Incoming first year DO interested in Neurology

[AlbinoHawk DO]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hi, I know I'm going to be just a first year, but I'm highly interested in Neurology. It seems I like it for all the reasons some of you seem to dislike it: I have shadow pain physicians and think the population/issue is fascinating, I'm interested more in diagnosis that treatment (in the sense of doing procedures), I have a strong interest in behavior so the psychosomatic disorders and interface with psychiatry seems fun.

I have a few questions for someone with the time:

1. What can I do to get more exposure to Neurology and become a better candidate for residency? What is a good target USMLE score for a DO?

2. As a DO student, what resources are available to know what ACGME programs are open to DOs?

3. Are there certain elective rotations you find most valuable besides Neurology itself? Should I do a research elective?

4. Are there residency programs that offer strong training to have clinical research training for a career that involves it in the future or is it mostly fellowship?

5. Are there residency programs that offer advanced degrees (masters/etc.)?

Thank you.

 

[Jubears09]

I'm from an MD program, so can't comment on all those questions. Will try to, but before you read anything else, my advice is to keep an open mind while in medical school. There are many wonderful fields out there and until you're on the inside you have no idea what many of them have to offer (of that many of them even exist). A lot of the residents/attendings I've met that were unhappy with their choice were the people who went in with an idea and kept trying to force themselves to conform whereas those with an open mind and made an informed choice after experiencing multiple fields tended to be more satisfied. I would highly recommend against planning your entire med school experience at such an early stage with one specialty in mind.

1. What can I do to get more exposure to Neurology and become a better candidate for residency? What is a good target USMLE score for a DO?

Just do the general neurology rotation as an elective if offered, find a neurologist to do your cont. clinic with if that's an option at your school. Neuro is not that competitive score wise so I'd say 220 is a safe range for most programs not to screen you out. 230-240 if you are aiming for more competitive place.

3. Are there certain elective rotations you find most valuable besides Neurology itself? Should I do a research elective?

Neuro is a specialty very closely tied to basic science, so I think it's valuable even if you don't want to do it down the line at least to experience and get a sense of how data is generated. Other good electives include medical genetics, ortho, neurosurgery, optho, among others. Depends on your interest.

4. Are there residency programs that offer strong training to have clinical research training for a career that involves it in the future or is it mostly fellowship?

I'm not quite sure what you're asking, but the programs that churn out faculty tend to have 6+ months of elective time that can be used for research and enough flexibility to take them all at once.

5. Are there residency programs that offer advanced degrees (masters/etc.)?

I haven't heard of any, though a lot of fellowships do and a lot of young faculty are able to get time to obtain things like masters in clinical research. If you are sure you want another degree like a masters, I'd suggest taking time off during med school to do it as you have less other things to worry about now and it will make you more marketable to residency.

 

[Thama]

1. DOs still have a harder time than MDs, though some very good programs that I've interviewed at take a lot of DOs (e.g. Florida, MUSC). The higher the better obviously. I've met 1 DO on the trail who got screened out hard from a lot of places despite scoring high 90s percentile on the COMLEX because he didn't take the Step 1. It's not like you can take it again if you don't score high enough, so target scores don't mean much. Just score as high as you can.

2. Read the websites for each program. Many if not most will discuss policies regarding DOs and IMGs in the FAQ section, though by default places will generally accept DO applications. That doesn't mean that they look at them favorably, which you might get a sense for by looking at the current resident page.

3. You should absolutely, 100% do a neurosurgery rotation. I finally decided on neurology on a joint neurology/neurosurgery procedure, and I loved that rotation. Most places require a psychiatry rotation, but if not that's a must as well. Radiology and emergency medicine I think are quite helpful too.

4. Most academic centers will have some clinical research going on. The volume of it will obviously differ from place to place (and be much larger at the bigger, more well-funded centers), but I haven't researched a program at a recognized academic center that doesn't at least claim to have resident research opportunity.

5. MPH degrees and the equivalent are frequently available, though it's the kind of thing that people usually get during either medical school or as junior faculty/fellows as they are starting up a lab. I've yet to meet anyone who got a masters during the heart of residency itself.

 

[jd1031]

I'm a DO student, and I'm aiming for neurology.

1. What can I do to get more exposure to Neurology and become a better candidate for residency? What is a good target USMLE score for a DO?

Do a general neurology rotation (or two) and shine. Doing well on your IM rotations will help too. According to some attendings I've talked to (some of who are on residency selection committees), aim for above 220 on the USMLE, but the higher the better. If you want to get into a residency in the northeast or west coast, take the USMLE. A good amount of them are pretty inviting to DOs IF you take the USMLE.

2. As a DO student, what resources are available to know what ACGME programs are open to DOs?

Research each program you're interested in. Each program is open, and it's not difficult to gauge a program's openness to DOs. FRIEDA is a good resource, or you can just go to each program's website. For some programs, the "openness to DOs" fluctuates with each year.

3. Are there certain elective rotations you find most valuable besides Neurology itself? Should I do a research elective?

I did research during my first year and a half of med school. That worked out pretty well. A research elective wouldn't hurt either, but that takes away elective time for other rotations. Hmm which rotations are good? Well, I'm planning to do neurosurgery, pediatric neuro, PM&R, neuro radiology, neuro pathology (or neuro oncology), and cardiology. (EM is a required rotation for me)

4. Are there residency programs that offer strong training to have clinical research training for a career that involves it in the future or is it mostly fellowship?

Yes, but again, you'll have to research each program. You'll be surprised which programs are "strong." There's definitely a lot of hidden gems out there.

5. Are there residency programs that offer advanced degrees (masters/etc.)?

I'm inclined to say yes, but I'm not too sure...