AOA/Osteopathic Gen. Surgery Residency

[salsasunrise123]

Hey, does anyone know how many people apply for AOA general surgery residencies in a given year? I'm trying to get my hands on a match rate but all I've found is the number of general surgery matches (111 for 2012 match). This number is pretty useless without knowing how many students applied. Thanks.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Tissot]

i'm not sure you will get any good info for this year's match for a while. we do have data from the 2009 match but i don't believe it lists overall how many people applied, just 1st choice ranking. all and all it looks great for the folks that did rank it first. 137 ranked it as a first choice and 93 of them ended up getting a spot. that's about as good as you could possibly hope for. be forewarned though, we've increased class sizes substantially so i would expect that things will become more competitive in the future for gs.

 

[Es Pontas]

I think osteopathic GS will only be getting easier. With the fear of not being able to do ACGME fellowships from AOA residencies, most applicants with a 225+ will probably shoot for ACGME residencies rather than go for AOA residencies (unless they only want to do general surgery or try and fight for one of the few AOA fellowships). And for those of you who don't believe me, look at how easy it is to go into anesthesia via the AOA versus going the ACGME route (even still not terribly difficult)...the top DO students will always try and go ACGME if they can because of more opportunities and better locations.

 

[jphwki82]

Hey, does anyone know how many people apply for AOA general surgery residencies in a given year? I'm trying to get my hands on a match rate but all I've found is the number of general surgery matches (111 for 2012 match). This number is pretty useless without knowing how many students applied. Thanks.

If you contact individual programs you are interested in applying to, they will usually provide you with that information. Also, it is an easy and minor way to show interest in a particular program. opportunities.osteopathic.org/ You should be able to find contacts, i.e. Program Directors' or Residency Coordinators' numbers from here.

 

[DwightSchruteDO]

I think osteopathic GS will only be getting easier. With the fear of not being able to do ACGME fellowships from AOA residencies, most applicants with a 225+ will probably shoot for ACGME residencies rather than go for AOA residencies (unless they only want to do general surgery or try and fight for one of the few AOA fellowships). And for those of you who don't believe me, look at how easy it is to go into anesthesia via the AOA versus going the ACGME route (even still not terribly difficult)...the top DO students will always try and go ACGME if they can because of more opportunities and better locations.

From what I hear the "not being able to do ACGME fellowships from AOA residencies" proposition/rule is being rewritten.

 

[Es Pontas]

From what I hear the "not being able to do ACGME fellowships from AOA residencies" proposition/rule is being rewritten.

Oh ok. I have heard a mixture of things say that it will likely pass in the next 5 years and that we are only delaying it now and I've also heard that it will be discrimination so it will never pass. I guess the point that I'm getting at is that if you have a solid USMLE score and you know 100% you want to do a fellowship that the AOA doesn't offer, then I would imagine that most people would try for ACGME residencies. Obviously I have no way of proving that but it would seem logical to me.

 

[Dissected]

Oh ok. I have heard a mixture of things say that it will likely pass in the next 5 years and that we are only delaying it now and I've also heard that it will be discrimination so it will never pass. I guess the point that I'm getting at is that if you have a solid USMLE score and you know 100% you want to do a fellowship that the AOA doesn't offer, then I would imagine that most people would try for ACGME residencies. Obviously I have no way of proving that but it would seem logical to me.

It's a pretty big risk of not matching..

I'm stuck on the darn fence. I'm gonna wait and see how interview season pans out.

 

[Es Pontas]

It's a pretty big risk of not matching..

I'm stuck on the darn fence. I'm gonna wait and see how interview season pans out.

Very true. Most people with really good USMLE scores probably have really good COMLEX scores (and the median of GS was around a 490...so not very high) so you go from almost 100% matching into something via the AOA route versus being an average applicant in the ACGME residencies (unless someone has like a 250). Still doable but definitely a difficult call.

 

[kdur]

Very true. Most people with really good USMLE scores probably have really good COMLEX scores (and the median of GS was around a 490...so not very high) so you go from almost 100% matching into something via the AOA route versus being an average applicant in the ACGME residencies (unless someone has like a 250). Still doable but definitely a difficult call.

Is the COMLEX score quoted here for real (median 490)? Anyone else heard different? This seems really low to me.

 

[Bacchus]

Is the COMLEX score quoted here for real (median 490)? Anyone else heard different? This seems really low to me.

IDK if it's true, but I heard if you don't rotate through the PCOM surgery residency's sites as a student you're looking at a cutoff of at least a 600.

 

[Whiskeypunch]

IDK if it's true, but I heard if you don't rotate through the PCOM surgery residency's sites as a student you're looking at a cutoff of at least a 600.

PCOM matches a lot from its home program, so the barrier to entry may be significantly lower for those applicants, lowering the average at the program.

 

[Bacchus]

Right. But if you're an outsider/haven't auditioned its a 600 cutoff, I've heard. No idea if its true.

 

[DwightSchruteDO]

PCOM matches a lot from its home program, so the barrier to entry may be significantly lower for those applicants, lowering the average at the program.

From what I heard from current residents, 80% have about a 600, 10% have lower and 10% have higher.

Face time is big with PCOM and usually the PCOM students have a monopoly on that since some are at those hospitals for months doing core rotations while outsiders are there for about 4 weeks. If you seriously kick butt during those 4 weeks,try to get a lot of face time, and are a team player you should be fine.