Advice needed For Upcoming Match Cycle

[Future_Resident]

Hey y'all, I am a fourth-year DO student. I am very late to the anesthesia application process, and I only very recently discovered that it is something I would genuinely love to do.

My stats:

COMLEX 1: 510
COMLEX 2: TBD
STEP 2: TBD

Clinical Grades: Mostly Honors (including IM and Surgery), and a few High Pass (OB/GYN)
Class Rank: School does not do ranks, but upper quartile

I have applied to bunch of away rotations in the past few weeks and so far have only heard back from one of them and so I have one anesthesia audition rotation scheduled for September.

I was wondering if anyone familiar with the application cycle (recent applicants/PDs/residents etc) could help answer some questions I had:

1) If I had to, I could take the next 6 weeks to study for Step 1 and take it, but is it worth it?

2) Is that time better invested at this stage of the cycle in just studying for Step 2?

3) When is the latest I can take Step 2 if I do take the next few weeks to study for Step 1?

4) Is it possible to apply for apps and then just send in Step 2 when I get the score?

5) What would a transitional year do for someone with my application profile?

Thank you all for all the help! I just have my mind going a million places right now trying to figure what, if anything, I should do.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[ToKingdomCome]

You need take step one. Apparently anesthesia was very difficult for DO’s last cycle. Take step one and do well on it. It also goes without saying to take step 2 and also do well on that. Otherwise you are going to make it very challenging for yourself for match.

 

[ToKingdomCome]

I know someone many years ago in my class who discovered anesthesia late and took step 1 and 2 like back to back. He’s now a gas resident

 

[UnoMas]

You are SOL as a DO with those scores without Step 1 and Step 2. When I was applying, many programs wouldnt rank you if you didnt turn your Step 2 score in before January.

 

[Katheudontas parateroumen]

Yes definitely take both step 1 and step 2. Take step 1 asap so you get scores back for September eras submission. You can send in a step 2 later but not too much later. I’d say get score in by October. Most interviews take place in November and December and some in January. Apply every where possible. Apparently anesthesia is more competitive than ever. Also apply to back up prelim medicine and TY. It’s important to get a prelim year especially if that prelim has an anesthesia program you could slip into later if you didn’t match. Good luck to you and please go after your passion, it is worth it. Go at it smart!
What specialty were you planning on applying before you decided anesthesia?

 

[Future_Resident]

I know someone many years ago in my class who discovered anesthesia late and took step 1 and 2 like back to back. He’s now a gas resident

TY for the advice/inspiration! Do you remember when he happened to take them?

 

[Future_Resident]

You are SOL as a DO with those scores without Step 1 and Step 2. When I was applying, many programs wouldnt rank you if you didnt turn your Step 2 score in before January.

SO I recognize that it's a tough uphill battle and coming into this so late, I wasn't expecting anything different.

The one thing I had a question about was that the NRMP match data shows that with my score I have a 70% chance of matching based off of last year's data. Why is there such a discrepancy between that relatively high chance of matching and the relatively low COMLEX score.

I'm not saying anyone is wrong, I am just trying to better understand the data.

 

[Future_Resident]

Yes definitely take both step 1 and step 2. Take step 1 asap so you get scores back for September eras submission. You can send in a step 2 later but not too much later. I’d say get score in by October. Most interviews take place in November and December and some in January. Apply every where possible. Apparently anesthesia is more competitive than ever. Also apply to back up prelim medicine and TY. It’s important to get a prelim year especially if that prelim has an anesthesia program you could slip into later if you didn’t match. Good luck to you and please go after your passion, it is worth it. Go at it smart!
What specialty were you planning on applying before you decided anesthesia?

You can send in a step 2 later but not too much later. I’d say get score in by October. Most interviews take place in November and December and some in January.

I am planning on taking STEP 1 sometime in early August and STEP 2 sometime in maybe late September/early October. Would that timeline work?

Also apply to back up prelim medicine and TY. It’s important to get a prelim year especially if that prelim has an anesthesia program you could slip into later if you didn’t match

This is something I had not considered. Do I actually have a decent chance of matching into a TY year? Would it help me?

What specialty were you planning on applying before you decided anesthesia?

I was planning on doing IM at a place that I have a connection to and also has a high rate of taking in-house residents to fellowships. I would love to Cardiology. I just happened to slip into an Anesthesia rotation and it was amazing.

 

[Katheudontas parateroumen]

That timeline seems ok. Good luck and hope it goes well!

not sure if TY is more helpful vs a traditional medicine year. I don’t like surgery so I didn’t ever consider surgery prelim but that’s an option too. It’s my understanding that typical TY year is quite competitive than prelim medicine. There are lots of left over surgery prelim and probably for good reason.
If I were you I would definitely apply to that IM spot. Even if it’s only that one spot. Life is much better having matched the first time rather than having to scramble. I know people who scrambled and that just seems like too much stress. Kudos to those that never gave up but dang that’s stressful.