4th Year DO student, ask me anything...

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any advice for an upcoming June 2015 DO applicant for the 2016 entering class?

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Any essential things you wish you knew before matriculating into medical school; whether it be about a particulular school, program, medicine in general, everyday living, etc.
 
I don't think I've ever heard that terminology before. Core 2?

I think some schools split their 3rd yr core clinical curriculum into 2 different tracks, where core 1 finishes their main core rotations in the fall and core 2 finishes their main core rotations in the spring.

Not all schools do it. My school runs on a staggered schedule split into 13 groups.
 
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any supplemental books you recommend to have during the pre clinical years to prep for complex 1 and step 1 ?
 
any supplemental books you recommend to have during the pre clinical years to prep for complex 1 and step 1 ?
Not trying to be an ass, but it will save you some embarrassment when you enter school to call it COMLEX and not complex. Could have been autocorrect, but I just wanted to extend a judgement free hand before you say it to a classmate. :)
 
Not trying to be an ass, but it will save you some embarrassment when you enter school to call it COMLEX and not complex. Could have been autocorrect, but I just wanted to extend a judgement free hand before you say it to a classmate. :)
Ha I appreciate it but it was the autocorrect . When I typed Comlex on my iPhone it autocorrected it to complex.
 
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Did you bust your butt for step 1 or take it easy?

I don't feel like I worked abnormally hard, but I didn't take it easy either. Looking back, my prep for step 1 wasn't that much to handle, about like prepping for a 400+ question regular med-school exam.
 
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I think some schools split their 3rd yr core clinical curriculum into 2 different tracks, where core 1 finishes their main core rotations in the fall and core 2 finishes their main core rotations in the spring.

Not all schools do it. My school runs on a staggered schedule split into 13 groups.

Interesting.

My school sends us in groups of 10 to 11 different rotation sites. We do Core rotations, selectives, and electives throughout the year in whatever order we choose.
 
Any essential things you wish you knew before matriculating into medical school; whether it be about a particulular school, program, medicine in general, everyday living, etc.

I wish I knew how awesome this career is, I wouldn't have dragged my feet in undergrad.

Other than that, just get the best basic science foundatio you can get while still in undergrad and then hit the books hard when you get here.
 
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any advice for an upcoming June 2015 DO applicant for the 2016 entering class?

Take everything seriously. Grades in M1-M2 don't matter that much, only in that they are a part of your class rank. But knowing the material well does matter, even if your grades don't show it. Also, just because you're making good grades, doesn't mean you're doing well. Years 3 and 4 are a whole different ball game and if you're good at memorizing but not good at internalizing, things will be hard.

Sometimes exams aren't good measures of your facility with a certain bit of material, so it's up to you to be honest with yourself and take stock of how well you really are learning on a regular basis. That goes for good and poor scores.
 
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Thank you so much for the replies! Public speaking has always been rather difficult for me and I'm not really sure why. I am always well prepared in advance but still manage to have a pounding heart beat, shaking hands, trembling voice..

I took the required course but still get extremely nervous. I am considering joining toastmasters to see if that will help.
 
How do DO students handle moving around for rotations? Do some students not find places in time to start their rotation? Do some students resort to living in a hotel for a month?
 
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Thank you so much for the replies! Public speaking has always been rather difficult for me and I'm not really sure why. I am always well prepared in advance but still manage to have a pounding heart beat, shaking hands, trembling voice..

I took the required course but still get extremely nervous. I am considering joining toastmasters to see if that will help.

See a doc, you might be able to get a prescription for some propranolol to take beforehand, it could help!
 
How do DO students handle moving around for rotations? Do some students not find places in time to start their rotation? Do some students resort to living in a hotel for a month?

I usually rented a room a few weeks in advance. But I only had to do that twice. The rest of my rotations have been within driving distance of my place. Some further than others, but never more than 45 or so minutes away. I only had to move once for medical school (not counting the move to The campus for M1)
 
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Did you have the option to do electives/away rotations in the field you wanted to go to? Would it be a safe bet to pick a school that allowed electives in the third year to increase chances of getting a good residency, especially if you want to do a speciality? I

know most DO schools have electives in the 4th year, but I'm deciding between NYCOM and NSU, and NYCOM allows electives in third year. Thank you so much for doing this thread btw! Enjoyed reading it
 
Did you have the option to do electives/away rotations in the field you wanted to go to? Would it be a safe bet to pick a school that allowed electives in the third year to increase chances of getting a good residency, especially if you want to do a speciality? I

know most DO schools have electives in the 4th year, but I'm deciding between NYCOM and NSU, and NYCOM allows electives in third year. Thank you so much for doing this thread btw! Enjoyed reading it

I did have the option, and I did one Sub-I in my field this past fall, it went extremely well and I would recommend everyone do at least one, the more the better though.

Yes I would choose a school that allowed for 1 or 2 electives in 3rd year.
 
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Random question but since you have electives - could you technically do a sub-I in your 3rd year with 1-2 electives?
 
Random question but since you have electives - could you technically do a sub-I in your 3rd year with 1-2 electives?

If there's any place that will take you into a sub-i in 3rd year you could. But Sub-I's are designed for 4th year students.

My IM rotation in 3rd year was basically a Sub-I though, even though it wasn't officially one.
 
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Summer abroad for medical outreach. Tons of time spent doing homeless advocacy and other random projects for a free clinic I got involved with.
did this significantly help you with match?
 
I really think it did.
You think surgery residencies would look less at PC volunteer work as opposed to FM/IM? I'm just wondering if like ECs in med school have different weight depending on what you want to go into. Like specialties value research more than volunteering or something
 
i was under the (popular) impression EC's carry little weight...its your board scores that do the talking.
 
Hi there. I will begin my first year soon at an osteopathic medical school and I really want to enter FM. What makes a FM residency program competitive? Are FM residency programs in big cities generally more competitive? What should I do in order to land a "competitive" FM residency? What factors does one take into account when choosing a FM residency program? I ask because I am from a big city and I am going to school OOS. Ultimately, in my career I wish to return to my community and practice there. Thank you.
 
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What was your social life like during medical school?
 
Hello everyone, current 4th year student here. I'm on my second to last rotation, things have slowed way down, and I'd like to offer up answers and advice for anyone who wants it.

A little about me:

- Former underdog applicant (from the original underdogs thread)
- Did quite well in med-school and on boards
- Married with kids
- Applied to FM residency, awaiting match results (two weeks!)

If anyone has any questions for someone who's been through the whole process of DO school I'd be glad to offer up my responses.

Best of luck everyone!

SLC
Hey I have a question about the osteopathic medical gap calculation process, when they calculate your gpa, do they count both grades for classes you've retaken or just the second grade (the higher grade) ? I've took a few classes over due to a bad sophomore year, thanks for your help
 
What were your ECs in undergrad and did you take hard classes in undergrad? (Is that why you got 3.2/2.7 no offense)
 
Hey I have a question about the osteopathic medical gap calculation process, when they calculate your gpa, do they count both grades for classes you've retaken or just the second grade (the higher grade) ? I've took a few classes over due to a bad sophomore year, thanks for your help

They only count the most recent grade.
 
What were your ECs in undergrad and did you take hard classes in undergrad? (Is that why you got 3.2/2.7 no offense)

The EC's I listed earlier were the undergrad ones. Homeless advocacy/medical volunteering, summer abroad with the U.S. Navy, kids cancer camp volunteer, a few hundred hours of shadowing.

My GPA went down because I got burned out in undergrad and thought I'd give up the dream of med-school. Also, my university is notorious for lower than average GPA's, faculty at the school told people at an admissions fair that I attended as an M1 they consider a 3.0 from my school to be equivalent to a 3.5 or higher from most other schools.

Some schools have a reputation for GPA inflation (the GPA is high, even if the student didn't perform all that well), while others do the opposite. Some admissions faculty feel like they are aware of which schools fit into which category.
 
What was your social life like during medical school?

I'm married, so it consisted of going out to dinner with my wife and hanging out with my kids. Once I found my groove a couple months into m1, the studying became very efficient and I had plenty of free time. In m3 and m4 it was less free time, but I still had time on many weekends and evenings.
 
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The EC's I listed earlier were the undergrad ones. Homeless advocacy/medical volunteering, summer abroad with the U.S. Navy, kids cancer camp volunteer, a few hundred hours of shadowing.

My GPA went down because I got burned out in undergrad and thought I'd give up the dream of med-school. Also, my university is notorious for lower than average GPA's, faculty at the school told people at an admissions fair that I attended as an M1 they consider a 3.0 from my school to be equivalent to a 3.5 or higher from most other schools.

Some schools have a reputation for GPA inflation (the GPA is high, even if the student didn't perform all that well), while others do the opposite. Some admissions faculty feel like they are aware of which schools fit into which category.
Thanks for replying. How did you recover from your burnt out experience. Like what was your motivation and did you think at a point that you couldn't handle it anymore?
 
Hi there. I will begin my first year soon at an osteopathic medical school and I really want to enter FM. What makes a FM residency program competitive? Are FM residency programs in big cities generally more competitive? What should I do in order to land a "competitive" FM residency? What factors does one take into account when choosing a FM residency program? I ask because I am from a big city and I am going to school OOS. Ultimately, in my career I wish to return to my community and practice there. Thank you.

FM is not generally considered competitive, meaning if you want FM and aren't choosy about the program, you can get in. But some FM programs are competitive, and the best way to break in there is to do away rotations early in your 4th year, score well on boards, do EC's to prove your comittment to FM, and take your clinical years very seriously.

You want as spotless an app as you can get, just like any other field.
 
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i was under the (popular) impression EC's carry little weight...its your board scores that do the talking.

That's generally true, but some EC's are hard for anyone to ignore. And people who read my app always asked questions and seemed very interested in my experiences and how I felt they would inform my practice.
 
You think surgery residencies would look less at PC volunteer work as opposed to FM/IM? I'm just wondering if like ECs in med school have different weight depending on what you want to go into. Like specialties value research more than volunteering or something

Some will value research above all else, all fields want to see comittment to that field through some type of EC activities. What activities those are is up to you. Seek the advice of advisors and mentors for more specifics about what you should do for your selected field.
 
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If anyone else has questions, I'm all ears and glad to help.
Since you will be matching soon, I am sure you have done many interviews in the medical application setting. Any tips for those who are applying to DO schools in regards to interviews (assuming I get any ) ?

Thanks
 
Since you will be matching soon, I am sure you have done many interviews in the medical application setting. Any tips for those who are applying to DO schools in regards to interviews (assuming I get any ) ?

Thanks

Be confident, and not only sell yourself, but make sure to have the school sell themselves to you. It's you that's going to be paying them $100K+ in tuition, so you've got to be comfortable going there just as much as they've got to be comfortable admitting you.

Make sure you ask the interviewers why you should pick their school.

Also, be gracious, and polite TO EVERYONE! The entire day is part of the interview; you are being watched and evaluated from the moment you set foot on campus for the interview.
 
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Be confident, and not only sell yourself, but make sure to have the school sell themselves to you. It's you that's going to be paying them $100K+ in tuition, so you've got to be comfortable going there just as much as they've got to be comfortable admitting you.

Make sure you ask the interviewers why you should pick their school.

Also, be gracious, and polite TO EVERYONE! The entire day is part of the interview; you are being watched and evaluated from the moment you set foot on campus for the interview.
Thank you and will keep this in mind.
 
What is your honest opinion on matching into upper tier residency's as a DO student. Your school is an upper tier DO school right? So lets go based on that.

I realize that its nearly impossible to get into derm residencys as DOs, but what about neurosurgery, radiology, general surgery?

Also, how difficult is it to get into a cardiology fellowship after an internal medicine residency?
 
What is your honest opinion on matching into upper tier residency's as a DO student. Your school is an upper tier DO school right? So lets go based on that.

I realize that its nearly impossible to get into derm residencys as DOs, but what about neurosurgery, radiology, general surgery?

Also, how difficult is it to get into a cardiology fellowship after an internal medicine residency?

I don't think my school is what most would consider "Upper tier", but the notion of tier's for DO schools is stupid IMO. Out there on the residency interview trail you're just a DO, not a DO who went to a "name" school.

Anyway, those residencies you mentioned are difficult for DO's to match into MD programs with the exception of Radiology, which anyone can get into these days. As a DO, if you're willing to do Radiology right now, it wouldn't take a lot to get into a solid MD program.

My school had one or two MD program matches out of 5 general surgery matches, plenty of DO's match ACGME (MD) general surgery each year; but most still do AOA (DO) general surgery. If and when you apply for residency, there probably won't be a distinction anymore, and all programs will be ACGME. You may have to get advice to which of the programs are more DO friendly at that point.

Neurosurgery, there are one or two ACGME matches for DO's each year it seems, but if you're going to become a neurosurgeon be prepared for a rough road both pre and post match regardless. And have a solid backup plan because that's a tough gig, both to get into, and to get through.

Cardiology fellowship depends on your residency program and the work/research you put in while there. Best to focus on how to get the best possible Internal Medicine residency if your goal is Cardiology (or any medicine sub-specialty for that matter).
 
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Out of curiosity what school did you attend?
 
I don't think my school is what most would consider "Upper tier", but the notion of tier's for DO schools is stupid IMO. Out there one the residency interview trail you're just a DO, not a DO who went to a "name" school.

Anyway, those residencies you mentioned are difficult for DO's to match into MD programs with the exception of Radiology, which anyone can get into these days. As a DO, if you're willing to do Radiology right now, it wouldn't take a lot to get into a solid MD program.

My school had one or two MD program matches out of 5 general surgery matches, plenty of DO's match ACGME (MD) general surgery each year; but most still do AOA (DO) general surgery. If and when you apply for residency, there probably won't be a distinction anymore, and all programs will be ACGME. You may have to get advice to which of the programs are more DO friendly at that point.

Neurosurgery, there are one or two ACGME matches for DO's each year it seems, but if you're going to become a neurosurgeon be prepared for a rough road both pre and post match regardless. And have a solid backup plan because that's a tough gig, both to get into, and to get through.

Cardiology fellowship depends on your residency program and the work/research you put in while there. Best to focus on how to get the best possible Internal Medicine residency if your goal is Cardiology (or any medicine sub-specialty for that matter).

I see. Ty for your helpful input. So basically this is all information I would need to ask my advisor week 1 of medical school?
 
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