DO SMP for MD Schools

[MusicianDoctor]

TLDR: Will a DO affiliated SMP hurt my chances at applying to MD programs?

Hi all, I'm a long time skulker on SDN and finally decided to make an account. Sorry if this isn't the right place to post this question!

I've been accepted to several SMP programs, some with linkages to DO schools and some with linkages to MD schools. My end goal is to get into an MD program, however one of the SMP programs I was accepted into has conditional admittance to a DO school after completing their one year program. The other SMP programs I was accepted into are 2 years and only offer an interview through their linkage.

The SMP with the conditional acceptance to a DO school is a fantastic opportunity and a great safety net, but I was wondering if completing a DO affiliated SMP would hurt my chances for applying and getting into MD schools? Do allopathic schools hold applicants from DO affiliated SMP's to a different standard than applicants from MD SMPs?

I was also curious as to whether getting an M.A. or an M.S. has any impact on how medical schools view your SMP?

Thanks in advance for any insight and advice

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[chilly_md]

No, it is still viewed as a rigorous SMP program (particularly if it has been around for a while and various MD schools have accepted students from there). Other types of master degrees don’t have an impact on the app, so it does not matter whether you have one or not.

 

[MusicianDoctor]

No, it is still viewed as a rigorous SMP program (particularly if it has been around for a while and various MD schools have accepted students from there). Other types of master degrees don’t have an impact on the app, so it does not matter whether you have one or not.

Thanks for the reply! Does it matter if the SMP isn't from the medical school directly, but from an affiliated university?

The SMP I'm specifically looking at is Bluefield University's M.A. in Biomedical science. It's a fairly new program and it's not directly through VCOM, but classes are taught by VCOM faculty and it has the conditional acceptance to VCOM. It seems that students are accepted to other schools besides VCOM according to their website, but it doesn't mention if they were MD schools.

 

[chilly_md]

Thanks for the reply! Does it matter if the SMP isn't from the medical school directly, but from an affiliated university?

The SMP I'm specifically looking at is Bluefield University's M.A. in Biomedical science. It's a fairly new program and it's not directly through VCOM, but classes are taught by VCOM faculty and it has the conditional acceptance to VCOM. It seems that students are accepted to other schools besides VCOM according to their website, but it doesn't mention if they were MD schools.

I’m not familiar with it but my usual recommendation is to pick the cheaper SMP with the best linkage (and that is 1 year). Seems the program involved classes you’d expect from an SMP.

An MCAT score of 510 is usually needed in conjunction with a strong SMP performance for state MD schools (with exceptions depending on the state). 513 and up for OOS MD in general. If that is a big gap from where you are, the conditional acceptance is of great value.

 

[vcom2026]

Thanks for the reply! Does it matter if the SMP isn't from the medical school directly, but from an affiliated university?

The SMP I'm specifically looking at is Bluefield University's M.A. in Biomedical science. It's a fairly new program and it's not directly through VCOM, but classes are taught by VCOM faculty and it has the conditional acceptance to VCOM. It seems that students are accepted to other schools besides VCOM according to their website, but it doesn't mention if they were MD schools.

I went to the Bluefield program and am about to finish my first year at VCOM where I have done very well. VCOM had the program as a graduate certificate program for a number of years before partnering with Bluefield to turn it into a masters degree. Same faculty all along, including the dean, Dr. Hill, who really works hard to make students successful. He shared the list of residencies from the program and it was impressive. I have met one alum who is finishing neurosurgery and he said his roommate has already finished ortho surgery.

 

[MusicianDoctor]

I went to the Bluefield program and am about to finish my first year at VCOM where I have done very well. VCOM had the program as a graduate certificate program for a number of years before partnering with Bluefield to turn it into a masters degree. Same faculty all along, including the dean, Dr. Hill, who really works hard to make students successful. He shared the list of residencies from the program and it was impressive. I have met one alum who is finishing neurosurgery and he said his roommate has already finished ortho surgery.

Thanks so much for the insight into the program!
I'm definitely not opposed to the DO pathway, it's just the specialty I'm shooting for isn't traditionally DO friendly and so that was a big concern of mine. It's great to hear and reassuring that previous students went on to do very competitive specialties that aren't traditionally DO friendly as well!

I'm pretty sure I'm going to be attending the MABS program this fall, would you mind if I PM'd you if I have any other questions about the program?