Hello all,
I'm a third year student at a Caribbean medical school (US citizen) with a step 1 score of 243. I am interested in matching into anesthesiology and I was wondering if anyone had any tips/suggestions that would help me successfully match into an anesthesiology program. Or should I possibly consider a different specialty because my chances of making a successful match are going to be pretty low?
Thanks!
US IMG currently in the match. I got similar Step 1 (248). Here's my advice.
1) Work your tail off in your anesthesia rotations to earn strong LORs. Do your best to get one from a PD and do an audition rotation at a hospital that has accepted students from your school in the past.
2) Be consistent (or better yet, improve) on Step 2 CK, to prove that your Step 1 score wasn't an aberration.
3) Before applying through ERAS, I went through the past 3 years for my school's match to see where our students ended up. I also looked at the last 2-3 years of another Caribbean school "on par" with mine in terms of reputation. On top of applying to virtually every one of those programs that these 2 schools had matched students at, I applied to other programs that were desirable. Many programs will reject your application almost immediately solely because of where you went to school. Don't be discouraged. I ended up with 11 offers (I applied to about 80 programs).
4) To go along with number 3, don't limit yourself! I neglected to fill out the extra paperwork to apply in Illinois and California, and thus, didn't apply in those states. While most Cali programs are really competitive anyway (and often won't consider an IMG), I know there are a few in Illinois that are IMG-friendly. I lost out on a few programs just because I was too lazy with the paperwork.
5) Don't be afraid to email and/or call programs if you aren't hearing back from them during interview season. Interviews often come a bit later than other specialties, so personally, I'd wait until at least November before contacting PDs/Coordinators and showing your interest in their program. I ended up getting 5 of my 11 interviews AFTER I had contacted programs to show my interest.
6) Apply to plenty of prelim IM/Surgery and/or TY programs (as someone above stated). I applied to ~70 prelim IM (no TY or surgery) and got 14 interviews.
7) If you aren't super confident and can afford the extra costs, apply to a backup specialty (IM, Family...something less competitive obviously). I applied to IM as a backup and got a ton of interview offers based on my scores. Ended up going on about 7 interviews for backup programs. DO NOT apply to a backup program at the same institution as you're applying to for anesthesia.
8) Be gracious. This one sounds obvious, but seriously. Send thank you cards or emails to everyone you interviewed within a day or so of interviewing at a program. Also thank the program coordinator. If you have the time, thank the residents you met on the tours/preinterview dinner/etc. Don't expect a response, but showing your appreciation for the interview can't hurt your chances.
Best of luck. Enjoy 3rd and 4th year.
