Comlex & EM

[klite]

Hate to add another "What's a DO to do in an MD world?" thread but this is kinda complex. I took only COMLEX I this fall because I had the career plan of doing family practice and maybe picking up a few shifts in the ED as well. Now I find myself gravitating WAY more toward EM than family...so here is my delimma. The first two years of medical school pretty much beat the love of medicine clean out of me and by the time I took Comlex I could only muster maybe 8-9 days of hard study and got a 510, which is 53%, and saddled me with a class rank 101/123 (bottom third) of my class. Third year my attitude has really changed and I love medicine again, but should I go back and take USMLE I? My impression of USMLE I questions are that they're more "thinking & basic science" which I tend to do better on than COMLEX's obscure and poorly written clinical factoids. A classmate suggested that if I ace USMLE step II that will impress more, but will my app get many looks at ACGME programs with a mediocre class rank and no USMLE I score backing it? My school has only P/F clinical grades and years 3-4count very little toward class rank, so I feel like I might have to go back and take this test just to prove my poor preclinical grades are not indicative. Can you even take USMLE II w/out step I, and if so would I maybe be better served just acing my current rotations and studying clinical material for step II? It's great to jump out of bed in the morning and love what I do again, but how should I best apply myself this year to get out of this hole I've dug?

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[binswanger]

No you can't take Step II without taking Step I. My advice to you is to take USMLE I / II b/c your class rank isn't doing you any favors in your application. Get on the same playing field (do good on USMLE I & II) and you will have a lot more "street cred"..........

 

[klite]

No you can't take Step II without taking Step I. My advice to you is to take USMLE I / II b/c your class rank isn't doing you any favors in your application. Get on the same playing field (do good on USMLE I & II) and you will have a lot more "street cred"..........

Somebody told me DO students CAN take USMLE II w/out I so long as it's for bragging rights and is not used for licensure and that students in our class have done so

Also just found this on the USMLE website:
"LCME-accredited medical schools, although Step 1 and Step 2 can be taken in any order, most students will take Step 1 at the end of their second year and Step 2 in their fourth year"

 

[Apollyon]

No you can't take Step II without taking Step I. My advice to you is to take USMLE I / II b/c your class rank isn't doing you any favors in your application. Get on the same playing field (do good on USMLE I & II) and you will have a lot more "street cred"..........

From www.usmle.org:

"Do the Steps have to be taken at particular points during my medical education and career?
You must pass Step 1 and Step 2 before you are eligible to take Step 3. In LCME-accredited medical schools, although Step 1 and Step 2 can be taken in any order, most students will take Step 1 at the end of their second year and Step 2 in their fourth year; Step 3 is usually taken during the first or second year of postgraduate training. Students and graduates of medical schools outside the United States and Canada should contact the ECFMG for information on ECFMG certification and Step 1 and Step 2 eligibility.
Most medical licensing authorities require completion of USMLE Steps 1, 2, and 3 within a seven-year period, which begins when you pass your first Step. Check the FSMB website for further information on such requirements."

However, since DO schools are not LCME-accredited, I don't know where you lie.

(This is my 4000th post on SDN. Lucky me.)

 

[DrQuinn]

Hate to add another "What's a DO to do in an MD world?" thread but this is kinda complex. I took only COMLEX I this fall because I had the career plan of doing family practice and maybe picking up a few shifts in the ED as well. Now I find myself gravitating WAY more toward EM than family...so here is my delimma. The first two years of medical school pretty much beat the love of medicine clean out of me and by the time I took Comlex I could only muster maybe 8-9 days of hard study and got a 510, which is 53%, and saddled me with a class rank 101/123 (bottom third) of my class. Third year my attitude has really changed and I love medicine again, but should I go back and take USMLE I? My impression of USMLE I questions are that they're more "thinking & basic science" which I tend to do better on than COMLEX's obscure and poorly written clinical factoids. A classmate suggested that if I ace USMLE step II that will impress more, but will my app get many looks at ACGME programs with a mediocre class rank and no USMLE I score backing it? My school has only P/F clinical grades and years 3-4count very little toward class rank, so I feel like I might have to go back and take this test just to prove my poor preclinical grades are not indicative. Can you even take USMLE II w/out step I, and if so would I maybe be better served just acing my current rotations and studying clinical material for step II? It's great to jump out of bed in the morning and love what I do again, but how should I best apply myself this year to get out of this hole I've dug?

Take USMLE Step I. Many MD applicants do not have their Step 2 scores in with their ERAS application. If you want to compare apples to apples, you'll need to take Step I not Step II. If you can perform atleast average-above average, you may get your foot in the door.

Remember, its not just about the numbers, but strong LORs are equally important!

I've been reviewing applicatiosn for our program this year and honestly the transcripts from the schools are so confusing a lot of time I never base my judgement on them.

Q

 

[jf]

I am a 4th year DO student and I also did not take usmle step 1. After speaking with program directors I was adviced to at least take step 2 in order to more easily compare myself to other MD applicants. By all means you can take step 2 without having step 1 scores. You are not taking this exam for licensure, but simply to give you a more competitive edge. If I were you, I wold not go back and study for step 1 and just take step 2. I have already received 4 interviews based on my credentials to date, without USMLE step 1 scores.

Good luck!!