206 on step 1

[cardiacsarcoidosis]

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Greetings to all!
Applying general surgery, shot at matching?

US IMG
Step 1- 206
Step 2 CK - pending
Step 2 CS - pending

All clerkships being done/done at ACGME accredited teaching hospitals.

no red flags: i.e., no fails/no academic pitfalls/ no unexpected events; have passed everything first attempt so far.

25 yrs old, single, no commitments, etc. can move around/relocate
don't need any visas/work permits, born and raised in the USA, USA citizen

into outdoor activities/hobbies, i.e. canoeing, backpacking, camping, etc.
open to rural surgery programs.

have two peer reviewed publications, both first authored (one w/dept chair of surgery)

3 LORS, including one from dept chair of surgery

still in medical school, transitioning into a M4, not an older graduate, etc.

Honestly surgery was the only rotation I enjoyed,
felt like i clicked with the rotation and faculty/attendings,
was a 12 week clerkship at my med school in a busy inpatient
ACGME teaching hospital, loved the OR.



Any advice to increase chances of matching appreciated,
residents, attending, pd's

applying broadly

Thank you for your time in advance

 

[mikeGR]

There is potential. Step 1 will drag you down. You need to kill CK and have results ideally before application, certainly before interviews.

The research, unfortunately, doesn't matter that much. What would make a difference is whether that chair is willing to pick up the phone and get you some interviews.

Overall, without a good CK and the chair's active support, things may be tough.


PS. Face value of what you're describing is: Step 1 of 206. 3? first-author pubs (if they have been published or at least in-press - btw, what is an "exclusive" pub in a "limited-edition" journal? is it even peer-reviewed? if it's a case report or viewpoint it doesn't usually account to much), a couple more pending (pending = not there). "Strong" LORs sounds like average for surgery, and most of the time there is no way for you to know.

Edit: Just noticed your linkedin profile. Sorry to say this, but I am not sure that these publications would go a long way for most people (for some people, if it's not on pubmed, it didn't happen). Try to work as hard as you can on your step 2 and networking. Good luck!

 

[cardiacsarcoidosis]

There is potential. Step 1 will drag you down. You need to kill CK and have results ideally before application, certainly before interviews.

The research, unfortunately, doesn't matter that much. What would make a difference is whether that chair is willing to pick up the phone and get you some interviews.

Overall, without a good CK and the chair's active support, things may be tough.


PS. Face value of what you're describing is: Step 1 of 206. 3? first-author pubs (if they have been published or at least in-press - btw, what is an "exclusive" pub in a "limited-edition" journal? is it even peer-reviewed? if it's a case report or viewpoint it doesn't usually account to much), a couple more pending (pending = not there). "Strong" LORs sounds like average for surgery, and most of the time there is no way for you to know.

Edit: Just noticed your linkedin profile. Sorry to say this, but I am not sure that these publications would go a long way for most people (for some people, if it's not on pubmed, it didn't happen). Try to work as hard as you can on your step 2 and networking. Good luck!

Thank you for your valuable advice and time. I appreciate your response.