How to get a spot in anaesthesia

[therealsecret]

Hey,

I'm an MS-III D.O. student with a genuine interest in anaesthesia. I just finished rotating in it and this confirmed my interest. I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on how D.O. friendly this field is. I have read other threads saying that a lot of D.O.s choose anaesthesia for one reason or another. I have average grades, I was right in the middle on my COMLEX scores but I have exceptional evals since I have begun my clinical medicine as I tend to do exceptionally well on rotations. Do I sound like someone with a shot at a decent anaesthesia residency, and what should I do to better my chances? Also, is the field becoming more or less competitive than it has been in the past?

Thanks,
Mike

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[Wahoowa]

Hey,

I'm an MS-III D.O. student with a genuine interest in anaesthesia. I just finished rotating in it and this confirmed my interest. I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on how D.O. friendly this field is. I have read other threads saying that a lot of D.O.s choose anaesthesia for one reason or another. I have average grades, I was right in the middle on my COMLEX scores but I have exceptional evals since I have begun my clinical medicine as I tend to do exceptionally well on rotations. Do I sound like someone with a shot at a decent anaesthesia residency, and what should I do to better my chances? Also, is the field becoming more or less competitive than it has been in the past?

Thanks,
Mike

Is UTSouthwestern out there?

 

[sdboy]

Hey,

I'm an MS-III D.O. student with a genuine interest in anaesthesia. I just finished rotating in it and this confirmed my interest. I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on how D.O. friendly this field is. I have read other threads saying that a lot of D.O.s choose anaesthesia for one reason or another. I have average grades, I was right in the middle on my COMLEX scores but I have exceptional evals since I have begun my clinical medicine as I tend to do exceptionally well on rotations. Do I sound like someone with a shot at a decent anaesthesia residency, and what should I do to better my chances? Also, is the field becoming more or less competitive than it has been in the past?

Thanks,
Mike

Seems like anesthesia is very DO friendly... however in general i think DO's have a slightly tougher time matching at some places than MD's.

Im sure you wanna hear that you will match somewhere.... and I honestly believe you will. Anesthesia is not super competitive. I think there was even a decline in applicants last year. I dont know how this year will be tho. Your scores will be more than enough to match at many places, especially since you do great in your clinical rotations. My only suggestion would be to take the USMLE. Although you can match with only your COMLEX, it would definitely help to see that you can do well on the USMLE since this exam is a way to compare all medical students. Good luck.

 

[Arch Guillotti]

Apply broadly to a good mix of programs and you will match somewhere. Also get good LOR's. Rotate somewhere you might be interested in going. Not having the USMLE will shut you out of a few programs but the rest of your app seems OK. Good luck. Anesthesia is popular these days but I don't think you'll have a problem matching.

 

[VentdependenT]

Hey,

I'm an MS-III D.O. student with a genuine interest in anaesthesia. I just finished rotating in it and this confirmed my interest. I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on how D.O. friendly this field is. I have read other threads saying that a lot of D.O.s choose anaesthesia for one reason or another. I have average grades, I was right in the middle on my COMLEX scores but I have exceptional evals since I have begun my clinical medicine as I tend to do exceptionally well on rotations. Do I sound like someone with a shot at a decent anaesthesia residency, and what should I do to better my chances? Also, is the field becoming more or less competitive than it has been in the past?

Thanks,
Mike

Do an ICU and a Anesthesia rotation in a university setting and get letters accordingly. Take a USMLE step (I guess step II at this point, screw the clinical exam portion) to allow yourself to be compared equally. If you don't you still have a good shot at matching just apply broadly.

Forget the whole "DO friendly terminology." Just apply.

 

[UTSouthwestern]

I'm here but the answers given are all good pieces of advice. The field has no particular biases against DO's although individual programs may have some. Do the rotations as stated above and come in prepared each day and well read on the subjects to be covered in your lectures and in the cases you are going to be involved with. Above all, stay late and look interested. If you don't put in a lot of effort during your rotation, don't expect to get a lot out of it in the way of recommendations, etc.

 

[sethco]

I agree with all of the above posts. I am currently an MS-IV and best advice I got from this site over the past year for improving my application was by taking the USMLE. I took step I nearly a year after taking the COMLEX and I plan to take Step II in October. I actually e-mailed all of the programs I was interested in with my COMLEX score (a 650) and whether or not this was good enough (i.e Do I have to take the USMLE?) The general consensus was it was not necessary to take the USMLE but it "helps" them to better compare you to MD candidates. The quote I got from a couple of programs was "it helps compares apples to apples instead of to oranges". A lot of programs use minimum cutoffs for board scores and a stick by it. The good thing is these programs will usually put this info on their website. I think the best thing to do, if you are still on the fence about taking the USMLE, is to contact the programs you think you are interested in and ask them what is required. Don't be afraid to tell them your stats (i.e. Board scores, Rank, Research experience, Work ethic, etc.). Most will give you their honest opinion. By the way, I know a lot of people who matched into top notch allopathic programs without even taking the USMLE. So it is possible. However, I just think that the USMLE levels the playing field, especially if you can score >220. Hope this helps, but it is just my opinion and take my advice as so. If you have any more questions, don't be afraid to ask.

 

[therealsecret]

I really appreciate the feedback. It is nice to be able to get such grounded and wise advice that comes without an agenda. It seems as though the USMLE is certainly recommended but not required. I am from PA but am interested in applying to southern programs so I guess I should also pick a couple of good hospitals in the South to rotate with. I have also heard that for anaesthesia, specifically, the interview holds a lot of weight since teamwork is such an important part of the specialty. That is good news for me because I interview well, but it's getting myself in the door that I am concerned with.

Thanks,
Josh

 

[Skip2myLou]

Hey, I passed but scored sub 200 on USMLE step II, but did fairly well on comlex I...should I not release my USMLE scores. I've asked for advice and its split down the middle. Any thoughts??

 

[timtye78]

Hey, I passed but scored sub 200 on USMLE step II, but did fairly well on comlex I...should I not release my USMLE scores. I've asked for advice and its split down the middle. Any thoughts??

My USMLE Step 1 passed with score <200. Comlex I and II average. Was told directly and point blank that "you will find that taking the USMLE will help you a lot" by the co-chairman of where I matched, he actually described my score as
"respectable."

I recommend listing it.

Some people absolutely have USMLE cut-offs (UT Houston PD told me no interview unless USMLE >200). Some just want to see that you weren't afraid to take and pass it.

You spent money on that test! If you passed, it will set you apart...
Good luck and don't worry so much!

 

[red-rat]

I?ve noticed that there are quite a few anesthesia openings listed at places like gaswork.com. Many of these are MD practice groups. Is there any prejudice against a DO joining a MD practice group? If so how much? Do DOs usually join practice groups amongst themselves?

 

[VentdependenT]

No problem. DO's graduating from allo programs, which probably represents >90% of practicing osteopathic anesthesiologists, have no trouble joining virtually any anesthesia group on the sole basis of their degree.

Groups/Institutions WILL discriminate upon one's experience as a resident so far as the type/reputation of program attended and the applicant's comfort level with complications, efficency, and case diversity. Sub par case loads and glaring areas of deficency will be exposed as phone calls will be made to corroborate with whatever was written in the application.

Don't step on any toes and ALWAYS stay on top of your game.

There ya go buddy.