Hey All - I'm sure this question has been asked before - what are the chances for matching as a D.O. I am accepted to AZCOM for 2006 and have been very interested in ophthamology but haven't seen any D.O. matches on any of the 2005 match lists for any of the D.O schools I've looked at so far? Are you a even a candidate with competitive board scores, research, good LOR's etc...or do you need the MD to have a prayer?
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D.O. match - Any Hope
Started by Dazzed
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it's definately very difficult. or at least it has been thus far as a third year d.o. student.
the fact is that many places don't want d.o.'s in their program. i even had a hospital tell me i couldn't even do an elective there as a 4th year b/c i'm not a m.d. stu and it's considered one of weakest programs around.
at the end of the day i think it comes down to how badly you want it. hard to know when you're just starting med school, i'd have to conceed. but if you get really great scores, impress the right ppl on showcase rotations, you have a shot (no guarantee) of mathcing- it won't be at wills/columbia type place, but a shot a some place (prob community hospital type setting).
another issue is at most d.o. schools (including mine) there's no advisor for you nor an ophthalmology dept. so you have to spend ALL your spare time just finding out info. no one to make calls for you or give adivse. you have to go though 6 degrees of separation to find someone who knows someone at an ophth residency somewhere or doc affilicated with a program in some way just to get basic info that others are fed but you are not privy to b/c at a DO school it's all on you. especially big ones like mine.
all that being said, there are a handful of DOs that match every year. "you gotta have faith", the one not annoything thing fred durst ever said.
pm if you have any other questions. although as a 3rd yr i'm limited. sorry.
best of luck!
the fact is that many places don't want d.o.'s in their program. i even had a hospital tell me i couldn't even do an elective there as a 4th year b/c i'm not a m.d. stu and it's considered one of weakest programs around.
at the end of the day i think it comes down to how badly you want it. hard to know when you're just starting med school, i'd have to conceed. but if you get really great scores, impress the right ppl on showcase rotations, you have a shot (no guarantee) of mathcing- it won't be at wills/columbia type place, but a shot a some place (prob community hospital type setting).
another issue is at most d.o. schools (including mine) there's no advisor for you nor an ophthalmology dept. so you have to spend ALL your spare time just finding out info. no one to make calls for you or give adivse. you have to go though 6 degrees of separation to find someone who knows someone at an ophth residency somewhere or doc affilicated with a program in some way just to get basic info that others are fed but you are not privy to b/c at a DO school it's all on you. especially big ones like mine.
all that being said, there are a handful of DOs that match every year. "you gotta have faith", the one not annoything thing fred durst ever said.
pm if you have any other questions. although as a 3rd yr i'm limited. sorry.
best of luck!
Dazzed said:
I am an ophthalmologist . I am also a D,O. I have graduated from a program where they had 4 D.O.s over several years. The retinal fellow was also a D.O.
What matters is your USMLE score( nobody want to screen Comlex), your research( in ophthalmology preferably), and the letters from people who are known in the academic world. Granted, we have a very hard time getting into top 10 programs, there is a good chance to become an ophthalmologist.
Yet, there is a little piece of advice that I gave to the D.O. guy who is now at my program. You have to love ophthalmology to the point where you will be able to ignore the fact that the field is saturated, full of dirty politics in either private or academic world. Oh, yeah, optometrists are trying to take over and the Medicare cuts are coming.
