getting into a prestigious residency

[Yoyomama88]

I may want the option of getting into a top tier residency after medical school...if I only gain acceptance into an osteopathic school vs. an allopathic school...will my chances be extremely decreased?

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[w8ting2exhale]

I may want the option of getting into a top tier residency after medical school...if I only gain acceptance into an osteopathic school vs. an allopathic school...will my chances be extremely decreased?

the whole MD vs DO thing is pretty much over-rated. but if you can get into an allopathic school, why would you turn it down??? unless of course you personally prefer osteopathic medicine. Then that would be a matter of what you would enjoy. I've been at hospitals with DOs at great positions that i didn't even know where "DOs" until i was told so i don't think doing osteopathic medicine puts you at a disadvantage in terms of resisdency. But then again, thats only from what i've seen and the people i know. They might just have been lucky but i doubt it. Medicine is medicine. If you work hard, you'll get far

 

[Pinkertinkle]

If you want to do derm at UCSF then yes.

 

[searun]

If you want to do neurosurgery at Columbia, then yes.

 

[bcat85]

Go to allo if you can.. unless, as before stated, you really have a learning for osteopathic medicine.. But really, take what you can get and do well where you go.

 

[J1515]

I may want the option of getting into a top tier residency after medical school...if I only gain acceptance into an osteopathic school vs. an allopathic school...will my chances be extremely decreased?

What will you gain from a "top tier residency" as you call it, vs. if you were forced to do a residency in an inner city hospital like st. barnabus in the bronx?

 

[Live4Life]

If you want to do a neurosurgery residency at Mass General, it appears that you can't be a DO. They state on their website "Applicants must be graduate of medical schools accredited by the American Association of Medical Colleges", which would make you think that you would have to have a MD degree; however, what is confusing is the fact that allopathic schools aren't accredited by the AAMC, but rather by the LCME. So maybe it is just a typo.

 

[Yoyomama88]

well i may want to go into academic medicine..and I feel that in terms of receiving research funding, one would be much better off at a prestigious residency? Or is this not always the case?

 

[PremedIowa]

Exceptional students stand out no matter what school they attend.

Rock the preclinicals, clerkships, Step 1, and do a little research on the side and you can get in anywhere.

 

[Law2Doc]

I may want the option of getting into a top tier residency after medical school...if I only gain acceptance into an osteopathic school vs. an allopathic school...will my chances be extremely decreased?

Assuming you do well wherever you go, it will depend more on the specialty than anything else. Residencies aren't fungible. Each specialty has it's top tier, and all will be different. And there is a huge range of competitiveness amongst specialties. So saying "I want to go to a top tier residency" is meaningless. It's basically like looking at a basket of different fruits and saying I want to eat the best one. The same person can get into the top residency in say, peds, but not even get an interview at the worst derm program. So your question simply cannot be answered without knowing what field you are talking about. And you won't really know what field you are talking about because most folks change their minds about specialties at least once during med school, once they get more exposure during clerkship year, learn what they like and dislike, maybe see how they did on the Step.
I would do what you can to get into the best school that you think you will thrive at. Not sure if that helps you at all. But I wouldn't worry about the end game just yet. Things will change along the way. You will change along the way too. What you want now is very very very likely not what you will want 4+ years from now.

 

[tbo]

Rock the preclinicals, clerkships, Step 1, and do a little research on the side and you can get in anywhere.

While motivational, your statement is probably untrue. I've seen some tenacious people getting into top 1 or top 2 fellowships just by being tenacious and focused while going to low-tier med schools and residencies, but they are the butt-busters of all butt-busters. It is ultra-rare to get into a top-notch residency from a so-so medical school. There are only so many spots at a MGH or a UCSF and everyone from HMS kids down are looking to match into these spots. Work hard and I'm sure that will be exemplified in a quality match. Not getting into a residency at MGH clearly isn't the end of anyone's world. Just like law2doc has stated, much can change in 4 years and your life's priorities may outweigh residency prestige. Best of luck.

 

[Yoyomama88]

you might be right about me changing my mind, but i am quite sure I want to study the brain...so I'm looking at psychiatry/neurology/neurosurgery...

 

[63768]

residency is all about med school grades, MCAT, and who you know based on away rotations and/or personal contact.

the whole MD v DO thing is going away for the most part. and this is coming from a DO student vying for an ortho spot.

 

[45408]

It is ultra-rare to get into a top-notch residency from a so-so medical school.

proof?

 

[njbmd]

I may want the option of getting into a top tier residency after medical school...if I only gain acceptance into an osteopathic school vs. an allopathic school...will my chances be extremely decreased?

Right now, your main concern should be to get into any medical school. The one thing for sure is that you won't do residency if you don't get in and the prestige of the schools that do not accept you is meaningless. Apply broadly and then make a decision if you are fortunate enough to have a choice.

Your performance in medical school (any medical school in the US) and your performance on boards will determine what you will be competitive for when residency selection time comes around. Since you haven't yet taken a medical school class let alone done a clinical rotation, you really have very little idea of what you are suited for or competitive for in terms of specialty.

Don't put the cart in front of the horse at this point. Students who graduate from osteopathic or allopathic medical school can enter any specialty that they are competitive for. The biggest mistake that most people who do not get into medical school make, is overestimating their competitiveness for any medical school in the first place.

Apply early and apply broadly as no US school is a "chip shot" and if you don't get in at all, you won't have to worry about the prestige of residency.

 

[Livingapparatus]

residency is all about med school grades, MCAT, and who you know based on away rotations and/or personal contact.

what?

 

[tbo]

you might be right about me changing my mind, but i am quite sure I want to study the brain...so I'm looking at psychiatry/neurology/neurosurgery...

Psych at a top hospital/program is far easier to get into than neurosurgery at a top hospital/program - there's no question. And neurology as a sub-specialty of IM opens up many doors for 'prestige' as well. Your certainty in the brain is commendable and impressive (I have no clue what I want to do - the possibilities truly are endless when considering fellowship-level specialties), but I would consider the many other factors involved in choosing a med school before I would concern myself with residency prestige. Things like curriculum (particularly important when considering DO vs MD), how well you get along with students going there, location, research opportunities, etc. Work hard to get into the best program possible, then when you're faced with DO school X and MD school, you can sort out the many variables to consider then. Best of luck.

 

[63768]

what?

my bad. i meant USMLE. hahaha it's in the pre-allo forum so i had MCAT on my mind.

 

[tbo]

proof?

Nah, I have no proof. I'm speaking more from intuition. Harvard students likely have more access to "prestigious" residencies, given similar board scores than a student from a so-called "lower tier" school. It's not only name recognition, but also access to well-connected faculty, access to really cool research, etc. The truth of the matter is in medicine -- and in any other industry or career -- pedigree does matter. There's no question you can still be wildly successful without a Harvard UG, Harvard Med, Brigham & Women's residency, but the world is the way it is.

 

[Pinkertinkle]

How did this evolve into harvard vs others? I thought it was DO vs MD.

 

[tbo]

How did this evolve into harvard vs others? I thought it was DO vs MD.

Fair enough - I've side-tracked. My point still remains - access to med school (DO or MD) relates to access later.

 

[Gut Shot]

Nah, I have no proof. I'm speaking more from intuition.

 

[Gut Shot]

My point still remains - access to med school (DO or MD) relates to access later.

Relates, yes, but how much? How much weight should we give to school name over other factors? Without some approximation of that weight your point is rather flaccid.

 

[TehDoc]

Go allopathic. Its obvious you want to.

 

[Vvandenn]

Do residency programs take into account MCAT scores as well?