DO GMO applying to allopathic residencies

[Beantown D.O.]

I don't believe this question has been posted yet...

I graduated from osteopathic school, took COMLEX only, completed naval internship, and currently finishing my GMO tour. At the time, did not anticipate applying to ACGME residency. Therefore, didn't have any reason to take the USMLE, which may be a disadvantage. That is why i am asking these questions. I will be applying to the more competitive residencies... EM or GAS.

For those who have gone through this stressful process or about to embark on the craziness, please provide some guidance....

1) Just from talking to few colleagues, the fact that we are GMOs (whether D.O. or M.D.) gives us a slight edge. Is there any truth to this?

2) Secondly, what is considered a "competitive" COMLEX level 1 & 2 score for allopathic residencies?

3) For those who matched to competitive residencies, do you mind listing some stats? And any pearls on the application/interview trial?

Any info much appreciated. Thank you!

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[IgD]

The selling point of the GMO tour is that it makes you more mature and allows you to develop leadership skills that a traditional applicant (fresh out of medical school) is not going to have. I think it's up to you to bring this home on the interview.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

The selling point of the GMO tour is that it makes you more mature and allows you to develop leadership skills that a traditional applicant is not going to have.

Replace "mature" with 'disgruntled' and "leadership skills" with 'an ability to put up with an infinite amount of bull****' and you've hit the nail on the head.

 

[island doc]

(1) Don't count on your GMO tour to be an advantage in getting you into a competitive program. You will be competing with applicants who have recently rotated on service with the programs and are personally known to them, or if not known to them are known by other program directors who can write good letters. As a military GMO at XYZ Navy Yard you are known to no one in academia anymore. You are an unknown item. You're in a tough spot. Not to mention the fact that going back into a rigorous academic setting at the PGY-2 level will be difficult. Face it, your clinical knowledge and skills have atrophied. Be prepared to repeat the internship. When was the last time you managed a critical patient in the ICU? When was the last time you ran a code? When was the last time you intubated a child or anyone for that matter? Get my point?

(2) Ask a program director.

(3) Did not match into a "competitive" residency, for reasons mentioned in (1).

 

[Trajan]

Professor of emergency medicine at my school told me repeatedly that GMO experience is considered a big asset in applying to EM.

 

[r90t]

I am a DO that did not take USMLEs with 2 years of GMO and an IF deployment. I matched in radiation oncology and interviewed at many institutions.
I think a DO med student applying in a similiar fashion would have a greater disadvantage in an applicant pool of MD/PhDs.

My GMO experience was the dealmaker. I found out that I was getting the navy FTOS spot in December. Most candidates are already chosen for interviews or interviews are over. I blanketed the programs outside of the match program and had an excellent response.

The majority of my interviews wasn't about the number of intubations/codes/procedures/etc... that I did as an intern, but how did I handle deployment/responsibility/etc....

One PD from a highly ranked research program didn't care about my past medical background except for the AD time.

In my situation it was a +++. Good luck.