Failed out of DO program, trying to get back in

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If anyone is wondering, I only took COMLEX and hit the national average almost exactly. Was hoping to do better but I'll live. Loving rotations and want to thank SDN again for being the source of a great deal of good information when I was reapplying to school 🙂
 
Bones DO said:
If anyone is wondering, I only took COMLEX and hit the national average almost exactly. Was hoping to do better but I'll live. Loving rotations and want to thank SDN again for being the source of a great deal of good information when I was reapplying to school 🙂
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Good to hear. Congrats!
 
I am sorry to hear your situation. Thanks for sharing your agony. It helps other to learn more about how to deal with similar situations.
 
SO2B said:
I am sorry to hear your situation. Thanks for sharing your agony. It helps other to learn more about how to deal with similar situations.
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i dont think he gets it
 
congratulations Bones! Keep up the good work.
 
Congrats Bones. Very happy to hear that you've been successful. 🙂
 
Bones,

Glad to see you are doing well and we all appreciate your tale of perseverance. 👍 Keep your nose in the books and let us know from time to time how your journey is progressing. Just remember to give back when you graduate from residency someday and imbue another soul with your "Never give up" mentality.

-Rich
 
Richie Truxillo said:
Bones,

Glad to see you are doing well and we all appreciate your tale of perseverance. 👍 Keep your nose in the books and let us know from time to time how your journey is progressing. Just remember to give back when you graduate from residency someday and imbue another soul with your "Never give up" mentality.

-Rich
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8GPTAAjC18

this has GOT TO BE YOU, and DON'T YOU DENY IT.
 
Deceptacon said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8GPTAAjC18

this has GOT TO BE YOU, and DON'T YOU DENY IT.
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I salute you good sir on your Google skills. I would never deny my gaming heritage. Ah, the glory days of being a teenager without the stress of medicine :laugh:

But please, let's not derail this awesome thread. Bones DO deserves much props. :luck:

By the way Bones, use Boards and Wards for Step 2 and 3. That book is golden and I still keep a copy close by today. USMLE step 2 and 3 secrets wasn't bad either. :luck:
 
Hi All,

I'm finishing up my 2nd month of IM and setting up my away rotations for next school year. I am wondering if anyone knows COMLEX I cutoffs for interviews at AOA EM programs in PA, OH, NY or anywhere else in the northeast? I keep asking in my initial email to program coordinators and medical ed directors but they continue to ignore the question.

I was recently in touch with an intern at St. Luke's and she was telling me that several of the PA AOA EM programs have an interview cutoff of 500. I was somewhat confused by this since the overall average of DO EM Interns for 2012 was just about 500... can anyone shed further light on this subject? Is PA just a more competitive area for AOA EM? I just want to make sure my audition rotations are at programs that will actually consider interviewing me w/my lackluster 490 step I! Obviously, I am aiming to better on step II...

Thanks everyone!
 
Bones DO said:
Hi All,

I'm finishing up my 2nd month of IM and setting up my away rotations for next school year. I am wondering if anyone knows COMLEX I cutoffs for interviews at AOA EM programs in PA, OH, NY or anywhere else in the northeast? I keep asking in my initial email to program coordinators and medical ed directors but they continue to ignore the question.

I was recently in touch with an intern at St. Luke's and she was telling me that several of the PA AOA EM programs have an interview cutoff of 500. I was somewhat confused by this since the overall average of DO EM Interns for 2012 was just about 500... can anyone shed further light on this subject? Is PA just a more competitive area for AOA EM? I just want to make sure my audition rotations are at programs that will actually consider interviewing me w/my lackluster 490 step I! Obviously, I am aiming to better on step II...

Thanks everyone!
Click to expand...

I'd ask in the EM forum - you might have a more focused response there.
 
Bones DO said:
Hi All,

I'm finishing up my 2nd month of IM and setting up my away rotations for next school year. I am wondering if anyone knows COMLEX I cutoffs for interviews at AOA EM programs in PA, OH, NY or anywhere else in the northeast? I keep asking in my initial email to program coordinators and medical ed directors but they continue to ignore the question.

I was recently in touch with an intern at St. Luke's and she was telling me that several of the PA AOA EM programs have an interview cutoff of 500. I was somewhat confused by this since the overall average of DO EM Interns for 2012 was just about 500... can anyone shed further light on this subject? Is PA just a more competitive area for AOA EM? I just want to make sure my audition rotations are at programs that will actually consider interviewing me w/my lackluster 490 step I! Obviously, I am aiming to better on step II...

Thanks everyone!
Click to expand...

I heard Lehigh valley usually takes people with scores between 530-550. I think Lehigh valley and st. Luke's are suppose to some of the better AOA EM programs with Lehigh being better than st. Luke's. A lot of kids in my class failed to match emergency medicine this year. It's really competitive. You really need to improve on level 2 and, if you don't, then you should have a back up IM/fam/psych. Alternatively, you could take the usmle in the summer, which would open many doors if you do well on it and it won't close any doors if you do badly.
 
Bones DO said:
Hi All,

I'm finishing up my 2nd month of IM and setting up my away rotations for next school year. I am wondering if anyone knows COMLEX I cutoffs for interviews at AOA EM programs in PA, OH, NY or anywhere else in the northeast? I keep asking in my initial email to program coordinators and medical ed directors but they continue to ignore the question.

I was recently in touch with an intern at St. Luke's and she was telling me that several of the PA AOA EM programs have an interview cutoff of 500. I was somewhat confused by this since the overall average of DO EM Interns for 2012 was just about 500... can anyone shed further light on this subject? Is PA just a more competitive area for AOA EM? I just want to make sure my audition rotations are at programs that will actually consider interviewing me w/my lackluster 490 step I! Obviously, I am aiming to better on step II...

Thanks everyone!
Click to expand...

That would be correct about the 500 cutoff. The NJ/PA/IL *OH(I was told that they occasionally will look at someone with a score lower than 500 but you need to be an exceptional applicant whatever that means.) programs I emailed were saying 500 min. to be competitive. Also Bones with your history are they going to still consider you? I am not being mean but just curious. I would also assume maybe Botsford would be a good place for you to rotate with a couple of graduates from your school ending up there?

I have talked to some MD programs as well with a cut off of 600 which I kind of said wow too and thanks...(But some of these will take a 200-215 USMLE)
 
Makati2008 said:
That would be correct about the 500 cutoff. The NJ/PA/IL *OH(I was told that they occasionally will look at someone with a score lower than 500 but you need to be an exceptional applicant whatever that means.) programs I emailed were saying 500 min. to be competitive. Also Bones with your history are they going to still consider you? I am not being mean but just curious. I would also assume maybe Botsford would be a good place for you to rotate with a couple of graduates from your school ending up there?

I have talked to some MD programs as well with a cut off of 600 which I kind of said wow too and thanks...(But some of these will take a 200-215 USMLE)
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Meh I'll just go elsewhere, the programs I'm rotating at care much more about my clinical grades (which are above average) and the audition. Averages are 520ish at my reach programs an 470 at my 'safe' ones. Not a single PD has given an ounce of a hoot about my failed start in 08. If anything they've expressed admiration for my perseverance.
 
As others have said it would probably be a good ideal to have a few true safe backups especially with the caliber of EM applicants PDs can pick.
 
Did better on COMLEX Level II than Level I, I won't post exact score so pd's can't pinpoint who I am... ERAS in, already have a handfull of interviews scheduled and auditions are going well 🙂
 
Bones DO said:
Did better on COMLEX Level II than Level I, I won't post exact score so pd's can't pinpoint who I am... ERAS in, already have a handfull of interviews scheduled and auditions are going well 🙂
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Pullin for you Bones!

Best example of why people sometimes deserve second chances.
 
Bones DO said:
Did better on COMLEX Level II than Level I, I won't post exact score so pd's can't pinpoint who I am... ERAS in, already have a handfull of interviews scheduled and auditions are going well 🙂
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Gratz!!! Been mentioning your successes and referencing this thread in other similar threads out and about SDN. KEEP IT UP! 🙂
 
I must say I am truly impressed by your persistence and perseverance of your story. You have inspired me and have made me believe that there truly is hope in a second chance. Keep doing well bones, I know you are on the right path in becoming a physician. Good Luck and Thank you!
 
so awesome! this thread never gets old.

excuse my pre-med-ness, but when exactly does the match take place (yes I could google it, and yes i AM that lazy 🙂)? really hoping you match EM at a program you love, you deserve it my man. keep up the good work!

EDIT: nvm, i found the energy to search it due to all the silence 😛 ... good luck in February!
 
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By way of update:

Ranked 6 EM programs, many of which I rotated at and honored the rotations and got 2 LOR's from assistant PD's and still didn't match. I was told by 5/6 of the programs that I was ranked competitively and called me an outstanding/excellent student/candidate in person. Two places said I was "very likely to match" there if I ranked them at all. I think my below average board scores screwed me. I scrambled into a Family Med duel ACGME/AOA accredited program at a county hospital in PA. I plan to do a 4th year EM fellowship and attend in an urgent care or rural ED. Once I'm attending I plan to donate a substantial amount of money to this site because it was an indispensable resource for me!

Again thanks to everyone who helped me through this process...for premed above AOA match this year was 2/10/14, ACGME is 3/17/14.
 
Last edited:
Bones DO said:
By way of update:

Ranked 6 EM programs, many of which I rotated at and honored the rotations and got 2 LOR's from assistant PD's and still didn't match. I was told by 5/6 of the programs that I was ranked competitively and called me an outstanding/excellent student/candidate in person. Two places said I was "very likely to match" there if I ranked them at all. I think my below average board scores screwed me. I scrambled into a Family Med duel ACGME/AOA accredited program at a county hospital in PA. I plan to do a 4th year EM fellowship andin an urgent care or rural ED. Once I'm attending I plan to donate a substantial amount of money to this site because it was an indispensable resource for me!

Again thanks to everyone who helped me through this process...for premed above AOA match this year was 2/10/14, ACGME is 3/17/14.
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Congrats on the scramble! I'm sorry to hear about the non-matches. I imagine your latest experience, along with the rest of this thread, will help an untold many, though. Good luck as an intern.
 
Bones DO said:
By way of update:

Ranked 6 EM programs, many of which I rotated at and honored the rotations and got 2 LOR's from assistant PD's and still didn't match. I was told by 5/6 of the programs that I was ranked competitively and called me an outstanding/excellent student/candidate in person. Two places said I was "very likely to match" there if I ranked them at all. I think my below average board scores screwed me. I scrambled into a Family Med duel ACGME/AOA accredited program at a county hospital in PA. I plan to do a 4th year EM fellowship andin an urgent care or rural ED. Once I'm attending I plan to donate a substantial amount of money to this site because it was an indispensable resource for me!

Again thanks to everyone who helped me through this process...for premed above AOA match this year was 2/10/14, ACGME is 3/17/14.
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Hey man, since you probably don't know the FM programs in PA, if you wanna shoot me a PM I might be able to help you out. I applied to 7 of them in PA, so might have some info for you. (General, not anything like call schedule, for example)
 
Bacchus said:
Hey man, since you probably don't know the FM programs in PA, if you wanna shoot me a PM I might be able to help you out. I applied to 7 of them in PA, so might have some info for you. (General, not anything like call schedule, for example)
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Thanks man I already got a spot tho.
 
this is just awesome, congrats to you man! kind of annoying that after all that work and redemption you couldn't get a spot in your first choice specialty, but at the end of the day you're going to be a doctor and few deserve it more. Great job Bones.
 
Remember reading this thread when it first popped up. Glad to see everything has turned out well and that you are officially going to be a doctor! Best of luck to you in the future.
 
the comments on this thread, in large part, are much more considerate and positively advising towards the OP (compared to another post on a similar topic). i wish the best of luck too to the OP in getting back into medical school. keep your goals and wishes focused if medicine is your true passion. people undergo obstacles in life, stumble over them, but grow stronger, more wise and mature, and emotionally fortified after the experience. a wise and compassionate medical school should consider this. consider medical school, but if it doesn't work out, no sweat - you can try other health professions too related to medicine that may also involve patient care. you know, just keep options open 🙂
 
Dr Banner said:
the comments on this thread, in large part, are much more considerate and positively advising towards the OP (compared to another post on a similar topic). i wish the best of luck too to the OP in getting back into medical school. keep your goals and wishes focused if medicine is your true passion. people undergo obstacles in life, stumble over them, but grow stronger, more wise and mature, and emotionally fortified after the experience. a wise and compassionate medical school should consider this. consider medical school, but if it doesn't work out, no sweat - you can try other health professions too related to medicine that may also involve patient care. you know, just keep options open 🙂
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Bones, DO (OP) is starting residency at a dual-accredited FM program in a few months!
 
hallowmann said:
Bones, DO (OP) is starting residency at a dual-accredited FM program in a few months!
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oh wow, congratulations to him! 🙂 thanks for letting me know about it. i am happy for him. and sorry for the previous exchange on another post - i was a bit taken away with emotion 😛 guess good things can happen to people who persevere.
 
Dr Banner said:
oh wow, congratulations to him! 🙂 thanks for letting me know about it. i am happy for him. and sorry for the previous exchange on another post - i was a bit taken away with emotion 😛 guess good things can happen to people who persevere.
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Water under the bridge and down the stream. This thread stands as a testament to perseverance for sure.
 
Bones DO said:
By way of update:

Ranked 6 EM programs, many of which I rotated at and honored the rotations and got 2 LOR's from assistant PD's and still didn't match. I was told by 5/6 of the programs that I was ranked competitively and called me an outstanding/excellent student/candidate in person. Two places said I was "very likely to match" there if I ranked them at all. I think my below average board scores screwed me. I scrambled into a Family Med duel ACGME/AOA accredited program at a county hospital in PA. I plan to do a 4th year EM fellowship and attend in an urgent care or rural ED. Once I'm attending I plan to donate a substantial amount of money to this site because it was an indispensable resource for me!

Again thanks to everyone who helped me through this process...for premed above AOA match this year was 2/10/14, ACGME is 3/17/14.
Click to expand...

Congrats on your match! After all that struggle, you're on your way to practice medicine. Your story is such an inspiration for all of us and I'm sure you'll make a very good doctor.

I'm just a little curious as to why you didn't match at the programs that said they'll rank you highly. So even when they say you are "very likely to match," you still shouldn't trust what they are saying?
 
happypremed1 said:
...I'm just a little curious as to why you didn't match at the programs that said they'll rank you highly. So even when they say you are "very likely to match," you still shouldn't trust what they are saying?
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Play it by ear, but I've known people who were told "we're ranking you number 1" and then it turns out they didn't even rank the guy (he knew that because he ranked them number 1, because of what they said, and in the end the match ended and they had one spot left). I've also heard that some programs tell everyone "we'll rank you highly", because its in their interest to be ranked highly by as many of their applicants as possible.

In any case, sometimes places are honest and do rank you highly, but who knows, they could have 4 spots, rank you 5 out of 20 (relatively high) and it just happens that the 4 above you all ranked them high and matched. The best advice is to rank the places based on where you'd actually want to be.
 
hallowmann said:
Play it by ear, but I've known people who were told "we're ranking you number 1" and then it turns out they didn't even rank the guy (he knew that because he ranked them number 1, because of what they said, and in the end the match ended and they had one spot left). I've also heard that some programs tell everyone "we'll rank you highly", because its in their interest to be ranked highly by as many of their applicants as possible.

In any case, sometimes places are honest and do rank you highly, but who knows, they could have 4 spots, rank you 5 out of 20 (relatively high) and it just happens that the 4 above you all ranked them high and matched. The best advice is to rank the places based on where you'd actually want to be.
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I was understandably a little shocked after the unsuccessful match, so I did call a few of the programs where I thought I was a shoe in. According to the PD's at the programs I dealt with, I was ranked 'competitively' but not assuredly. Essentially what you described in the second half of your post happened to me: some had 4 spots and I was ranked 6, or 2 spots and I was 4 and so on. In retrospect I should have participated in NRMP as well, I incorrectly thought that AOA EM would be easier so I focused only those programs.

That said, I am happy with how it turned out. My program looks very solid and I wanted to practice EM in a rural setting anyway, and it seems I can still do that, perhaps a split between rural ED and primary care or urgent care. Thanks to everyone who posted above, I got a lot of excellent information from this community and I will be forever grateful!
 
You're a true gentleman (in the character sense of the word since I don't actually know your gender 😉), so I'm not surprised things turned out well for you. Your attitude was consistently professional and positive, and you formulated and executed a strong plan of action. The way you handled things should be an inspiration for the "If at first you don't succeed" crowd.

Best of luck to you --
 
You are an absolute inspiration. So many obstacles plagued your path of becoming a physician, and you overcame them all. I wish you all the success in your future path. The residency match game sounds like a horrendous ordeal, but you got a spot. You're a fellowship away from being an EM doctor. With your determination, you will certainly achieve your dreams.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Quick update...530 on COMLEX Level III, 91st percentile on DO FM in-service and more than 1/2 done with intern year! Will be applying for unrestricted license to moon light next year 🙂 Thanks to the couple posters above here since my last post.
 
Yay!
 
I can tell you that many students go through very difficult times in the DO world, but to have what sounded like an epic fail turn around to doing so well in your second round and now being only one step away from a practicing physician is very inspiring indeed and very many will appreciate you sharing so candidly. Your story would have me calling you in for an interview for a residency spot for sure! Congratulations!

This thread + = the most inspirational combo for all students of medicine at any level.

Depending on where you go, an FM can be both EM and Hospitalist, especially in rural settings, so you've got plenty of options to do what you intended to from the start, it just was a more difficult and longer road and now you don't have to think about it any more: YOU DID IT!!!
 
Congratz to the OP...I'm in a different situation where I passed my courses but failed COMLEX...What can you do with 2 years of medical school coursework completed (all courses passed)? Can you transfer those credits anywhere like into another (DO, PA, DMD) program or are those pretty much 2 years wasted?
 
FutureDO2016 said:
Congratz to the OP...I'm in a different situation where I passed my courses but failed COMLEX...What can you do with 2 years of medical school coursework completed (all courses passed)? Can you transfer those credits anywhere like into another (DO, PA, DMD) program or are those pretty much 2 years wasted?
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Can't you just retake COMLEX?
 
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