Out of the Box: Dr. Toyosi Adeoye's Tips for Securing a Medical Residency with a Non-Traditional Background (IMG Roadmap Series #112)
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Dr. Toyosi Adeoye is a Nigerian medical doctor who started medical school directly out of high school at the age of 16. She recently scored a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology, despite having a non-traditional medical background. Here's how she did it:
After finishing high school in Nigeria, Dr. Adeoye went to the Caribbean for medical school at All Saints University in Dominica. During her second year, a hurricane forced the school to relocate to St. Vincent, which was a bit of an adjustment for her from a more relaxed environment to monthly exams. She got a visa and did all her clinical rotations in Chicago at different hospitals, taking Step 1 in the island and then Step 2 in the US while doing rotations.
Initially, Dr. Adeoye was insecure because she had not followed the traditional pathway to medical school. She had not done a premedical program or obtained a bachelor's or a master's degree. She had to work harder to be seen as qualified and competitive, so she participated more in extracurricular activities and volunteering to boost her CV.
When it came to applying for a residency in OB, Dr. Adeoye rotated in the specialty and got research done to improve her chances of appearing better on paper. She accumulated volunteer experience to show that she was interested in giving back to the community. She also got a mentor, preferably with similar experiences to hers, to guide her through the process.
Dr. Adeoye's advice for those looking to follow in her footsteps is to study for exams, do practice tests, and work on your weak points. Don't self-reject, and be kind to yourself. Enjoy the process and take your time. When it comes to letters of recommendation, Dr. Adeoye applied to both family medicine and OB. For her OB application, she got four letters of recommendation from attendings with whom she did rotations, including one internal medicine and three OB doctors. For her family medicine application, her letters came from a family medicine doctor, a psychiatrist, and a pediatrician.
In summary, Dr. Adeoye's practical tips for scoring a medical residency despite a non-traditional medical background are to rotate in the specialty, get research done, accumulate volunteer experience, get a mentor, and give yourself a fighting chance!
You can reach out to Dr. Toyosi on either of her instagram accounts @Medictey and @Toyosi__a
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