Interested in OB/Gyn but...

[as20gp]

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Hey Everyone...

I'm a third year and I decided recently that I was seriously interested in Ob/Gyn. It was my first interest when I started medical school but it died when one of my mentors "brainwashed" (just kidding 🙂) me into liking Emergency Medicine...long story short, I realized that field wasn't for me and I went back to the drawing board. I shadowed (bc Ob/Gyn is my last rotation), talked to attendings/residents at my school and realized this is what I want to do.

Now...here I am. I'm 1) worried about The Match, and 2) concerned about my CV, extracurriculars as it relates to ob/gyn...I haven't had ANY experience in the field (no research, etc) and I'm concerned that my application doesn't say "Ob/Gyn." Positives are that... I've honored all of my clerkships thus far and I'm confident I can do the same for Ob/Gyn. I got a 217 on Step 1...and I'm sure I can get some pretty strong letters of rec and I'm fairly involved in school.

So finally...here's the question. What types of programs do I have a shot at/ where should I be looking to apply and what can I do (if anything) to boost my application in this (relatively) short amount of time??

I'd really appreciate any input or advice. Thank you in advance.

 

[HumbleMD]

I'll be a fellow 2012 matcher, so take what I'm saying with a grain of salt, but...

OB-GYN seems to emphasize research much less (which unfortunately is my stronger suit). It's not like medicine where they want more academic physicians. The residency director at Penn (top 20 but not top 10 program) said he doesn't even want to see a letter from a research advisor, but instead wants letters that speak to your clinical work and how hard of a worker you are. Similarly, if you worked hard in medicine, surgery, and your subinternships, that's what they're more interested in (think about how residency started - they were recruiting free labor).

Your board score isn't Rad Onc material, but whose is. Be careful about relying on LORs - I have yet to find somoeone who says "boy, my LORs aren't the strongest." Either way, i think the median score for OB-GYN is closer to 200 if not below, so you're better than half the applicants at all programs.

Do 2-3 OB-GYN electives, apply for (free) membership in ACOG, and start going to your depts grand rounds. That'll get your hat in the ring. Then apply broadly and see how interviews are going.

Hey Everyone...

I'm a third year and I decided recently that I was seriously interested in Ob/Gyn. It was my first interest when I started medical school but it died when one of my mentors "brainwashed" (just kidding 🙂) me into liking Emergency Medicine...long story short, I realized that field wasn't for me and I went back to the drawing board. I shadowed (bc Ob/Gyn is my last rotation), talked to attendings/residents at my school and realized this is what I want to do.

Now...here I am. I'm 1) worried about The Match, and 2) concerned about my CV, extracurriculars as it relates to ob/gyn...I haven't had ANY experience in the field (no research, etc) and I'm concerned that my application doesn't say "Ob/Gyn." Positives are that... I've honored all of my clerkships thus far and I'm confident I can do the same for Ob/Gyn. I got a 217 on Step 1...and I'm sure I can get some pretty strong letters of rec and I'm fairly involved in school.

So finally...here's the question. What types of programs do I have a shot at/ where should I be looking to apply and what can I do (if anything) to boost my application in this (relatively) short amount of time??

I'd really appreciate any input or advice. Thank you in advance.

 

[mumd2011]

Hi! Just a little input...I just matched Ob/Gyn at a rather large university program. The Step 1 score the above poster listed is on the low side, in 2009, the mean was 219. During interviews this year, I had several PDs make comments about how strong the applicants were this year so I would expect that to be the case next year. Ob/Gyn has become more competitive in the past few years. That is not to say that you should become discouraged but be realistic. Research is not super important in Ob/Gyn. I think if you wanted one of the top ten programs that it would be more important but it is not a dealbreaker. I would say take Step 2 early and do well on it (most people do better than their Step 1). LOR are often taken with a grain of salt, people know that you don't ask someone that will write you a bad one. Make sure one of them is from the Chair of Ob/Gyn at your school. Apply broadly! Pick a few stretch programs, several in the middle, and then a few that you consider more "back up." Best of luck!

 

[FutureDoc734]

Hi! Just a little input...I just matched Ob/Gyn at a rather large university program. The Step 1 score the above poster listed is on the low side, in 2009, the mean was 219. During interviews this year, I had several PDs make comments about how strong the applicants were this year so I would expect that to be the case next year. Ob/Gyn has become more competitive in the past few years. That is not to say that you should become discouraged but be realistic. Research is not super important in Ob/Gyn. I think if you wanted one of the top ten programs that it would be more important but it is not a dealbreaker. I would say take Step 2 early and do well on it (most people do better than their Step 1). LOR are often taken with a grain of salt, people know that you don't ask someone that will write you a bad one. Make sure one of them is from the Chair of Ob/Gyn at your school. Apply broadly! Pick a few stretch programs, several in the middle, and then a few that you consider more "back up." Best of luck!

I completely agree with this post. Although Ob-Gyn is not as competitive as other surgical specialties, it's definitely gotten more competitive in the last few years. Make sure that you study hard for your step 2 CK and do really well on it - they're putting a lot more emphasis on step 1 scores now. Research is more important if you want to be considered at a competitive program (Mayo, BWH, Brown, etc), but it's not a "make-or-break" situation, as compared to other specialties.

Best of luck! I'll be applying for 2012 as well! 🙂

 

[as20gp]

Thanks guys!

I really appreciate your input...I will keep you guys updated with my progress and I hope to hear of yours as well 🙂

 

[residencycoord]

I am sorry but I do not agree with HumbleMD. As someone who sees all of the applications that my program receives, the mean score is way above 200 and has been for the past few years. As far as Research is concerned, any of the large academic programs, especially an Ivy League institution like Penn takes LOR from Research mentors just as seriously as letters from clinical faculty. The applicant pool has been very strong and extremely competitive. It is not as easy as it used to be to get a spot in a top program.

 

[Chuck's Right Foot]

I am sorry but I do not agree with HumbleMD. As someone who sees all of the applications that my program receives, the mean score is way above 200 and has been for the past few years. As far as Research is concerned, any of the large academic programs, especially an Ivy League institution like Penn takes LOR from Research mentors just as seriously as letters from clinical faculty. The applicant pool has been very strong and extremely competitive. It is not as easy as it used to be to get a spot in a top program.

The NRMP data supports what residencycoord is saying. Which shouldn't surprise anyone since it seems the coordinate a residency 😛

The average for Ob/Gyn was 220 across all programs. So, like most residencies, more "attractive" programs will have higher average scores. It can never hurt to have too high a Step I score.