Chances at Anesthesia with no extracurriculars

[joy05]

Hey everyone,

Third year D.O. student here with Step 1 score of 230, no extracurriculars except for a research abstract. I'm wondering how much this will hurt my chances at anesthesia and what I can do about it now. Any other advice on how to make myself a more competitive applicant would be super helpful as well. Thank you!

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[Carbocation1]

With all the doom & gloom being spouted against the future of the specialty, I think you will be just fine...

 

[BLADEMDA]

With all the doom & gloom being spouted against the future of the specialty, I think you will be just fine...

You are mistaken. Doom and Gloom vs NO MATCH or F.P. The number of Med Students entering the match is at an all time high. This means every spot is a coveted position that a strong FMG would love to have. A 230 score is very mediocre combined with D.O means matching into this field won't be easy. That is the harsh reality of supply vs demand these days.

 

[anbuitachi]

With all the doom & gloom being spouted against the future of the specialty, I think you will be just fine...

Yea a ton of med students going to anesthesia. Last yr we had 19/200 going into it. This yr it went up to 25...

 

[BLADEMDA]

Chart 3 shows the percentages of U.S. seniors and independent applicants who matched to their preferred specialty. Overall,
92.4 percent U.S. seniors matched to their preferred specialty, ranging from a high of 98.5 percent (Diagnostic Radiology)
to a low of 70.8 percent (Plastic Surgery). For independent applicants, the overall match rate was 52.9 percent, ranging
from a high of 69.9 percent (Anesthesiology) to a low of 21.3 percent (Neurological Surgery). In general, independent
applicants are less successful than U.S. seniors in matching to their preferred specialty.


http://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Charting-Outcomes-2014-Final.pdf

 

[BLADEMDA]

Hey everyone,

Third year D.O. student here with Step 1 score of 230, no extracurriculars except for a research abstract. I'm wondering how much this will hurt my chances at anesthesia and what I can do about it now. Any other advice on how to make myself a more competitive applicant would be super helpful as well. Thank you!

You will likely match somewhere but it will be a bottom 1/3 program unless your Step 2 is over 240.

 

[chaingangdx]

Hey Blade,

I've read a lot of your posts about the future of Anes and I appreciate the candid info and value your opinion on these matters

Even so, are there any caveats/rules to follow to having a successful career in anesthesia or would you recommend students who are on the fence about GAS steer clear entirely

 

[Sirach38]

A 230 gives you about a 78% probability of matching as an independent applicant and about a 98% probability of matching as a US Senior. That's not too bad. I would say a 230 is a very solid score for gas in the current climate.

 

[ProEra]

A 230 is an average score for anesthesia these days. You should be fine if you apply broadly and will likely get many mid-tier and less competitive interviews. However, i have found my ECs to be very helpful during interview season. While my ECs are pretty minimal in terms of number of experiences, they have been discussed at several interviews. In all my interviews, the interviewers wanted to discuss my research. In about half of my interviews, the interviewers brought up another non-medically related EC or hobby.

 

[bashwell]

You will likely match somewhere but it will be a bottom 1/3 program unless your Step 2 is over 240.

Hopefully nothing necessarily wrong with bottom 1/3 programs as far as getting a job in private practice somewhere? Maybe or probably not an ideal job, but if someone coming from a bottom 1/3 program is willing to accept a less than ideal private practice job as their first job, work hard to build up their knowledge and experience, be seen as a cool and reliable person, make the right connections, etc., then after a couple of years I presume they can transition to a better job.

 

[user3]

Hey Blade,

I've read a lot of your posts about the future of Anes and I appreciate the candid info and value your opinion on these matters

Even so, are there any caveats/rules to follow to having a successful career in anesthesia or would you recommend students who are on the fence about GAS steer clear entirely

If I am not mistaken, I have seen blade still recommend anesthesia plus fellowship as a decent option for med students...

 

[BLADEMDA]

Hopefully nothing necessarily wrong with bottom 1/3 programs as far as getting a job in private practice somewhere? Maybe or probably not an ideal job, but if someone coming from a bottom 1/3 program is willing to accept a less than ideal private practice job as their first job, work hard to build up their knowledge and experience, be seen as a cool and reliable person, make the right connections, etc., then after a couple of years I presume they can transition to a better job.

Yes. In fact, if you WORK hard and make an effort the odds are you will go from a bottom 1/3 Residency into a solid Mid Tier Fellowship which puts you in the thick for an excellent private practice job. It isn't where or how you start off but rather where you end up that matters. A 230 Step 1 score from a DO school just means you must be willing to interview broadly and maybe match into a lower tier program. It in no way means that you can't end up with a stellar private practice job.

 

[BLADEMDA]

A 230 gives you about a 78% probability of matching as an independent applicant and about a 98% probability of matching as a US Senior. That's not too bad. I would say a 230 is a very solid score for gas in the current climate.

I guarantee there will be US seniors who don't match with a 230 if they rank only top 1/3 programs. Plus, if you factor in the DO degree combined with limited ECs and research the O.P. will need to do his/her homework in order to match.

 

[Sirach38]

I guarantee there will be US seniors who don't match with a 230 if they rank only top 1/3 programs. Plus, if you factor in the DO degree combined with limited ECs and research the O.P. will need to do his/her homework in order to match.

Yeah the OP will definitely need to rank wisely and apply broadly but, matching is very realistic.

 

[BLADEMDA]

If I am not mistaken, I have seen blade still recommend anesthesia plus fellowship as a decent option for med students...

Absolutely. You can do fairly well with a Residency and Fellowship in this specialty. As long as you know the issues like the AMC takeovers, CRNA encroachment, etc the field is a solid choice for those who go into it with their eyes open.

 

[Hoya11]

THe biggest thing hurting the OP is DO. 230 is a solid score, depends on your DO school and LORs i would think and aim mid-tier and below.. what area of the country are you looking at?

 

[BLADEMDA]

For successful applicants, our low end average USMLE Step 1 score is a 220. Although there is no defined cut-off for performance on USMLE 1, a higher score will certainly make a candidate more competetive.

Step-1 of 230 from a DO school is mediocre. This means matching into a midtier program is possible but certainly no guarantee. Hence, search out 5-6 programs where your credentials match up well with existing Residents at the program then rank those highly.

I do think the O.P. will match into Anesthesiology and wish him/her well.

 

[joy05]

For successful applicants, our low end average USMLE Step 1 score is a 220. Although there is no defined cut-off for performance on USMLE 1, a higher score will certainly make a candidate more competetive.

Step-1 of 230 from a DO school is mediocre. This means matching into a midtier program is possible but certainly no guarantee. Hence, search out 5-6 programs where your credentials match up well with existing Residents at the program then rank those highly.

I do think the O.P. will match into Anesthesiology and wish him/her well.

Thank you to everyone for the input and advice. I know I need to do much better on Step 2 and score at least 240+. Aside from doing well on Step 2, do any of you have any advice in terms of what I can do from here on out to improve my chances? I will be doing an anesthesiology elective (possibly 2) this year and know I need to do very well on those and secure strong LORs. Third year is busy enough as is but do you think it would really make a difference if I were to start doing some volunteering now? Or perhaps a research elective in anesthesiology 4th year?

 

[koan]

I wouldn't bother volunteering at this point. Focus on getting great LORs, high class rank and the best Step 2 you can manage. You'll get plenty of interviews if you apply broadly.

 

[Psai]

Absolutely. You can do fairly well with a Residency and Fellowship in this specialty. As long as you know the issues like the AMC takeovers, CRNA encroachment, etc the field is a solid choice for those who go into it with their eyes open.

Blade you have no idea how important your words are to me

 

[Sirach38]

Blade you have no idea how important your words are to me

And to me as well