DO RAdiation oncology?

[docmd2010]

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Is this possible to do an allo rad onc residency as a D.O. ? What do you guys think?

 

[Gfunk6]

Yes it's possible and yes it's been done before (usually 1-3 DO's match each year).

However, you are fighting an uphill battle. In addition to good Step 1 scores and good research, you will probably need to do a great away rotation at a program of interest. If you can impress them enough then you will have a leg up over other applicants.

20 DOs applied in this application cycle vs. 386 MDs and 119 IMG MDs.

In recent history, both Fox Chase and Henry Ford have been DO-friendly.

 

[RonaldColeman]

I noticed this year that USC matched a DO. Was the student that good or does the program have that bad of a reputation? (Let me just point out that I'm not dissing DO applicants. Certainly there are extremely qualified, high-scoring DOs. However, it is well known that DOs face an incredibly uphill battle when applying to competitive allopathic residencies, especially those in California.)

 

[stephew]

there is no such thing right now as a program that is "that bad". its such a competitive time that any open spot is a good spot for someone. The sort of training one might get at any given program is a whole different question

 

[RonaldColeman]

there is no such thing right now as a program that is "that bad". its such a competitive time that any open spot is a good spot for someone. The sort of training one might get at any given program is a whole different question

Let me ask this question a slightly different way: does the USC program have a reputation such that it tends to end up towards the bottom of applicants' rank lists?

 

[thone2k]

Hi,

Along the same line, are there any D.O. rad onc residency spots at all? Do D.O. students have to enter an allopathic match for rad onc?

thanks

 

[UHS05]

Hi,

Along the same line, are there any D.O. rad onc residency spots at all? Do D.O. students have to enter an allopathic match for rad onc?

thanks

No osteopathic rad-onc spots as of now, so yes, all DO's wanting to pursue rad-onc must go the allo route.

 

[deleted4401]

So ...

20 DOs, 386 USMDs, 119 FMGs ...
That is 525 applicants for 130 spots.

So, 25% match rate overall, and just 33% for US MDs? That doesn't seem right. I feel certain that there was far less than 406 US MD/DO applicants. That is far more than the usual number. There was like ~200 last year.

Not that I don't trust you, G, but can anyone corroborate these numbers? If that is the case, rad-onc crossed over from ridiculously hard to ludicrously hard in terms of match difficulty. I'm so glad I don't have to apply again.

-S

 

[radonculus]

My program received 183 applications this year for one position. We interviewed 28 applicants. However, when I applied in 2003 for matriculation 2004 (PGY-2) one of the program directors from the midwest told me that he received in excess of 440 applications.

 

[Gfunk6]

Not that I don't trust you, G, but can anyone corroborate these numbers? If that is the case, rad-onc crossed over from ridiculously hard to ludicrously hard in terms of match difficulty.

Here's the link from ERAS: RadOnc Match Numbers

I was way off on the numbers: (sorry about that 🙁 )
US applicants = 267 (including 20 DOs)
IMG = 119
TOTAL applicants for 2005-2006 = 386

It looks ludicrous on paper but consider the following things:

1. These are people who applied to @ least one RadOnc program. Many (perhaps most) of them double-applied to RadOnc and another field as a backup.

2. I'm willing to bet that ~ half of this total group of 386 got at least one interview, so that divides the competition yet again.

3. Another (perhaps more accurate) way to measure competitiveness would be to look @ the NRMP numbers (not sure if they are available) -- I've heard 225 applicants ranked RadOnc programs.

Still, no question that it is very competitive.

 

[landon]

There were 225 participants in the 2005 NRMP match and 185 in 2006 for radiation oncology. There were 137 positions offered in 2005 and 128 in 2006. US seniors as a percentage of the pool and as a percentage of those who matched is increased 8% and 6% respectively comparing 2005 and 2006.

 

[stephew]

those "others" may be IMGs, DO's or post-grad US MD's who tried again.

 

[irfanmd1]

Anyone know the reason for the drop in positions offered from 2005 (137)to 2006 (128) ??

 

[Gfunk6]

Anyone know the reason for the drop in positions offered from 2005 (137)to 2006 (128) ??

A lot of RadOnc programs are small and have >= 4 residents total. That means they don't always take one resident per year. Usually it goes like 1-0-1-2 or something like that. Probably 2006 was a "0" year for a number of programs.

 

[irfanmd1]

A lot of RadOnc programs are small and have >= 4 residents total. That means they don't always take one resident per year. Usually it goes like 1-0-1-2 or something like that. Probably 2006 was a "0" year for a number of programs.

Thanks! ....hmm... that does make sense.
Is it true that more programs are trying/ wanting to add more residency spots?

-Irfan

 

[Gfunk6]

Thanks! ....hmm... that does make sense.
Is it true that more programs are trying/ wanting to add more residency spots?

-Irfan

Virtually every program I interviewed at says they "want" to add new spots. However doing so is a long, complicated process and few programs will actually succeed. Check out the ACGME thread in this forum for details on what a program needs to do for a successful expansion application.

Bottom line, I would expect the # of spots to stay relatively stable for the next few years.

 

[stephew]

wanting to add spots is a lot like wanting to eb a radonc doc. different from being able to do it. The ACGME keeps this under control and in context of the likely market of the next 10 years or so.

 

[r90t]

He was a medical physicist prior to medical school.

 

[bihari]

He was a medical physicist prior to medical school.

this refers to who?

 

[yeasterbunny]

this refers to who?

I'm guessing s/he meant the D.O. who matched at USC (see the third posting). However as this thread is ~2.5 years old, my guess is no one really remembers for sure.