Advice for a DO interested in Ortho

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pochi111

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I'm currently an OMSIII graduating in 2019 who is interested in Ortho. I'm kinda confused about the merger and after searching these forms I figured I would just post my situation.

I believe that I am a fairly competitive student. I am in the top 15% of the class, been part of clubs, received scholarships, dean list x2, did research in undergrad but my board scores were 685 and 226 for COMLEX and USMLE, respectively. I know that my COMLEX score is relatively competitive for Ortho but my USMLE is average, at best. My question is, going into the 2019 match, is having a low USMLE score going to hurt me for AOA or post-AOA, now ACGME programs or will my COMLEX score be sufficient? Should I even bother taking Step 2? At this point, I am only focusing on applying to AOA or post-AOA residencies. Obviously I understand the importance of audition rotations, strong letters of rec, etc.

Am I understanding my situation correctly or am I totally off the mark with the merger and everything?

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I'm currently an OMSIII graduating in 2019 who is interested in Ortho. I'm kinda confused about the merger and after searching these forms I figured I would just post my situation.

I believe that I am a fairly competitive student. I am in the top 15% of the class, been part of clubs, received scholarships, dean list x2, did research in undergrad but my board scores were 685 and 226 for COMLEX and USMLE, respectively. I know that my COMLEX score is relatively competitive for Ortho but my USMLE is average, at best. My question is, going into the 2019 match, is having a low USMLE score going to hurt me for AOA or post-AOA, now ACGME programs or will my COMLEX score be sufficient? Should I even bother taking Step 2? At this point, I am only focusing on applying to AOA or post-AOA residencies. Obviously I understand the importance of audition rotations, strong letters of rec, etc.

Am I understanding my situation correctly or am I totally off the mark with the merger and everything?

Your COMLEX is competitive for AOA ortho. The majority of AOA programs will still be in the DO match for 2019. There are a few that will be in both, but that shouldn’t effect you really. Make sure you audition at programs that will still be in DO match; I believe Broward is the only program that may be exclusively in the MD match.

I’m not sure about taking Step 2. The only reason it may be needed in your case is for applying to fellowships down the road. Maybe someone else can weigh in on that.
 
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Your comlex scores are good and make you competitive along with a few good audition rotations. Your best bet will be programs that only take applications in the DO match since your USMLE score won’t be transmitted.

I'm currently an OMSIII graduating in 2019 who is interested in Ortho. I'm kinda confused about the merger and after searching these forms I figured I would just post my situation.

I believe that I am a fairly competitive student. I am in the top 15% of the class, been part of clubs, received scholarships, dean list x2, did research in undergrad but my board scores were 685 and 226 for COMLEX and USMLE, respectively. I know that my COMLEX score is relatively competitive for Ortho but my USMLE is average, at best. My question is, going into the 2019 match, is having a low USMLE score going to hurt me for AOA or post-AOA, now ACGME programs or will my COMLEX score be sufficient? Should I even bother taking Step 2? At this point, I am only focusing on applying to AOA or post-AOA residencies. Obviously I understand the importance of audition rotations, strong letters of rec, etc.

Am I understanding my situation correctly or am I totally off the mark with the merger and everything?
 
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I am also interested in orthopedics. 685 is great according to last years national average for the COMLEX. However, this year people on SDN have been saying the average is close to 560 for the 2019 class. The way I am looking at this is that my mid-600 score is now not nearly as competitive for ortho as I thought before hearing about the national average this year... :(

If that is the case, you would have to be close to 690 to score in the 90%tile this year....
 
550 gets you in thedoor than it's an even playing field based on work ethic, personality, and how you get along with the residents.

Are you annoying and suck or could I work with you for a few years and grab a beer?
 
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