Emergency Medicine Interviews

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hotdog

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Hey all out there. I wouldn't mind seeing some discussion from those applying this year. What rhyme or reason to residency programs apply to who they are going to interview? For example, I have interviews at UCLA-Harbor, Cincinnati, and some other top programs, yet have gotten rejections from programs that I wouldn't consider as strong. I have been told that some programs won't interview people who they don't think are going to come. Any other explanations?

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Some look deeply into previous experience, others at a step 1 cut off, and others are purely random.
sux
 
What sort of Step 1 cutoff are you seeing, or have you heard about, for EM?

Please keep us posted about various interview experiences! We M3s will be much obliged!

Best of luck!
 
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Don't know about any cut-offs, but I'm at 232 for Step I and 237 for Step II. I've got 16 interviews, rejections from 4 (California programs and both Arizona programs - those surprised me a bit), and have gotten no info from a handful of others.
 
I don't know of any cut-off's either, but I have a 245 on step I and a 259 on Step II, and I have not gotten any rejections. I was surprised to get interviews on the coasts (UCLA-Harbor for example), because I had heard (like you hotdog) that they typically don't grant interviews if they don't really think the applicant will come. I thought they might not grant me an interview becasue I live in only a moderately-sized city in the Midwest. Hotdog, your board scores are excellent, so I maybe where you are from is a factor? I really don't know their reasoning sometimes. Good luck with all of your interviews!!
 
Well I really don't think they are gonna cut off somebody with a 235 step 1...I think he meant someone with a 200.

This is how random it is...Hotdog, I got a 210 on my usmle step 1 and i have an interview at Maricopa without rotating there. See, it must be a big combination of factors I guess.
 
I need to find a drooly face as I look at that 259 Step II score in envy.
 
midwest girl and hotdog,

why take step II when you already have sufficient step I scores? have there been programs which require it?

that's one of the decisions i'm grappling with. i'm at 223 for step I, and don't want to roll the dice unless i really must...

also, everyone else...
also, any advice, in retrospect, on things you wish you had on your cv (other than six publications in science) that a third year can still do?

i'm just realizing how competitive EM is and it would be a shame (ie sucky) to not achieve the career best suited for me...

thanks for all the input!
 
Originally posted by PimplePopperMD:
•midwest girl and hotdog,

why take step II when you already have sufficient step I scores? have there been programs which require it?

that's one of the decisions i'm grappling with. i'm at 223 for step I, and don't want to roll the dice unless i really must...

also, everyone else...
also, any advice, in retrospect, on things you wish you had on your cv (other than six publications in science) that a third year can still do?

i'm just realizing how competitive EM is and it would be a shame (ie sucky) to not achieve the career best suited for me...

thanks for all the input!•••

You're right - ideally I wouldn't have taken Step II this early, but my school has an Oct 15th deadline to take it. I have classmates who applied to ERAS before taking it, so as to have ERAS get a USMLE transcript with only Step I, and then withheld the Step II score. If I were you, I would take Step II early but start studying for it now. I don't mean an all-out, every waking moment, type of studying, but a concerted effort to do USMLE type studying at the same time as your rotation, ie. read board review books, take notes, make flash cards or however you study for Peds while on Peds. I think it enhances your rotation experience, and means that there is that much less to do when you sit down to study for Step II. Obviously this is easier said than done, but a good Step II score is just one more positive piece of information that you would want programs to have. As for other things, the only thing I wish I knew last year at this time was which were the good programs. Knowing that means you can apply early (and the earlier the better) to get EM electives in June, July, August, or even September. You want these done early to give faculty enough time to write letters.
 
The best thing you can do to improve your chances in EM as a 3rd year? Get the best clerkship grades you can and cultivate positive relationships with attendings with the goal of asking for recommendations in mind.
 
Absolutely, I would focus on clerkship grades and building connections.

From what I have seen so far, the interview (once you get one) is VERY important. Learn to answer on your toes, be friendly, know the field politically...SOOO much is in the interview. Many programs will let the residents take a HUGE part in decision making, and would MUCH rather have a resident with a 205 USMLE or 70% COMLEX that they thought was easy to work with AND a hard worker than a resident with a 230 USMLE that they thought had a chip on their shoulder and was very introverted.
Something to think about!
 
just curious if there is a correlation with how "ghetto" a hospital is and the reputation of the residency program there. For example...do temple and tulane have highly respected residency programs because of all the true "emergencies" you get to see there.

if anyone has a somewhat educated list of EM residencies that are well respected, I'd appreciate it.

thanks,
an MS1
 
dnt:

all programs are listed in <a href="http://www.saem.org" target="_blank">www.saem.org</a>

all programs need to be accredited...

to all else:

thanks for your input! it seems as though em looks for 3rd year grades and letters more than others, and cares less about step one...

hope all had a happy turkey day!
 
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