img question for program director/attending/resident

[ntnt]

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I am an IMG with almost 7 yrs out of med schl but in the interim I was doing a phd and have good papers. My step I & II are 250+ ; I also have a 99 in step 3. I failed CS once but took it by a week after that result and passed it. I did not match last yr - although at that point I was not done with step3 and my cs (repeat) results were in only by Jan.
Ok, my question is (as someone had commented): me being an IMG is a much greater factor than my CS or late applications for not matching??

Also, for progs that have a cutoff of 3-5 yrs since grad etc.. do you think I can still apply there and hope for an IV? Most programs I have seen say they require first attempt in steps.
I am esp. looking for univ progs. I dont know if my application will be automatically filtered out based on Grad yr / CS attempt even before looking at the whole application. What do you guys suggest -- just suck it up and apply to only progs that match my criteria or take a chance? I really dont want to throw money away at this point.
Any response is appreciated.
Good luck to everyone going for this yr's application season.
thanks.

 

[exPCM]

You have good credentials and have the potential to be an excellent resident.
However the way ERAS filters work is that they filter the applications up front. So if you do not get through the filter the program will most likely not even look at your application. You can make shotgun applications to a boatload of programs and should get through the filters in at least some of the programs. Good luck.

 

[Winged Scapula]

If a program states that they filter for X factor, and you do not have that, it would seem foolish to apply for said program.

You can set your ERAS files to filter for almost anything, although most commonly would be IMG/FMG status, Step 1 score, citizenship and perhaps number of years since graduation.

If there are programs you are especially interested in for which you do not meet the qualifications, you can always try and contact the PD and see if they would review your application anyway, but as ExPCM notes, if they filter your application out, it will probably never be seen otherwise.

 

[ntnt]

Thank you expcm and winged scapula for your frank comments. If they do filter by Cs attempt and graduation yr I guess I am out of luck in most good programs... I'll be more careful where I apply now. Thanks again for saving me time and money.
best.
nt

 

[NotAProgDirector]

I wanted to point out that we cannot filter by "attempts" very easily. We can filter by Step score, but that only filters by the last score (if the step was taken more than once).

As others have said, much depends on how much money you are willing to spend. Although programs have criteria, they can always make an exception if someone stands out in another way. With excellent Step 1 and CK scores, and a PhD, you MIGHT be able to convince someone to give you an interview despite your years since grad, IMG status, and failure of CS once.

Another thing to think about is your research topic. If your topic happens to be an area of focus for a certain program / institution, they might stretch their rules to fit you.

 

[ntnt]

Really?? That gives me some hope! Thanks for the insider info about the attempts... I also have clinical experience in academic institutions for 3 months and I think both my attendings liked me and so shld have decent letters from them. That might offset the CS stupidity. I'll carefully select programs based on this new info. thank you Programdirector!!!

 

[NotAProgDirector]

Just to clarify: although my filter might not pick up that you failed CS the first time, I will certainly see it when I look at your USMLE transcript. Programs that require a passing first step might reject you without looking any deeper.

 

[derm83]

Is there a way to know if my application was filtered out by a certain program? Up till now, my documents at some programs are still marked as "Available, but not yet retrieved"-- if it stays this way, will that mean my app was probably filtered out?

 

[mcl]

Is there a way to know if my application was filtered out by a certain program? Up till now, my documents at some programs are still marked as "Available, but not yet retrieved"-- if it stays this way, will that mean my app was probably filtered out?

It means that the program hasn't yet downloaded from the ERAS Post Office. When it does, all items in the queue will go to the program.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

It means that the program hasn't yet downloaded from the ERAS Post Office. When it does, all items in the queue will go to the program.

Agreed. To clarify:

1. When programs access the post office, all available information on every applicant is retrieved. We cannot say "please send me only applications from people with >280 on step 1". It's all or nothing. If the status says "not retrieved", then the program has not accessed the post office since you released the information, and hence has not received ANYONE's information since then.

2. Once we have received the information, we can then run "filters" on our end. These don't "block" applications, they simply sort them into different groups. I can look at all IMG's with a step 1 score of >250, or all US grads with a middle initial of Q. You cannot see or know what we do with your application once we have received it, until we contact you.

3. of note, a side effect of #1 is that we continue to receive information about candidates whom we have rejected. The post office does not know the status of applications (that information is all stored locally). Hence, if you are rejected by a program do not be surprised nor insulted that we continue to download your information -- we have no control over that.

 

[derm83]

Agreed. To clarify:

1. When programs access the post office, all available information on every applicant is retrieved. We cannot say "please send me only applications from people with >280 on step 1". It's all or nothing. If the status says "not retrieved", then the program has not accessed the post office since you released the information, and hence has not received ANYONE's information since then.

2. Once we have received the information, we can then run "filters" on our end. These don't "block" applications, they simply sort them into different groups. I can look at all IMG's with a step 1 score of >250, or all US grads with a middle initial of Q. You cannot see or know what we do with your application once we have received it, until we contact you.

3. of note, a side effect of #1 is that we continue to receive information about candidates whom we have rejected. The post office does not know the status of applications (that information is all stored locally). Hence, if you are rejected by a program do not be surprised nor insulted that we continue to download your information -- we have no control over that.

Thanks for the pretty thorough and helpful input.