Board Scores / Match Rates of MD and DO schools

[tri99]

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As someone applying to both MD and DO, the common narrative is that MD is the safer route in terms of future matching ability. The few DO schools I have been lucky enough to interview at seemed to have median comlex/step scores on par with MD schools and a high matching rate with matches into specialties such as Ortho/Derm/ENT. I don't want to make this an MD vs DO discussion as I know there is also a difference in price / curriculum / etc... I am honestly just wondering if there is something I am missing or if the narrative that matching out of a DO school is more challenging is overplayed.

 

[Goro]

It's nuanced.

First off, looking at match rates is a fool's errand unless you know if the residencies are any good. Only residents and attendings int he field can tell you that. A pattern of university residencies > community hospitals is a good sign, as are more people in specialties than Primary Care (although the latter is not the 7th Circle of Hell some SDNers make it out to be.

More doors are open to you as an MD grad, no COMLEX and no OMM/OMT

 

[tri99]

@gonnif @Goro I appreciate the clarification!

 

[ciestar]

You also must consider how many of those matches are former AOA programs and if things have now changed with the combined ACGME match. As I’ve discovered, a few programs won’t consider MDs