Good EM Residency as a DO

[Dr Air Jordan]

what kind of USMLE/Class rank stats would I need to get to an Allopathic EM program as a DO?

I understand that EM is getting more competitive, so as a DO what level of performance should I be aiming for?

Say I do mediocre on my boards/school, does this eliminate me from being able to go into EM?

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[RabidBadger]

what kind of USMLE/Class rank stats would I need to get to an Allopathic EM program as a DO?

I understand that EM is getting more competitive, so as a DO what level of performance should I be aiming for?

Say I do mediocre on my boards/school, does this eliminate me from being able to go into EM?

I think you should just do as well as you possibly can and leave as many doors open as possible just in case you change your mind about EM down the road. I have had multiple classmates that thought they wanted to do EM and decided they liked something else more once they had their 3rd year rotations. Study for classes/board exams with a mentality that you're trying to get perfect scores so that you'll have the best results.

Besides, for EM one of the most (if not THE most) important thing is the SLOE's that you get from doing rotations during your 4th year.

 

[lp430]

Take USMLE Step 1 & 2. Do well on them and it will keep doors open for most specialties, including EM.
Do a couple away rotations at allopathic EM programs and get Honors evaluations. Based on what I've seen, strong SLOEs are just as important as board scores, if not more so.
It's definitely achievable as a DO. Just work hard.

 

[Angry Birds]

I knew/know plenty of DO students in EM. Just work your hardest and leave the rest to fate.

Good luck!

 

[Ddrumem]

Agree with the above. It's all about the sloe for the most part. Rotating at a respected program and doing well will take you very far. My step scores were never mentioned in 17 interviews and my sloes came up in prob 80% of them. And at least hitting the averages or close for both USMLE steps helps. Check out nrmp for those. Step scores seem to be the screeners. Also having a complete application by the time eras opens up for acgme helps tremendously.

 

[crowowunt]

AOA EM residencies - It's the "Besties" world for now. It may change soon as small programs fade out.
ACGME EM residencies - It's all about the Board score and/or what you can bring to their programs.

SLOE is important but you can often influence the SLOE writers.

 

[Rekt]

AOA EM residencies - It's the "Besties" world for now. It may change soon as small programs fade out.
ACGME EM residencies - It's all about the Board score and/or what you can bring to their programs.

SLOE is important but you can often influence the SLOE writers.

What do you mean by this?

 

[racerwad]

AOA EM residencies - It's the "Besties" world for now. It may change soon as small programs fade out.
ACGME EM residencies - It's all about the Board score and/or what you can bring to their programs.

SLOE is important but you can often influence the SLOE writers.

I agree that SLOE is important, but isn't the point to influence the SLOE writers by being a great candidate?

 

[Lysinee]

Can SLOE only be requested during an away rotation? I was thinking of getting 1 SLOE from EM physician I was shadowing during 3rd year.

 

[racerwad]

Can SLOE only be requested during an away rotation? I was thinking of getting 1 SLOE from EM physician I was shadowing during 3rd year.

Only during a rotation and only by faculty at an EM residency program. The whole point is to evaluate you against the cohort with which you will be applying to residency.

 

[Petypet]

What do you mean by this?

Ass kissing gets you further than merits, board scores, and abilities.

 

[crowowunt]

What do you mean by this?

I know people with fairly low COMLEX scores still get in bc they know the chiefs or PDs or APDs. You won't generally get an interview from ACGME with low numbers on Boards...

I agree that SLOE is important, but isn't the point to influence the SLOE writers by being a great candidate?

In an ideal world, yes

 

[racerwad]

I know people with fairly low COMLEX scores still get in bc they know the chiefs or PDs or APDs. You won't generally get an interview from ACGME with low numbers on Boards...


In an ideal world, yes

Ok, so are we agreeing, or are you saying there is another way of positively influencing the SLOE writers besides being a great candidate?

 

[BlackDynamite]

How many sloes make an application complete?

 

[DO2016EM]

How many sloes make an application complete?

As a DO applicant, you'll want at least two from two separate institutions.

 

[Thought Crime Spree]

Ok, so are we agreeing, or are you saying there is another way of positively influencing the SLOE writers besides being a great candidate?

12 pack of craft beer with the SLOE request taped to it

 

[DocEspana]

12 pack of craft beer with the SLOE request taped to it

Find that one physician who is just a bit too energetic and takes a few too many "smoke breaks".

SLOR (back in my day.... of three years ago) with a dimebag stapled to it. Then they'll also write it quickly.

 

[HooliganSnail]

Ass kissing gets you further than merits, board scores, and abilities.

Sadly.....True

 

[FutureD.O]

Hi everyone! Could someone tell me what a sloe is? I'm looking to stay on top of things in respect to the specialties I'm interested in pursuing.

 

[app1]

Hi everyone! Could someone tell me what a sloe is? I'm looking to stay on top of things in respect to the specialties I'm interested in pursuing.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=SLOE+Emergency+Medicine

In all seriousness though, SLOE is our standardized letter of recommendation. Emergency medicine is an awesome specialty and is very DO friendly, even among the most competitive programs. For most places your performance matters more than your school.

 

[FutureD.O]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=SLOE+Emergency+Medicine

Touché.

I literally googled it after posting here. When you're reading a ton of forums you sometimes forget there are faster ways to learn things..

Edit: thanks for the second reply! I'm taking everything one step at a time so excuse me if I seem naive about residency matching. A few months ago my only concern was getting accepted haha.

 

[Swingman]

Check out the Match Advice Series from the ALiEM blog. There's a video specifically about non-LCME applicants that covers this issue.

It's all pretty common sense stuff. Just do everything you can to level the playing field between yourself and the folks you'll be competing with and you'll do fine.

Also, don't be a sociopath. This helps.