Does Step 3 score make a difference?

[driverabu]

Quick and easy question, how much does the step 3 matter when it comes to applying for pain fellowships? Is the consensus that LORs and "who" your program director/chairman knows and obviously if they like you? Also, is research during residency heavily weighed upon? Thanks! I'm currenltly a PGY-1 in anesthesiology at a lower tier midwest program.

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[driverabu]

come on people, 88 hits and no replies? This is not that hard of a question...I would think that the answer is NO, step 3 score does not make much of a difference, but I want some honest answers from current/past fellows or even attendings who are on admission committees...thanks!

 

[Ligament]

I doubt step 3 matters. LORs and who you know does count. Research is getting important at the top teir programs, however you define those.

Quick and easy question, how much does the step 3 matter when it comes to applying for pain fellowships? Is the consensus that LORs and "who" your program director/chairman knows and obviously if they like you? Also, is research during residency heavily weighed upon? Thanks! I'm currenltly a PGY-1 in anesthesiology at a lower tier midwest program.

 

[spinal]

When it comes down to two candidates that have good letters and similar intraining results they might look at the Step 3,2,1.
Make yourself competitive by:
1- publish papers in pain journals or present in pain meetings.
2-Research
3-Good leters of rec.
4-Good intraining scores
5-participate in pain meetings
etc.....
If your steps suck might still have a chance if you make yourself competitive by doing the above.
Good luck!

 

[driverabu]

Thanks for the feedback guys, that is one thing I have to start doing then, research and work hard to get published! Hope to see some of you at pain meetings!

 

[Doctodd]

the big picture is to show how dedicated you are at what you want to do. There are different ways to show that. If you want to stay in your own program, you can simply just do alot of volunteer work in the pain department. If not, then you do have to stand out from the crowd.

T

 

[mehul_25]

I think it can matter in those tight situations, otherwise the stuff that everyone else has mentioned is likely more important.