Advice on Residency options- DO

[T4113]

Hey guys, I need some advice. I'm a current 3rd year and looking into setting up audition rotations for next year as well as possible hospitals I'd like to apply to for residency but I need some advice. My GPA in med school is 3.19 and my comlex level 1 score was 408. I know this isn't competitive at all. I would really love to get into a residency in family medicine/ER or maybe just Family first then somewhere down the road go into ER. I love both but I know a dual residency is even more competitive and I just don't have the scores to be considered. I'm working hard to make sure my complex 2 score is somewhere in the 500s range to try to show residency programs that I just struggled studying for the first one unfortunately. I would greatly appreciate advice on programs to look at or if I should start contacting program directors and ask them how to "redeem myself" competitive for their program. I would also greatly appreciate advice on how to better study for level 2. I've started DIT and I'm halfway done. I've bought step up to medicine and master the boards which I plan on starting once this rotation is over and to do Uworld questions along side it. I also have comlex which I would like to start sometime in May. I've also heard great things about MedEd online but haven't looked into it yet. I'm taking my level 2 in August.
Thanks for all the help

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[Drrrrrr. Celty]

I think there aren't many ER fellowships for FM. But if you're in a rural area you may be able to work in an ER as a FM doctor.

Why the extremely low COMLEX?

 

[Pisiform]

ER fellowships aren't even necessary for Practicing rural EM as long as you had enough exposure to EM during your FM residency and was comfortable with procedures, lines, intubations


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[T4113]

I think there aren't many ER fellowships for FM. But if you're in a rural area you may be able to work in an ER as a FM doctor.

Why the extremely low COMLEX?

I had a really hard time studying for it/trying to find the best way to get the material down. My memory is terrible. I did well on combank but my complex questions were so different. This time around I'm going to do Uworld first and then combank at the end. Any advice on what things worked for you when you were studying for comlex 2?

 

[Peach Newport]

Is 3.18 actually considered a low gpa for medical school? Doesn't that just mean you got mostly Bs and a few As?

 

[SlugMD]

Is 3.18 actually considered a low gpa for medical school? Doesn't that just mean you got mostly Bs and a few As?

I believe he is referring to having a 3.18 during medical school, not what he had when he was applying.

 

[T4113]

I believe he is referring to having a 3.18 during medical school, not what he had when he was applying.

I had a 3.5-or 3.6 in college. Yes, I was referring to my GPA during medical school.
My plan to study to level 2 is to finish DIT by the second week of March. Then start Uworld and read master the boards. Sometime in the middle of April I want to start videos in online MedEd and in June start Combank and maybe Comquest (just the OMM portion). I really don't want to make the same mistake again. I really really want to study well and redeem myself. I know that low score cost me a lot. I have a tough time remember questions in Uworld. Like some of the friends can be recall similar questions that they've answered but I can't even when I've taken notes on it in first aid. Anyone have advice on how to get the most out of Qbanks? I would read the the question and all the answer choices because I wanted to know why those answer choices were wrong and why the right answer was correct. Is there anything else I can do to really engage and recall information?

Sorry about all the paragraphs. Just really needs some advice from people have been in similar situations or just anyone that would love to support a future coworker someday Really appreciate all the input.

 

[jw3600]

I believe he is referring to having a 3.18 during medical school, not what he had when he was applying.

I believe the poster you replied to knew that. He was saying isn't a 3.18 a decent GPA to achieve while in medical school. The answer is it depends. Rank is much more relevant because schools have vastly different GPA distributions.

 

[LUCPM]

With the way things have been for the past few years, EM is getting more competitive. FM is a lot less competitive but you would be competing with other middle-of-the-pack applicants. To stand out from the crowds, doing audition rotations can be helpful. They are generally looking for decent people with strong work ethics, so all you have to do is to show up, smile, and work hard. Like others said, FM will open doors for you to work in some rural ERs (even without fellowship) but you might not want to work in the ER after all. I, too, consider EM before applying for FM, but now, I can't imagine working in the ER for the rest of my career for many reasons I didn't recognize as a med student. EM could be a lot of fun in the short run but the stress and many other things can really take a toll on your emotional and physical health. On the contrary, I have found FM to be a perfect balance: you can work a few shifts in the ER, work at urgent care/outpatient clinic/hospital, or even do OBs. When deciding where to do audition rotations, keep in mind that some programs are really heavy in OB. I hated OB from the day I was born and I still hate OB, and I am so glad that I chose a program that was not OB-heavy.

 

[Peach Newport]

I believe the poster you replied to knew that. He was saying isn't a 3.18 a decent GPA to achieve while in medical school. The answer is it depends. Rank is much more relevant because schools have vastly different GPA distributions.

Thank you. Yes, I was referring to medical school GPA.

Is rank really important? I'm pretty much right smack in the middle. Am I kind of boned for competitive places?

 

[jw3600]

Thank you. Yes, I was referring to medical school GPA.

Is rank really important? I'm pretty much right smack in the middle. Am I kind of boned for competitive places?

Rank is more telling than GPA but still pretty insignificant compared to USMLE, LOR, and clerkship/auditions evaluations.

 

[SLC]

Rank is more telling than GPA but still pretty insignificant compared to USMLE, LOR, and clerkship/auditions evaluations.

Coming from an Osteopathic school, rank and clerkship evaluations are essentially meaningless too. Unless you get very specific comments on your evaluations that give residencies a good idea of how good you are.

PD's know that most DO schools don't give the preceptors training in how the evaluation is scored on the school's end, it's just a series of numbers to circle and an area for comments. A significant portion of the time, your preceptor is just going to circle some numbers to give you a good grade (or so he/she thinks), and maybe add a word or two in the comments section.

Sitting in on ranking meetings with my PD now, I can see that this is the biggest drawback to DO school. I see far less questioning of the actual quality of clinical training, and more questioning the system used to rate students in osteopathic schools. My PD at least knows he can get great applicants from DO schools, but realizes it's hard to tell who those applicants are and who's benefitted from poorly regulated rotation evaluations.

This would be so easy to fix.

 

[jw3600]

Coming from an Osteopathic school, rank and clerkship evaluations are essentially meaningless too. Unless you get very specific comments on your evaluations that give residencies a good idea of how good you are.

PD's know that most DO schools don't give the preceptors training in how the evaluation is scored on the school's end, it's just a series of numbers to circle and an area for comments. A significant portion of the time, your preceptor is just going to circle some numbers to give you a good grade (or so he/she thinks), and maybe add a word or two in the comments section.

Sitting in on ranking meetings with my PD now, I can see that this is the biggest drawback to DO school. I see far less questioning of the actual quality of clinical training, and more questioning the system used to rate students in osteopathic schools. My PD at least knows he can get great applicants from DO schools, but realizes it's hard to tell who those applicants are and who's benefitted from poorly regulated rotation evaluations.

This would be so easy to fix.

Agreed. For DOs it's almost entirely USMLE and grades/LORS from auditions/aways during 4th year.

 

[firstaidforever]

Coming from an Osteopathic school, rank and clerkship evaluations are essentially meaningless too. Unless you get very specific comments on your evaluations that give residencies a good idea of how good you are.

PD's know that most DO schools don't give the preceptors training in how the evaluation is scored on the school's end, it's just a series of numbers to circle and an area for comments. A significant portion of the time, your preceptor is just going to circle some numbers to give you a good grade (or so he/she thinks), and maybe add a word or two in the comments section.

Sitting in on ranking meetings with my PD now, I can see that this is the biggest drawback to DO school. I see far less questioning of the actual quality of clinical training, and more questioning the system used to rate students in osteopathic schools. My PD at least knows he can get great applicants from DO schools, but realizes it's hard to tell who those applicants are and who's benefitted from poorly regulated rotation evaluations.

This would be so easy to fix.

For my third year, I'm lucky to have been assigned to an MD-affiliated hospital. All my evaporators letterheads and signatures will have the 'MD School of Medicine'. Would I still be disadvantaged by the "Let's not even look at the DO's grades/letters - it's meaningless"?

 

[Pisiform]

I don't think grade letters even matter at MD schools much. I have been at an Temple/Drexel affiliate hospital for almost 2 years and rotate with MD students, they get the same letters as I do.

If the letter was given by someone who is a pioneer in a certain field or a big shot or if they personally call PD to recommend you, then that helps, otherwise it's all the same no matter MD or DO


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[SLC]

For my third year, I'm lucky to have been assigned to an MD-affiliated hospital. All my evaporators letterheads and signatures will have the 'MD School of Medicine'. Would I still be disadvantaged by the "Let's not even look at the DO's grades/letters - it's meaningless"?

They'll likely reflexively dismiss them, but if someone notices, it will hold more weight than the DO Student who got a letter from a community doctor who precepted him/her.

 

[firstaidforever]

They'll likely reflexively dismiss them, but if someone notices, it will hold more weight than the DO Student who got a letter from a community doctor who precepted him/her.

Dang. Thankfully I'm going for Anesthesiology and it's become fairly DO-friendly.

 

[SLC]

I don't think grade letters even matter at MD schools much. I have been at an Temple/Drexel affiliate hospital for almost 2 years and rotate with MD students, they get the same letters as I do.

If the letter was given by someone who is a pioneer in a certain field or a big shot or if they personally call PD to recommend you, then that helps, otherwise it's all the same no matter MD or DO


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It's less about letters per se, and more about them coming from an academic medical setting. One where the evaluator regularly teaches medical students (with a standardized curriculum, usually in a residency program setting, not precepting one student at a time).

Program's want to see how people that teach medicine for a living view the competency of the applicant. If your eval comes from a community provider, they'll likely read it but not put a ton of stock in any strong positives, but a ton of stock in any negatives.