Amount of consideration of a PhD for Ortho Residency?

[smmdphd]

I am a 3rd year medical student with interests in Ortho and Sports Medicine. I recently completed a PhD in Biomedical Engineering with a focus on the biomechanics of human movement (my dissertation topic concerned ACL injury prevention). I have 3 second authorships and several first authorships in various stages of the publication pipeline.

I would like to hear from you regarding the level of consideration that will receive from programs in light of the fact that I did not perform well on Step 1 of the boards (210... I hope to take Step 2 early, rock it, and include them with my applications). My other relevant stats include a fair smattering of honors over my pre-clinical years, and significant top-level extracurricular leadership experiences during my PhD years.

Again, I certainly realize my Step 1 score is not very competitive for Ortho, but how much will my PhD and other pluses help programs overlook that fact? Thanks in advance...

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[moquito_17]

It is really going to depend on the program. Are you intersted in doing research during your residency? If so, you may be able to find a program that wants you and is willing to overlook a poor Step 1.

PM me and we can talk more about this.

 

[smmdphd]

Yeah, I am definitely interested in pursuing my line of research during residency as much as I am able, and realize that some programs are going to be more friendly to that than others... this is something that MD/PhD students often run into (i.e. whether or not a program is MD/PhD friendly) but almost all traditional targets for MD/PhD students have a positive view. However, entering a surgical specialty is still pretty rare for MD/PhD students, and so I have little idea as to the attitude that Ortho has towards us. Any more thoughts are definitely appreciated...

 

[thejesus]

I am a 3rd year medical student with interests in Ortho and Sports Medicine. I recently completed a PhD in Biomedical Engineering with a focus on the biomechanics of human movement (my dissertation topic concerned ACL injury prevention). I have 3 second authorships and several first authorships in various stages of the publication pipeline.

I would like to hear from you regarding the level of consideration that will receive from programs in light of the fact that I did not perform well on Step 1 of the boards (210... I hope to take Step 2 early, rock it, and include them with my applications). My other relevant stats include a fair smattering of honors over my pre-clinical years, and significant top-level extracurricular leadership experiences during my PhD years.

Again, I certainly realize my Step 1 score is not very competitive for Ortho, but how much will my PhD and other pluses help programs overlook that fact? Thanks in advance...

since your adept to research, you may appreciate this more than other ppl in these forums. check out Bernstein et al. 84 (11): 2090. (2002) in JBJS. it gives a decent overview of importance of factors in selecting for ortho residency. you'll find that having a PhD ranks 17 out of 26 in importance--USMLE score is 2nd. also, there are other papers ive read that show no correlation with acceptance into program by having an additional degree. so, the answer to your question--it wont help very much, if at all. that said, personally, i think its pretty damn cool to have a PhD in biomechanics. but thats just me.

definitely doing well on step II is a must. best of luck.

 

[Pin-Lag-Lock]

I am a 3rd year medical student with interests in Ortho and Sports Medicine. I recently completed a PhD in Biomedical Engineering with a focus on the biomechanics of human movement (my dissertation topic concerned ACL injury prevention). I have 3 second authorships and several first authorships in various stages of the publication pipeline.

I would like to hear from you regarding the level of consideration that will receive from programs in light of the fact that I did not perform well on Step 1 of the boards (210... I hope to take Step 2 early, rock it, and include them with my applications). My other relevant stats include a fair smattering of honors over my pre-clinical years, and significant top-level extracurricular leadership experiences during my PhD years.

Again, I certainly realize my Step 1 score is not very competitive for Ortho, but how much will my PhD and other pluses help programs overlook that fact? Thanks in advance...

I would look into the 6 year ortho programs that is the ones that have a mandatory 1 year research requirement. I feel that your PhD will give you an edge when applying to these programs. The 6 year programs may be slightly less competitive than the standard 5 year programs (?, debatable). Taking Step 2 early is always risky and most people end up doing the same or worst. I have seen a few people do well, no doubt, a respectable score on Step 2 will help you. Hope everything works out.