GAP YEAR

“GAP YEAR”
A trend that has been emerging since the late 1990’s is what is known as “Gap Year.” Gap year is traditionally a one year period that a medical student will take off in between their last year of medical school and the first year of residency. In previous years this had been discouraged, as many felt it was detrimental to the student to take a break from learning; however, this manner of thought has been left behind. Many medical students have found that taking a year off can actually be very beneficial for them. Not only does it give the student more time to study and prepare for USMLEs, but many students use this year to gain a better understanding of their prospective medical careers, often doing hands on clinical rotations or research programs. For IMGs, this is an excellent time to obtain US clinical experience, and become acclimated to life in American society.