Help with SLOE and EM away elective

[Glenwood2010]

hey guys, just wanted to say thanks for all the help on here, I've been reading everything and it's real helpful but I haven't encountered a problem I'm currently dealing with (and forgive me if I missed over it).
So I'm a 3rd year wanting to do EM. My step1 wasn't great at all (210). I'm currently setting up my aways and grinding for step 2 in hopes of a big improvement. I will get one SLOE from my home school and I'm currently looking around for my 2nd (and eventually a 3rd) on VSAS. I've been rejected by one school already for an away and I just heard back from another that accepted me thankfully. It's a pretty nice program that recently became ACGME accredited, formerly AOA (I think). The elective I was accepted in is an EMS elective. And when I called they said they would be able to write me a SLOE when I finished there. They told me there were plenty of shifts still to be had in the ER and I could sign up for as many as I wanted (I wasn't able to apply to their normal EM rotation because I didn't meet the step score cutoff). My question is will it negatively affect me that my SLOE is from an EMS rotation? And does it matter that most residents and physicians there are DOs even though it is ACGME accredited? I know the SLOE might be looked at a bit differently, but I'm hoping with a decently strong SLOE from my school it can help bolster it up. I also plan on getting a 3rd rotation and SLOE (after locking in my first away) but that won't be available until Mid November due to me being slightly off-cycle.
My apologies for the long post, just wanted to clarify everything. Any help/advice/general tips would be greatly appreciated.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[alpinism]

Do a real EM rotation not an EMS elective.

You should ideally have 2 senior medical student EM rotation SLOEs before October. You're already facing an uphill battle with a low step 1 score, why shot yourself in the foot even more with a questionable SLOE. Not only that but if you don't meet their step 1 cutoff for an away rotation what makes you think you'll meet their step 1 cutoff for an interview?

 

[racerwad]

I agree with the above advice. It is hard to quantify how differently a SLOE from an EMS elective at a newer/less known program will be perceived in comparison to a regular EM Sub-I, but it is safe to say, "enough," given the other weak spot in your application. At this point, you should keep it but keep working on obtaining another formal Sub-I. Good luck!