Should I try for ortho?

[1732md]

Hi everyone, just wondering if I should try for ortho, do a research year, or just scrap it altogether and pursue something else.

Stats:
Step 1: 226
Step 2: Haven't taken yet, but shelf scores are looking promising
Clerkships: School is all P/F, but evaluations are great and supposedly I'll perform well on aways
Research: 1 first author (non ortho), 3 poster presentations (1 non ortho), and 2 abstracts (both ortho)
Extracurriculars:
-Part of an ortho internship between M1/M2 summer specifically for people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
-Served in the United States Army for 4 years as an airborne infantryman (gained alot of leadership experience from this)
-Represented my unit in the army as an athlete for 2 years
-President of orthopaedic interest group at my school (in addition to being president of another organization at my school)
-Receipient of an award of courage of stabilizing 2 people during an active shooting last year
-Multiple other work experiences (I am older lol)

I apologize if this comes off as humble bragging, but I think I am in an interesting position because my score is poor, but you hear about people with "X factors," and I was wondering if this would be something that counts. My biggest concern is not making it past the screens. Thanks ahead of time!

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[DarkHorizon]

Hi everyone, just wondering if I should try for ortho, do a research year, or just scrap it altogether and pursue something else.

Stats:
Step 1: 226
Step 2: Haven't taken yet, but shelf scores are looking promising
Clerkships: School is all P/F, but evaluations are great and supposedly I'll perform well on aways
Research: 1 first author (non ortho), 3 poster presentations (1 non ortho), and 2 abstracts (both ortho)
Extracurriculars:
-Part of an ortho internship between M1/M2 summer specifically for people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
-Served in the United States Army for 4 years as an airborne infantryman (gained alot of leadership experience from this)
-Represented my unit in the army as an athlete for 2 years
-President of orthopaedic interest group at my school (in addition to being president of another organization at my school)
-Receipient of an award of courage of stabilizing 2 people during an active shooting last year
-Multiple other work experiences (I am older lol)

I apologize if this comes off as humble bragging, but I think I am in an interesting position because my score is poor, but you hear about people with "X factors," and I was wondering if this would be something that counts. My biggest concern is not making it past the screens. Thanks ahead of time!

I would apply but be ready to not match. You have an interesting story. Pick the right programs to rotate at who take rotators. Your best bet is your home program and where you rotate. I am not sure of which programs, but certainly there are programs out there that are forgiving of board scores if you’re an awesome rotator. Odds are against you though.

 

[1732md]

I would apply but be ready to not match. You have an interesting story. Pick the right programs to rotate at who take rotators. Your best bet is your home program and where you rotate. I am not sure of which programs, but certainly there are programs out there that are forgiving of board scores if you’re an awesome rotator. Odds are against you though.

Do you think a research year would change anything for me? I'm worried about not making it past screens and I'm afraid that a research year doesn't change that fact. But then again, the class I would jump into is all P/F for step 1.

 

[Cmaster]

Do you think a research year would change anything for me? I'm worried about not making it past screens and I'm afraid that a research year doesn't change that fact. But then again, the class I would jump into is all P/F for step 1.

A productive research year or 2 could help. There are programs out there that are willing to look past your test scores if they have something to gain but accepting you. I know a couple residents that did a ton of research and matched at good programs. The attendings at those programs saw the applicant as an asset that could increase the research output of the whole department. These applicants had upwards of 100 pubs. Obviously, this is not an easy feat that is accomplished in 1 year. Most of these residents did several years of research.