Couples Match with Ortho

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DrRowing81

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Hi

I am applying to Gen Surg this year and couples matching with my fiancee who is going into ortho. We are a little concerned about matching since she is going into ortho and it is supercompetitive. To make matters worse, our board scores are flip flopped. I did really well and scored a 247 and she had a bad day and ended up with a 217. Although, she has lots of research experience, presented at national conferences, and has been working with the Dept Chair for years now, and I am sure he will write an awesome letter. I wish our scores were the other way around as I think it would increase our chances of couples matching.
The two of us applied to roughly 30 programs. I would say almost all of them are academic programs in the Northeast, Midwest, and a few down south. Does anyone know what kind of shot we have if we want to stay together? Should we apply to more programs to increase our chances?

Any suggestions would be helpful
Thanks

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massively increase your number of programs
 
massively increase your number of programs

1) The above is good advice. I'd look toward less competitive areas and cities with multiple programs as safety schools. Three programs in the same city give you 9 possible combinations as opposed to just 3 if they were in separate cities.

2) Read this. Based on that data, your assessment is correct that ortho will be the rate limiting factor.

3) If you're serious about getting married, do it now. Don't wait until you have the money/time for the wedding you want - it's not worth the wait anyway and you'll look more credible to programs

4) Re: #2, you'll have a better idea how things are going once all your interview invites are in. If things don't stack up well, start making a plan. Don't underestimate the option of taking a year for research rather than prelim surgery if you don't match. The big question is whether you would take the year off as a couple. Buffing an application will have limited value without geographic flexibility when reapplying.

5) The big thing you should consider is whether you are willing to go unmatched so that she can match. i.e. would you include ortho/unmatched pairings on your rank list. Presumaby the ortho spot is going to be harder to come by. If she happens to have an offer or two in cities where you don't, it might be better overall for her to take the spot and you to reapply.

6) Any chance she's interested in GS?
 
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Hi

I am applying to Gen Surg this year and couples matching with my fiancee who is going into ortho. We are a little concerned about matching since she is going into ortho and it is supercompetitive. To make matters worse, our board scores are flip flopped. I did really well and scored a 247 and she had a bad day and ended up with a 217. Although, she has lots of research experience, presented at national conferences, and has been working with the Dept Chair for years now, and I am sure he will write an awesome letter. I wish our scores were the other way around as I think it would increase our chances of couples matching.
The two of us applied to roughly 30 programs. I would say almost all of them are academic programs in the Northeast, Midwest, and a few down south. Does anyone know what kind of shot we have if we want to stay together? Should we apply to more programs to increase our chances?

Any suggestions would be helpful
Thanks

I would also massively increase your schools. Also, highly consider allowing one person to match with the other going unmatched or at least rank a prelim spot. A couple at my school tried Ortho and surgery, and they were both promised spots at our home institution last year. They interviewed at a bunch of places as they were both very competative. However, she did not get the surgery spot, and although he was ranked to match in Ortho here (per all of the residents and the chairman), they went unmatched because they chose to not allow only one person to match. Luckily, our school had a research ortho spot that that was approved after the match and he took it, although he has to do an extra year of research. She scrambled into a prelim spot, and will try to match next year again either here or at a community program close by. In any case, I can assure you they were kicking themselves in the butt because of it.

sscooterguy
 
just to echo some earlier sentiments ( of my own no less)...start applying to cities rather than programs. hit chicago,ny,philly, boston, la, dc, atl, jax...etc. maybe take a look at how far apart the programs in NC are. after that i would apply (especially for your wife's sake) to every single program that is in a terrible geographic location. it would not be unreasonable to apply to 75 programs. i know this is an outrageous number, but it may take that many programs for someone with a 217 step 1 to get 20 interview offers for ortho. once interview offers come in, then you can start deciding where you absolutely will not go.

tm
 
The other thing I didn't mention is that you need to have a serious heart to heart with the chairman and find out how much he is willing to do for you. Phone calls and connections are a BIG, BIG deal in academic medicine.
 
The other thing I didn't mention is that you need to have a serious heart to heart with the chairman and find out how much he is willing to do for you. Phone calls and connections are a BIG, BIG deal in academic medicine.
<----genius

pilot doc is right. this is probably the single most important thing you/her can do. nobody loves you like they do at home.

tm
 
i 2nd/3rd/4th the apply to more programs. especially with a 217 for her. even if the rest of the app is stellar. don't take the chance.
 
Thanks everyone. The thing is that we probably will match somewhere for sure. She is very close with the ortho chair at our school, and basically has been told that she will be given a spot here. I am about 90% sure I will match here as well, as the program is not extremely competitive and they tend to like their own. The problem is, neither of us really like the programs here and we would like to move out of this city and part of the country. So I guess we will just have to wait and see what the interviews bring in.

Thanks
 
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