minoritydoctor

    7 ай бұрын

    Thank you for watching and wishing you all the best with fellowship applications!

  • @Robbover
    @Robbover4 ай бұрын

    Inspiring!! Hard work pays off. Never lost your faith and allow God to show you the way. Congrats... Stay safe and keep moving forward.

  • @minoritydoctor

    @minoritydoctor

    4 ай бұрын

    Thank you so much!!!!! So incredibly blessed to be in this position and happy I never gave up or lost faith. I appreciate you watching

  • @user-gp1zv5pn2o
    @user-gp1zv5pn2oАй бұрын

    God Bless You My Sister! 🙏✝️🤴❤️👍👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

  • @minoritydoctor

    @minoritydoctor

    Ай бұрын

    Thank you! 🥰

  • @TheHyperMD
    @TheHyperMD Жыл бұрын

    THANK YOU! so what I still dont understand is how to get the list for internship programs.

  • @minoritydoctor

    @minoritydoctor

    Жыл бұрын

    When you don't match the NRMP releases a list of unmatched programs, but unfortunately this list is only open to those participating in the "SOAP" process. After this process ends, then programs can release the information publicly if they still have not filled the position

  • @aravindmaddini6348
    @aravindmaddini6348 Жыл бұрын

    Nice 🙂👍

  • @minoritydoctor

    @minoritydoctor

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you!

  • @Misaamanenoir
    @Misaamanenoir4 ай бұрын

    Black women medical students are more likely to have repeat attempts at being matched. It’s inspiring to know is possible though. It’s wild that after all of everything in order to become a doctor there’s still more hunger games like situations to fight through

  • @minoritydoctor

    @minoritydoctor

    4 ай бұрын

    Yeah, it sucks but hopefully us pushing through helps make the path a little easier for those who follow behind us

  • @Little_docWu
    @Little_docWu5 ай бұрын

    Hi doc, thankyou for sharing this. May I ask for your point of view if one has a failing history of step 1, would it be worth to continue pursuing the path? What would you advise?

  • @minoritydoctor

    @minoritydoctor

    5 ай бұрын

    Thank you for watching. While it would most certainly be very difficult, and there may be a few programs that screen out failing scores, I wouldn't say it would be impossible. I think now that step 1 is pass/fail anyway, they key would be of course to go back and pass it, but then really aim to score high on step 2 since a lot of programs still look at the actual score percentage. You'll also need to do extremely well on clinical/away rotations, research, and networking.

  • @A2Z84
    @A2Z848 ай бұрын

    I am older, USA citizen, and a medical student outside USA. Is there a way I can get you as a mentor?

  • @minoritydoctor

    @minoritydoctor

    8 ай бұрын

    I'm always happy to help! Just send me an email: aspiringminoritydoctor@gmail.com

  • @tianaward7838
    @tianaward7838 Жыл бұрын

    That’s crazy

  • @minoritydoctor

    @minoritydoctor

    Жыл бұрын

    Life is crazy! Love you my wonderful child 😘

  • @RosesareRedCo

    @RosesareRedCo

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for sharing your story 🙏🏽

  • @minoritydoctor

    @minoritydoctor

    Жыл бұрын

    @@RosesareRedCo Thank you so much for watching!

  • @mike112693
    @mike1126934 ай бұрын

    wooowww that PD that said you were in the top 20 is terrible. These guys can be so awful

  • @minoritydoctor

    @minoritydoctor

    4 ай бұрын

    At the end of the day, programs want to make sure they don't go unfilled as well, so a lot of times they tell students anything to get them to rank. Major reason why I say don't trust the "love" these programs may give and only rank where you want to be

  • @trubluflu
    @trubluflu Жыл бұрын

    May I ask what your pay was like as an urgent care physician?

  • @minoritydoctor

    @minoritydoctor

    Жыл бұрын

    My pay rate was $100/hr, but that was at the lower end (which I was okay with given I'm not board certified/didn't complete residency and entered with only 1 year of experience). Pay does vary greatly from state to state and physician to physician though depending on negotiating and other factors.

  • @knosis

    @knosis

    9 ай бұрын

    ​@@minoritydoctor100/hr is such a sweet gig. I wish I made that as a resident 😂

  • @minoritydoctor

    @minoritydoctor

    9 ай бұрын

    @knosis Haha now that I'm back to being a broke resident not even making minimum wage when you account for all the hours worked, I wish the same! Following my dreams is definitely worth these 6 years of low income though

  • @innafox5853
    @innafox5853 Жыл бұрын

    Can you provide your stats please. This is astonishing

  • @minoritydoctor

    @minoritydoctor

    Жыл бұрын

    I prefer not to provide stats as I feel like way too much emphasis is placed on numbers when there is so much more that makes for a competitive applicant. I will say that I did not have super high stats, so I'm beyond thankful for the programs that recognized me outside of the numbers.

  • @innafox5853

    @innafox5853

    Жыл бұрын

    @@minoritydoctor ok thank you. As you can imagine this is terrifying to hear for someone who’s in med school/plans to become a physician in the future so naturally we want to ask the questions.

  • @minoritydoctor

    @minoritydoctor

    Жыл бұрын

    @Inna Fox Of course! I absolutely understand and welcome any and all questions! The stats one has always been a sensitive subject from the time I was a premed (which were super low stats that I have openly posted to my blog) to even as a med student (my pre-clinical years were pretty much average). When I finally matched, I was already 3 years out from having taken my final level 3 board exam and I believe my first board exam was 5 years prior, so I felt the focus on numbers was odd given that I was already fully licensed, working as practically an attending physician, and had passed all my board exams proving I could at least pass in a residency program if that makes sense.

  • @innafox5853

    @innafox5853

    Жыл бұрын

    @@minoritydoctor yes it makes sense. I am guessing since residency isn’t a requirement they are “allowed” to be picky with who they select and of course stats matter in medical like nowhere else so that’s what they go off of. It sucks bit I understand why it is that way. I also think there needs to be more residency programs and it’s a a system failure that there aren’t enough which makes it difficult to get in for even high achieving students sometimes

  • @minoritydoctor

    @minoritydoctor

    Жыл бұрын

    @Inna Fox I wouldn't say residency isn't a required as at least an intern year is required for any physician to be able to obtain a license. I completely agree there need to be more residency programs as the main issue is programs have hundreds of applicants applying for maybe 2-3 spots in their programs. Because of this, they try to reduce it to a more manageable number by screening based on stats, excluding DO/IMG applicants, etc

  • @buckeye-pe6df
    @buckeye-pe6df4 ай бұрын

    You're not telling the whole truth. There must be something very wrong with your background or interviewing skills if everything you've said in this video is true. Nobody applies to 300+ programs and gets one acceptance...lol Its actually not possible unless there is something very wrong with the applicant.

  • @minoritydoctor

    @minoritydoctor

    4 ай бұрын

    Hi, thanks for watching and for your comment! I can tell from your comment that you lack some basic comprehension skills and don't understand the residency process, so I'll try to help you out: 1) My major red flag was being a medical school graduate. Many programs will screen and only look at medical students...I was a couple of years out 2) When I applied to medical school as a student, I couldn't afford to apply to a lot of schools which definitely hurt my chances. I didn't apply to 300+ until I was working as essentially an attending physician and had the money to apply to a mass amount 3) I'm a DO, and unfortunately, we still receive some discrimination when it comes to competitive subspecialties. Out of hundreds to match into plastics my year, only 2 DO med students matched and I was the only grad to match. 4) You don't get an "acceptance" into residency, you "match" through a crazy lottery process. And you can only match into ONE program. If you watched my video, I said I received 2 interviews (which is a high number for plastics given the "red flags" noted above). 5) I was actually a very strong applicant which is how I eventually matched into plastics. I was med student of the year at my institution, received one of the highest awards given to a student at my school, served as National President of a major organization (so great communication and interpersonal skills), and honored my clinical rotations. Unfortunately, the match process is a lottery of sorts and excellent candidates go unmatched every year. So, in a nutshell, it actually IS possible, and obviously I'm proof of it. There's also nothing "wrong" with me (outside of not being able to refrain from calling out random people on the internet who say I'm a liar). If you're just now discovering me through KZread, feel free to check out my "Aspiring Minority Doctor" blog where my entire journey from premed to now is detailed. Also, feel free to Google me (Dr. Danielle Ward) if you don't believe anything I wrote above about myself. Wishing you all the best!

  • @MelissaMaiga
    @MelissaMaiga2 ай бұрын

    Is it possible to chat with you? Email?

  • @minoritydoctor

    @minoritydoctor

    2 ай бұрын

    Absolutely! Just send me an email and let's connect! Aspiringminoritydoctor@gmail.com