COMLEX only, chances at AOA IM? Please help!

[imamedstudentwhee]

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Hi all,

I made a related post in the USMLE/COMLEX section, but figure I'd add a little more story here to get some advice from people who would know more about this!

A little background: I'm currently a 2nd year DO student. I'm on the 5 year (decelerated) program after failing 2 courses my first year (anatomy, patho)--there were some funerals involved in this story, but I won't use this as an excuse or expect sympathy from program directors. I retook patho during the summer, passed. Retook anatomy, did not, so ended up having to do the 5 year program.

Anyway, I did much better in 2nd year courses. Mostly Bs, a few As. I don't think I'll be ready to take USMLE (and I doubt ACGME will even look at me given my circumstances), so I'm going COMLEX for the AOA match. I was wondering what my chances would be in the AOA match for IM? I feel pretty confident I can do well on rotations, and I know that's a big part of the AOA match. Taking COMLEX I in 5 weeks.

Anyway, any thoughts would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[Raryn]

Just an FYI, but there probably won't be an AOA match anymore by the time you graduate.

 

[imamedstudentwhee]

In 2017? Really? So what does that mean in terms of COMLEX?

 

[DrWBD]

I don't think I'll be ready to take USMLE (and I doubt ACGME will even look at me given my circumstances), so I'm going COMLEX for the AOA match.

I'd suggest reconsidering that. If you are ready for the COMLEX you have a good shot at doing well on the USMLE.
Although you are an osteopathic applicant with a blemished record, if you're doing well now and have good board scores then ACGME internal medicine in a decent program is not out of reach.

 

[Optoed]

hey everyone, I'm applying this cycle, which would probably be the last AOA match. I have a 505 on COMLEX 1, which is a little lower than the average for last year. I'm applying to AOA IM programs only and I'm wondering what my chances are (I'm trying to stay away from the mid-west, but everywhere else should be fine)..thank you!!

 

[YankeeCandle1141]

hey everyone, I'm applying this cycle, which would probably be the last AOA match. I have a 505 on COMLEX 1, which is a little lower than the average for last year. I'm applying to AOA IM programs only and I'm wondering what my chances are (I'm trying to stay from the mid-west, but everywhere else should be fine)..thank you!!

505 is above average for AOA IM by like 50 points. You will be fine.

 

[Optoed]

really? awesome!! there is so little published data out there unlike programs listed on Freida. I saw IM averages in the 450~ range, but it was from a report published a while back, like in 2009 or something. Thx for replying!

 

[weirdmutt]

Are osteopathic internal med residencies really that bad? SDN makes them sound to be somewhat horrible. I got 510 on the comlex and I don't feel confident for the usmle. I don't care about prestige or anything, just want to be a competent doctor. Will aoa do that for me?

 

[YankeeCandle1141]

Yes.

SDN over inflates the competitiveness of every specialty.

The average is somewhere around 450...and they are fine programs, but they all lack research opportunities, fellowship opportunities...and you will have to do osteopathic BS for another 3 years.

 

[LesBois88]

I think there are some generalizations here. My AOA IM program is quite good, well respected (at least regionally) and we have multiple fellowships available to us in-house. Many of us have published extensively. I do about an hour of light OMT every 2 months or so. Not so bad. But I will be the first to admit that poorly run/bad AOA IM programs do exist. I hope with the eventual ACGME transition these will be corrected or eliminated.

 

[IMreshopeful]

I think there are some generalizations here. My AOA IM program is quite good, well respected (at least regionally) and we have multiple fellowships available to us in-house. Many of us have published extensively. I do about an hour of light OMT every 2 months or so. Not so bad. But I will be the first to admit that poorly run/bad AOA IM programs do exist. I hope with the eventual ACGME transition these will be corrected or eliminated.

Yeah, one of my friends is in a non-IM specialty at an AOA program; main thing it suffers from for him is poor regulation of duty hours. That will have to be corrected by force once the ACGME integration occurs.