ERAS infraction??

[Los]

I changed my identity to hide because it would be easy to figure out who I am from previous posts.

Anyways, I am an osteopathic student applying to only allopathic residencies. I took both the comlex and usmle. I did very poorly on the comlex but did quite well on the usmle. I did not authorize ERAS to send my comlex scores to any program; I did not want to hurt myself and figured most would not be interested. While I was on an interview from a purely allopathic(not dual) program I was asked about my poor score.

I was quite shocked to have found out this out during an interview and was not prepared for this. I have no idea of knowing if they sent the score to just this program or all that I applied to and have no way of finding out.

I went back on my ERAS account and verified I did not send my comlex to anyone. My concern is that I have not been getting the number of interviews I thought I would be and that the score will hurt me in the interviews I did get. My usmle and transcript in general is very competitive for my specialty.

What if anything can I do at this point?

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[diosa428]

I changed my identity to hide because it would be easy to figure out who I am from previous posts.

Anyways, I am an osteopathic student applying to only allopathic residencies. I took both the comlex and usmle. I did very poorly on the comlex but did quite well on the usmle. I did not authorize ERAS to send my comlex scores to any program; I did not want to hurt myself and figured most would not be interested. While I was on an interview from a purely allopathic(not dual) program I was asked about my poor score.

I was quite shocked to have found out this out during an interview and was not prepared for this. I have no idea of knowing if they sent the score to just this program or all that I applied to and have no way of finding out.

I went back on my ERAS account and verified I did not send my comlex to anyone. My concern is that I have not been getting the number of interviews I thought I would be and that the score will hurt me in the interviews I did get. My usmle and transcript in general is very competitive for my specialty.

What if anything can I do at this point?

Hey, sorry to hear about your situation. Can you go under the track applications tab and see if the programs uploaded your COMLEX scores via ERAS? Perhaps then you can tell if all the programs got them or not. I don't have much else to offer for help though... sorry.

 

[DO_Surgeon]

Are you sure it was ERAS that sent out your score. Did a letter writer put something in a letter of recommendation or your dean's letter make mention of it? I have no idea how ERAS would get access to your COMLEX score being that you need to give them your NBOME number, etc. I would guess your score is out there from a different route.

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

Are you sure it was ERAS that sent out your score. Did a letter writer put something in a letter of recommendation or your dean's letter make mention of it? I have no idea how ERAS would get access to your COMLEX score being that you need to give them your NBOME number, etc. I would guess your score is out there from a different route.

That would be my assumption as well - I'd think the Dean's Letter would be the most likely spot.

Also you can call ERAS customer service to try and sort through this, but I would agree with the prior poster that if it's not in your ERAS post office I doubt it's been sent through some hidden channel.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

Are you sure it was ERAS that sent out your score. Did a letter writer put something in a letter of recommendation or your dean's letter make mention of it? I have no idea how ERAS would get access to your COMLEX score being that you need to give them your NBOME number, etc. I would guess your score is out there from a different route.

This is my hunch as well. I know all our available Step scores are listed on our MSPE at my school. I agree with checking the downloaded documents just to make sure, but the MSPE is the more likely culprit.

 

[tarlovcyst]

That would be my assumption as well - I'd think the Dean's Letter would be the most likely spot.

Also you can call ERAS customer service to try and sort through this, but I would agree with the prior poster that if it's not in your ERAS post office I doubt it's been sent through some hidden channel.

Dean's Letter is unlikely. Most med schools allow students to read their Dean's letter before they are sent out. Unless the OP completely missed it.

More likely, the OP clicked the "automatic release score" checkbox and then decided to de-select it. ERAS is tricky, because once you click the checkbox, it is automatically set to release scores, regardless if you de-select it later on. It says very clearly under the ERAS score section. Check it and believe me.

 

[Man In White]

Dean's Letter is unlikely. Most med schools allow students to read their Dean's letter before they are sent out. Unless the OP completely missed it.

More likely, the OP clicked the "automatic release score" checkbox and then decided to de-select it. ERAS is tricky, because once you click the checkbox, it is automatically set to release scores, regardless if you de-select it later on. It says very clearly under the ERAS score section. Check it and believe me.

He would have had to assign the COMLEX transcript to each of the programs to which he applied and then actually paid to have the transcript sent in addition to misclicking a checkbox.

Also, the ERAS user guide does not mention an automatic transmission process for the COMLEX as it does the USMLE. I'm not certain there is one for COMLEX.

My guess is another route.

 

[JonnyG]

Wouldn't the infarction be on you because your required to release scores? Also programs know you are a DO and are not providing them with your scores. You are in fact hiding something. Not having your scores would be worse then low scores because now they wonder if you can even graduate.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

If you PM me your school, I'll see if I have any applicants and will tell you whether your COMLEX scores are in there. All MSPE's, including all of the DO ones I have seen, list comlex scores in them, so I think that's your answer.

 

[Los]

I have seen my Dean's letter and my score is not on there as I requested it not to be there (We have the choice of puting our comlex and usmle on there as the program will already have the info already). My letter writer's did not know my comlex scores. I ended up asking the program director how he got my comlex score via email and he told me he downloaded the comlex score as an attatchment from some ERAS source (website or email I don't know). He even called my school to see if it was accurate as he was surprised because of my USMLE. He sent me and my school the document and there it is, just as he said. I did download my comlex to eras as I initially thought I was going to go the osteopathic route but I did not automatically transmit my comlex scores as I was mindful that they were crappy. I looked under track applications and none of the schools have my comlex as I did not release them to the programs. Or atleast I thought they didn't... I am beginning to think (hope) just this program got my score as no other program has asked me about it in interviews.

I understand your point about me hiding something but the nbome has really screwed me over twice in my opinion. How do I get a high score on the the first 2 USMLE tests but do so poorly on the comlex? I am not ignoring OMT in my studies and no one can convince me the comlex is more difficult or so different structurally that my medical knowledge goes away in one test but not another. I don't want to take this discussion on a totally different tangent and argue about the 2 tests or my integrity.

Has anyone ever had this experience happen to them; when ERAS sent something you didn't check mark? I guess I can't do anything about it now but I had to vent. Some people will say I get what I deserved if I don't match...

 

[NotAProgDirector]

There is no secret ERAS website to download COMLEX transcripts from, that I know of...

If it did come from ERAS, it will be clear from looking at the transcript. At the very top of the COMLEX transcript is a header. On the left will be the name of the program it was downloaded to. On the right will be your name, your AAMC number, and the words "COMLEX Transcript".

 

[Man In White]

Just out of curiosity did the PD have your exact score or just mention that it was 'poor.' If the latter - I'm wondering if he was bluffing b/c it wasn't in your application.

 

[docbill]

Well either way, your response to the question would have been more important than anything else. If you did well on USMLE and poorly on COMLEX, and your interviewing at ACGME program, it should be easy for you to justify/ or explain. My opinion.

Plus your a DO student, it will be very odd if you did not submit your COMLEX score... after all, you need it to pass. Your school could of screwed you over by putting in in the dean's letter.

 

[Flank Pain]

Do allopathic PDs even know what the comlex is? Seems like they have enough stuff to keep track of already, I doubt they care.

 

[howelljolly]

Do allopathic PDs even know what the comlex is? Seems like they have enough stuff to keep track of already, I doubt they care.

How could they possibly not know, and why would they not care? Any information they have on you will help them mentally set you apart (in one way or another) as they're sifting through thousands of nearly identical applications.