Biggest factor that helped you match?

[BRKMED]

Hey, i am a new member that is very interested in Emergency Medicine. I was wondering for those of you who just matched what factors you thought played the biggest role: Step 1, Step 2 scores, Research, Away rotations, etc... If you don't mind sharing that would be great, Thanks. I am especially interested in going to the midwest since that is where i am from.

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[Tiger26]

Hey, i am a new member that is very interested in Emergency Medicine. I was wondering for those of you who just matched what factors you thought played the biggest role: Step 1, Step 2 scores, Research, Away rotations, etc... If you don't mind sharing that would be great, Thanks. I am especially interested in going to the midwest since that is where i am from.

Keep in mind n=1, but here's my best guess:

Factors helping me get interviews:
1) Board scores
2) M3 grades
3) EM grades
4) LORs
5) Everything else put together (ECs, personal statement, etc)


Factors helping me match:
1) Being nice (to everyone--PD, interviewers, residents, coordinator, janitors, everybody else)
2) Being normal--able to carry on a decent conversation about random stuff
3) Having hobbies not related to medicine that I could talk passionately about
4) Reiterating my true interest in emergency medicine
5) Some combination of the stuff that helped me get interviews in the first place
6) Some bit of luck

 

[RxnMan]

Hey, i am a new member that is very interested in Emergency Medicine. I was wondering for those of you who just matched what factors you thought played the biggest role: Step 1, Step 2 scores, Research, Away rotations, etc... If you don't mind sharing that would be great, Thanks. I am especially interested in going to the midwest since that is where i am from.

What Tiger said is backed up by the literature (links here and here). You can look at the SAEM student resource page (link in my sig), as they can help answer your question and a bunch of other general interest questions. You can read about SDN applicants in our survey (link also in my sig). Also, the NRMP maintains that the strongest factor for successfully matching is having a longer ROL.

 

[MSmentor018]

NRMP does a good job at defining all that. I definitely believe in stats b/c it encompasses the norm but being a non trad I don't think it correlates as well. from the feedback I received I think:

factors played a role in getting the interview:
background, personal statement, well rounded CV, very strong LOR's, straight A's/honors in rotations, light research. grades/board scores were nothing to write home about and not brought up as much.

factors in matching:
being a work horse, ethics, trusted and well liked by residents/attendings, clinical proficiency/interest, positive notes from the nursing staff and the stuff above

I love EM, come see the light...feel free to PM. good luck on your journey!

 

[docB]

For me I was lucky enough to get a great SLOR from a nationally known figure. That was predominantly luck. Then I had research, poster presentations and an EMS background.

 

[Dwindlin]

For me I was lucky enough to get a great SLOR from a nationally known figure. That was predominantly luck. Then I had research, poster presentations and an EMS background.

Do you think the EMS background carries more weight come match time than it does getting into med. school? I know when I interviewed, none of the schools outside of the one I ended up coming to even mentioned it.

 

[EM2BE]

I know osteo world tends to work differently than allo. In the osteo world:

To get interview:
1 - rotate with them
2 - did they all like you and did you get along with them (personality)
3 - show you can do the job
4 - letters of rec
5 - rest of the app

To get the spot:
1-4 of above.

I found they didn't care as much about scores/grades if they knew you. Of course, on the other end is they do care if you don't pass everything the first time around. If you pass everything the first time around, they look past them if you prove to them you can do it.

 

[docB]

Do you think the EMS background carries more weight come match time than it does getting into med. school? I know when I interviewed, none of the schools outside of the one I ended up coming to even mentioned it.

I think it helps a little, like any other medical related extra curricular but not to the degree that some hope. I frequently get asked if an EMT will make up for deficiencies in GPA and MCAT. It will not.

 

[MSmentor018]

NRMP does a good job at defining all that. I definitely believe in stats b/c it encompasses the norm but being a non trad I don't think it correlates as well. from the feedback I received I think:

factors played a role in getting the interview:
background, personal statement, well rounded CV, very strong LOR's, straight A's/honors in rotations, light research. grades/board scores were nothing to write home about and not brought up as much.

factors in matching:
being a work horse, ethics, trusted and well liked by residents/attendings, clinical proficiency/interest, positive notes from the nursing staff and the stuff above

I love EM, come see the light...feel free to PM. good luck on your journey!

I am a DO student that matched MD

 

[Aseptic Pimp]

Board scores will get you interviews

Personality will match you at your number 1

 

[jkmph]

As someone matriculating in August, I don't mean to put the cart before the horse but...

What kind of role does pre-medical research and publications play in matching? More specifically, graduate level research (MPH) with probably 4-6 publications. Does this even matter? Especially since it's completely unrelated to EM.

 

[EM2BE]

As someone matriculating in August, I don't mean to put the cart before the horse but...

What kind of role does pre-medical research and publications play in matching? More specifically, graduate level research (MPH) with probably 4-6 publications. Does this even matter? Especially since it's completely unrelated to EM.

If anything, for me, they were good topics of discussion during interviews. Then again, it could be due to the odd research projects I did (as in not things people would commonly research).

 

[Kubed]

Board scores will get you interviews

Personality will match you at your number 1

That.




... I'm surprised no one has said "sleeping with the PD"

 

[BRKMED]

Do you think board scores in the 230's be good enough to get you interviews at top programs in the midwest?

 

[deleted109597]

Not using a letter used the year before.

 

[LadyWolverine]

I can tell you what will kill your application...deciding later on in 4th year what specialty you want to pursue. Pick a specialty EARLY and commit yourself to it wholeheartedly. Any indecision on your part, no matter how genuine an interest in 2 different specialties, will be viewed in EM as a lack of enthusiasm and motivation, and will ultimately sabotage your application, no matter how wonderful your board scores, grades, or LORs.

Also, even if you are considering a career in community ED, absolutely do not say this to program directors. Lie through your teeth if you have to. Everyone wants to hear about the lofty academic career you have been dreaming about. So much as mentioning the "C" word will get you blacklisted.

 

[CaptainJack]

I can tell you what will kill your application...deciding later on in 4th year what specialty you want to pursue. Pick a specialty EARLY and commit yourself to it wholeheartedly. Any indecision on your part, no matter how genuine an interest in 2 different specialties, will be viewed in EM as a lack of enthusiasm and motivation, and will ultimately sabotage your application, no matter how wonderful your board scores, grades, or LORs.

Also, even if you are considering a career in community ED, absolutely do not say this to program directors. Lie through your teeth if you have to. Everyone wants to hear about the lofty academic career you have been dreaming about. So much as mentioning the "C" word will get you blacklisted.

Gotta say that my experience was different here. I was on the fence until the summer of 4th year (and talked a little bit about that in my PS), and I was completely open during my interviews about the fact that I'm undecided as to academic vs. community (and why), and as far as I can tell neither harmed me a bit. That said, my application was very strong from a numbers perspective, so who knows?

 

[Tiger26]

Do you think board scores in the 230's be good enough to get you interviews at top programs in the midwest?

provided everything else about your app is average to above average, you'll get interviews at a lot of "top" programs in the midwest, as long as you have a connection to the area

it's still pretty random, though. one of my good friends and I have the same app for the most part (exact same board score--fairly high--grades, ECs, everything) and
1) I got an interview at Indy but he didn't
2) he got an interview at Christ, but I didn't
3) neither of us got an interview at Northwestern

 

[deleted77919]

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[Emergency!]

I disagree. I was open about not being certain between academic and community and still matched at my number 1 (not a community program). I didn't get the impression it hurt me at other places either.

Same here. I talked a lot about doing community EM in my personal statement as well. I was also very open about my uncertainty about whether or not I want to do a fellowship. Even at the more "academic" institutions I interviewed at, they were very open about the fact the majority of their grads go into community EM.

 

[LadyWolverine]

Gotta say that my experience was different here. I was on the fence until the summer of 4th year (and talked a little bit about that in my PS), and I was completely open during my interviews about the fact that I'm undecided as to academic vs. community (and why), and as far as I can tell neither harmed me a bit. That said, my application was very strong from a numbers perspective, so who knows?

As was mine. I agree - who knows. Also, I was on the fence until September, well past the summer of 4th year.

Anyway, perhaps I should have qualified my statement by saying that there are specific programs that push academics almost to the point of exclusivity. I interviewed at a couple of them - the PDs made no qualms about the agenda/mission of their programs at these places, and viewed community EM as "clock-punching" and no longer contributing to the advancement of the field. Whereas some academic programs are "very open about the fact the majority of their grads go into community EM," there are a few that pride themselves on the fact that >50-80% (depending on what you consider "academic") end up in academic positions. It is at these programs where you need to watch what you say.

You are correct, however, in that the majority of programs that I interviewed at didn't really care either way what your long-term plan was, as long as you had both a direction and an open mind.

 

[docB]

Same here. I talked a lot about doing community EM in my personal statement as well. I was also very open about my uncertainty about whether or not I want to do a fellowship. Even at the more "academic" institutions I interviewed at, they were very open about the fact the majority of their grads go into community EM.

Excuse me for this brief but AWSOME avatar!

I got to meet Randy Mantooth (who played Johnny Gage) at an EMS symposium here in Vegas last fall. It was pretty cool. You could definitely see an age diferential in the crowd when he came out. Everyone over 35 was paying attention and everyone under 30 was whispering "Who is that?"

 

[Emergency!]

Geek that I am, I noticed (and commented on) some of the Emergency! memorabilia I saw in various offices as I was interviewing. One of my interviews turned into more of a discussion on the show than anything else after I mentioned how I liked the poster on the wall of Johnny.

 

[Venko]

I think it would be more helpful to hear from all those who actually know what happens behind the scenes to decide who gets interviewed and who gets ranked...there are many statements here that are being made by those, who may have less than optimal experience to make such statements....are there people on this thread who have been involved in selecting medical students to interview and in creation of a rank list?

 

[BumbleBear]

There were a few things that people mentioned quite a bit in interviews that I think were helpful:
1) LORs - Apparently mine were quite good. I will note that I had one SLOR and two from physicians outside of EM who knew me quite well (I didn't do my advanced EM rotation until later in the year). I have heard the rule of thumb is that well known is better than knows you well, but I guess it can't hurt to have a person who is in your corner write a stellar letter for you, even if they are in another specialty.
2) Personal statement - I wrote a seperate little blurb in each personal statement describing what I liked about the program and how I would fit in there. I heard at a lot of interviews that it was helpful.

Off to morning report - more later if I think of anything! Hope this helps.

 

[Static Line]

I think it would be more helpful to hear from all those who actually know what happens behind the scenes to decide who gets interviewed and who gets ranked...there are many statements here that are being made by those, who may have less than optimal experience to make such statements....are there people on this thread who have been involved in selecting medical students to interview and in creation of a rank list?

I think it is program specific. In our program our chief resident's weeded people out before we as a program got a look at any candidates. Our PD's criteria for the chief's weeding out process was based on board scores (regardless of score, 1st time pass was important) overall academic performance, and no red flags on LOR's. After all was said and done, we as a residency voted on a rank order. Some (strong academic candidates, M and F) were voted down in this process for being total tools. If you suck as a person I don't want to work with you. However, that said, I am only familiar with my program and I am not sure if other programs get as much input as we did as residents. BTW-we matched all of our top candidtaes this year based on how we voted.

 

[GatorsWearJorts]

Hi all... I'm finishing up third year and going into EM. I know third year grades are very important for matching, but could someone help me see where I stand in terms if third yes grades? I got an A in neuro, psych, and surgery; and a B in im, obgyn ( my average was a 93 but I didn't hit the minimum 80th percentile shelf grade needed to be eligible for an A) and I'm likely going to get a B in peds.
Is this considered good in third yr, or am I falling short with the multiple B's?
I have really good clinical comments and for what it's worth, 239 step one.
I really have no idea how these b will look. Thanks!

 

[old_boy]

Hi all... I'm finishing up third year and going into EM. I know third year grades are very important for matching, but could someone help me see where I stand in terms if third yes grades? I got an A in neuro, psych, and surgery; and a B in im, obgyn ( my average was a 93 but I didn't hit the minimum 80th percentile shelf grade needed to be eligible for an A) and I'm likely going to get a B in peds.
Is this considered good in third yr, or am I falling short with the multiple B's?
I have really good clinical comments and for what it's worth, 239 step one.
I really have no idea how these b will look. Thanks!

Is this a joke? I'm sure you'll be fine.

 

[GatorsWearJorts]

AfTer re-reading I guess my post seems pretty sdn gunnerish. But I really do not have any idea how my performance in third year stacks up. People post on here to do well in third year and then say they got 4.0 for the year. Really, what is considered doing well in third year?

 

[It'sElectric]

AfTer re-reading I guess my post seems pretty sdn gunnerish. But I really do not have any idea how my performance in third year stacks up. People post on here to do well in third year and then say they got 4.0 for the year. Really, what is considered doing well in third year?

You'll be just fine.