DO with below average USMLE, decent COMLEX. Chances in ACGME?

[sickwitted]

Hey I'm a DO MS3, COMLEX 1 560 USMLE 218 considering acgme anesthesia programs. I'm in the top 1/3 of my class. One poster in med school and one first author publication before med school. Is applying anesthesia realistic for me? I've looked at past average scores and seems like I'm on the low end usmle wise. Taking both comlex 2 and usmle 2 in a few months. Any advice or thoughts?

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[AdmiralChz]

Apply broadly including to community programs and to ones with DOs in them (check their websites). 218 on Step 1 will get you filtered out immediately of many places, but certainly not all. Talk to people in the class above you after the match and see where they go. Take Step 2 early (so you have the score well before ERAS opens) and aim for an improvement.

Do an SDN search for similar threads, there are tons like this. Here is one where they address away rotations for DOs with low-ish scores. https://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/away-rotations-for-below-average-do.1242458/

 

[Katheudontas parateroumen]

Hey I'm a DO MS3, COMLEX 1 560 USMLE 218 considering acgme anesthesia programs. I'm in the top 1/3 of my class. One poster in med school and one first author publication before med school. Is applying anesthesia realistic for me? I've looked at past average scores and seems like I'm on the low end usmle wise. Taking both comlex 2 and usmle 2 in a few months. Any advice or thoughts?

Here's some good data that it'll be ok. DOs are very successful in ACGME match. Looks like 90% match. More importantly for you 63/67 people matched with COMLEX 550-600. Just apply broadly and be diligent. Take step2 early and improve. Do a couple aways.
http://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Charting-Outcomes-US-Osteopathic-2016.pdf

For US allopathic grads, 134/138 people matched with Step 1 211-220.
http://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Charting-Outcomes-US-Allopathic-Seniors-2016.pdf

 

[BLADEMDA]

Hey I'm a DO MS3, COMLEX 1 560 USMLE 218 considering acgme anesthesia programs. I'm in the top 1/3 of my class. One poster in med school and one first author publication before med school. Is applying anesthesia realistic for me? I've looked at past average scores and seems like I'm on the low end usmle wise. Taking both comlex 2 and usmle 2 in a few months. Any advice or thoughts?

You should plan on applying to 35-40 programs and interviewing at 20 of them (if you get that many interviews). The key is to apply to many bottom tier programs along with maybe 15-20 mid tier ones. If you are realistic about the process then a "match" is highly likely maybe even at a good mid-tier program. Each year the match gets more competitive as the number of applicants continues to increase.

Those in your shoes in previous years really did their homework and made sure to include many lower tier programs on their list to increase the odds they would match.

 

[BLADEMDA]

Press Release: Results Of 2016 NRMP Main Residency Match Largest On Record As Match Continues To Grow
MORE THAN 18,000 U.S. ALLOPATHIC MEDICAL SCHOOL SENIORS AND 17,000 OTHER APPLICANTS VIED FOR OVER 30,000 POSITIONS AT MORE THAN 4,800 RESIDENCY PROGRAMS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES.

 

[BLADEMDA]

• Dermatology, Orthopaedic Surgery, Radiation-Oncology, and Vascular Surgery filled all available first-year positions.
• Emergency Medicine offered 1,895 first-year positions, an increase of 74, and filled all but one.
• Neurological Surgery, Otolaryngology, General Surgery, and integrated Plastic Surgery each had fewer than 5 unfilled first-year positions.

http://www.nrmp.org/press-release-r...largest-on-record-as-match-continues-to-grow/

 

[noods]

Hey I'm a DO MS3, COMLEX 1 560 USMLE 218 considering acgme anesthesia programs. I'm in the top 1/3 of my class. One poster in med school and one first author publication before med school. Is applying anesthesia realistic for me? I've looked at past average scores and seems like I'm on the low end usmle wise. Taking both comlex 2 and usmle 2 in a few months. Any advice or thoughts?

 

[SweetScience87]

I was in your exact position ( Same Scores and Everything ) . Now Im a PGY 1 . Good Luck Brother .

 

[noods]

I was in your exact position ( Same Scores and Everything ) . Now Im a PGY 1 . Good Luck Brother .