High Pass during 3rd year

[rodmichael82]

Hi,

I'm interested in Surgery, specifically in Orthopedic surgery. My understanding is that it's important to get as many honors as possible. Unfortunately so far I have completed 3 rotations and I got high pass in all of them.

The thing that hurts the most is that I finished Surgery with only a High Pass. I bust my ass throughout the clerkship and even though I did very well on the NBME shelf exam I still only got high pass due to clinical evals dragging me down.

My school assigns Honors to the top 15 % then High pass to the next 35 % and the rest of the class gets Pass.

I can't seem to get honors regardless of how hard I work. I know 3rd year grades are very important so how bad is High pass ? It's heart breaking for me to see that I didn't even get honors in the field that I'm trying to get into.

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[DermViser]

Hi,

I'm interested in Surgery, specifically in Orthopedic surgery. My understanding is that it's important to get as many honors as possible. Unfortunately so far I have completed 3 rotations and I got high pass in all of them.

The thing that hurts the most is that I finished Surgery with only a High Pass. I bust my ass throughout the clerkship and even though I did very well on the NBME shelf exam I still only got high pass due to clinical evals dragging me down.

My school assigns Honors to the top 15 % then High pass to the next 35 % and the rest of the class gets Pass.

I can't seem to get honors regardless of how hard I work. I know 3rd year grades are very important so how bad is High pass ? It's heart breaking for me to see that I didn't even get honors in the field that I'm trying to get into.

I think the people in or going for Ortho will be able to answer your question better @KinasePro (I believe?) might be able to answer. That being said, I don't think a High Pass in General Surgery will destroy your chances esp. since Ortho doesn't even have a general surgery year (maybe several months). Don't let your High Passes somehow affect your future performance in terms of required clerkships but also your future audition rotations. I believe in Ortho you'll need some research or publications anyways, is that correct? I know it's hard to mentally put it out of your mind, but force yourself to do it bc it won't change anything and can only hurt you. It's a learned skill for some in terms of not getting frazzled.

 

[Psai]

Good luck bro, third year is bull. The grading system is unreliable and the amount of effort you put in < the amount of effort it looks like you put in

 

[DermViser]

Good luck bro, third year is bull. The grading system is unreliable and the amount of effort you put in < the amount of effort it looks like you put in

It's really overall gestalt: ability to answer pimp questions, showing your clinical knowledge (maybe even using the literature effectively on your patient), being confident, extroverted, etc. Being female, big bust, and flirtatious can help.

 

[swoopyswoop]

Well, I got a pass in surgery and I want to go into it, so..........

 

[DermViser]

Well, I got a pass in surgery and I want to go into it, so..........

Maybe bc you referred to them as an old boys club and sexist?

 

[swoopyswoop]

Maybe bc you referred to them as an old boys club and sexist?

Unless they read sdn they had no idea 😛 I never considered them to be old boys/sexist DURING my rotation on surgery, just afterwards when I heard how they talking about obgyns. However, now I've finished gyne surg, so I can kind of see what they are talking about after watching one of my attendings "repair" a hernia...

 

[general admission]

It's really overall gestalt: ability to answer pimp questions, showing your clinical knowledge (maybe even using the literature effectively on your patient), being confident, extroverted, etc. Being female, big bust, and flirtatious can help.

This is ridiculously true

And it won't kill your chances

 

[giantswing]

If your step 1 is good that'll help, but worry mostly about getting good letters of rec, and good comments from your third year evals. Third year grades are important, but grading systems vary and programs know this. A high pass in surgery isn't a death knell for ortho, but if you don't honor a couple classes they're going to ask why.

 

[KinasePro]

Hi,

I'm interested in Surgery, specifically in Orthopedic surgery. My understanding is that it's important to get as many honors as possible. Unfortunately so far I have completed 3 rotations and I got high pass in all of them.

The thing that hurts the most is that I finished Surgery with only a High Pass. I bust my ass throughout the clerkship and even though I did very well on the NBME shelf exam I still only got high pass due to clinical evals dragging me down.

My school assigns Honors to the top 15 % then High pass to the next 35 % and the rest of the class gets Pass.

I can't seem to get honors regardless of how hard I work. I know 3rd year grades are very important so how bad is High pass ? It's heart breaking for me to see that I didn't even get honors in the field that I'm trying to get into.

Current ortho applicant here, in the throes of the interview season.

I'll be perfectly honest with you, because I would want that if I were in your shoes. Ortho is becoming extremely competitive these days, so getting an HP in surgery may decrease your interview yield at premier programs. There are enough applicants that HSS/mayo/Wash U/duke/etc... can choose to interview only essentially flawless candidates. That said, there are many, many, excellent ortho programs where getting a few HP's just means having to field a question about them on interview day.

I wouldn't sweat it too much, especially if your app is otherwise strong. But keep in mind that it is a red flag, and adjust your expectations accordingly. You may apply to 100+ places and net ~10 interviews. This is a perfectly fine, but nervewracking position to be in. To give you some peace of mind next year, I'd recommend doing an away rotation at a less competitive but still excellent residency program (jps, allegheny, Summa, geisinger, VCU, Grand Rapids, etc...). With an otherwise strong app and a strong away performance, you would have an excellent shot at these programs even with a bunch of HP's. Quite honestly, these "less competitive" programs still provide world class training and excellent fellowship opportunities. So try to find a diamond in the rough to rotate at, and you'll position yourself well next year.