Any advice for this DR hopeful?

[Funny_Current]

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Hey everybody. A lot to follow here so thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to read and help me out. I'm a 3rd-year medical student at a midtier east coast MD program. Basically looking for advice from people who overcame low step scores and matched into rads. I'm not aiming for high tier programs, but perhaps a decent academic center on the east coast. here are my stats at this point

• Got a 211 on step 1 (yea, I know....)
• middle of my class, but that doesn't really matter I guess because we are pass-fail
• President of the radiology interest group during preclinical years and we were really active
• 1-year medical student government involvement
• 1 pub, not 1st author. 1 abstract, 1st author. 1 poster presentation at a national conference (none rads related)
• Currently working on a chapter for an annual series for a phys journal. should be published this time next year
• M.S. degree in biophysics (if that even matters)
• ~50 hours of volunteer service throughout med school thus far
• average ECs since college (feedback panels, red cross, etc)

just started M3 so no clerkship grades. I have always been a ****ty test taker and, after going to the learning center I got some helpful study tips I'll be employing for the standardized shelf exams and step 2CK. Using ANKI decks now and damn I wish I would have done these for step 1/ class exams.... I know it's very early on at this point but any insight or realistic advice to help me set some goals for myself to keep going for rads at this point would be sincerely appreciated.

Edit - forgot to add that I know step 2 CK is a way out, but any advice on a target score that would take the pain away from my step 1?

 

[Anon Rad]

According to the Charting Outcomes from 2018, you have a 78% chance of matching with that Step 1 score. Don't count yourself out!

I will be applying this year, so unfortunately I don't have any advice from previous experience. You seem like you're on the right track with finding resources to increase your CK score. As long as you demonstrate interest and improve on CK, I think you'll be good to go! Best of luck!

Source: NRMP Charting Outcomes in the Match 2018 (July, 2018)

 

[Funny_Current]

Hey, thanks for the data. I have played with those charts so many times. I'm interested to see what will be the case for the next charting the outcomes since IR is now its own thing. Anyways, best of luck to you this app cycle!

 

[Rad2013]

Apply broadly. You'll be fine. Include Geisinger and SUNY Upstate.

 

[LittleFoot]

Apply broadly. You'll be fine. Include Geisinger and SUNY Upstate.

Why these two specifically?

 

[Funny_Current]

Why these two specifically?

I can understand why Geisinger, but I checked SUNY and it said "225< preferred" so I'm curious too.

 

[Rad2013]

Two large tertiary referral centers hampered by location. Would probably see a lot of pathology vs smaller community programs. SUNY Upstate just a guess based on ratio of FMG to US grads.

 

[SchoolBoy30]

You got this man! Apply to like 150 programs. Apply to transitional years because prelim anything else pretty much kills a year of your life. Maybe do a back up specialty if your insecure like IM and get that spot man! Your letters will be particularly important too, so make sure to find people who will write nice things. If that is the chairman, then great! But nice letters are better than lukewarm letters from your chairman. If you have an attending make a call or two to their alma mater program that may be the ticket to get you in. Its who you know, not what you now that matters

 

[khrisskhoras]

You got this man! Apply to like 150 programs. Apply to transitional years because prelim anything else pretty much kills a year of your life. Maybe do a back up specialty if your insecure like IM and get that spot man! Your letters will be particularly important too, so make sure to find people who will write nice things. If that is the chairman, then great! But nice letters are better than lukewarm letters from your chairman. If you have an attending make a call or two to their alma mater program that may be the ticket to get you in. Its who you know, not what you now that matters

150 programs? OP dont listen to this....

 

[Derv]

For what its worth, Geisinger seems like a solid place to include - one of the current fellows at my academic center did residency there and he is a top notch radiologist.

 

[Funny_Current]

For what its worth, Geisinger seems like a solid place to include - one of the current fellows at my academic center did residency there and he is a top notch radiologist.

Hey, thanks for the heads up! That's awesome. Someone above had mentioned it and so I've been looking into the program as well as the hospital and I am actually very impressed. It was interesting to me that >75% of each resident class is an IMG. Looks like a variety of patho seen at an academic hospital, which I would be very happy to land.

 

[CharlieBillings]

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[Funny_Current]

Not trying to insult the OP but a 211 is significantly below the average for DR. Why would they not apply to everything and everywhere?

Simply put, I really want to pursue radiology. I'm reaching out to see if anyone has had similar step 1 scores and still matched and what they did/learned in the process. At this point, nothing has jumped out at me as much as radiology. concensus seems to be get a really good step 2CK, rock shelf exams/ rotations, and apply to mid/lower tier academics.

 

[collegestud2013]

Not trying to insult the OP but a 211 is significantly below the average for DR. Why would they not apply to everything and everywhere?

This. Radiology programs look heavily on the Step 1 score and less so on the Step 2 score given the more basic science nature of the specialty, and also because they've found Step 1 scores to correlate very strongly with probability of passing the radiology Core exam (which is a very challenging exam, and radiology residents as a whole tend to be good test takers). Programs don't want to run the risk of taking in residents that have a high chance of failing the CORE exam. In the absence of significant connections, a 211 will get you screened at nearly all but the least competitive programs. So network with your home medical school rads program (if one exists) and apply broadly with nearly all "no-name" community programs. More importantly, you should dual-apply to a less competitive specialty such as Pathology (which shares many similarities with radiology) as a back-up.

 

[Funny_Current]

This. Radiology programs look heavily on the Step 1 score and less so on the Step 2 score given the more basic science nature of the specialty, and also because they've found Step 1 scores to correlate very strongly with probability of passing the radiology Core exam (which is a very challenging exam, and radiology residents as a whole tend to be good test takers). Programs don't want to run the risk of taking in residents that have a high chance of failing the CORE exam. In the absence of significant connections, a 211 will get you screened at nearly all but the least competitive programs. So network with your home medical school rads program (if one exists) and apply broadly with nearly all "no-name" community programs. More importantly, you should dual-apply to a less competitive specialty such as Pathology (which shares many similarities with radiology) as a back-up.

That was my suspicion after I got my score back that I'd have a considerable time for a rads residency, but charting the outcomes still has that at 78% chance of matching w/ 211-220. I know there is a unique correlation between step 1 and the rads core exam, so really it's up to me to prove that my step 1 was a fluke. Further, the higher the step 2 score, according to charting the outcomes, the higher the chance of matching as well. Is there a certain way to interpret step 2 and matching? Because it would appear high step 2 scores also get you matched. Path is a no go for me. It's a different kind of detective work that I don't find fun. Do residency programs know if you dual apply for specialties? I wouldn't be as happy but would be content with IM. Anyways, thanks for the input

 

[vernhart]

That was my suspicion after I got my score back that I'd have a considerable time for a rads residency, but charting the outcomes still has that at 78% chance of matching w/ 211-220. I know there is a unique correlation between step 1 and the rads core exam, so really it's up to me to prove that my step 1 was a fluke. Further, the higher the step 2 score, according to charting the outcomes, the higher the chance of matching as well. Is there a certain way to interpret step 2 and matching? Because it would appear high step 2 scores also get you matched. Path is a no go for me. It's a different kind of detective work that I don't find fun. Do residency programs know if you dual apply for specialties? I wouldn't be as happy but would be content with IM. Anyways, thanks for the input

I do agree that it matters (tho much less than step 1 from those I've spoken with), but correlation does not equal causation. At least part of that trend is likely explained by the fact that those who score high on step 1 are more likely to score high on step 2.