Is EM possible for me??

[Shookas]

---

Members don't see this ad.

First of all, congratulations to all of you who have successfully matched. My concern is this: I have wanted to do EM for quite some time, but not sure if I will be competitive enough.....Step 1 234, gpa 3.8, (no step 2 yet), A's thus far in my clerkships (1 honors), no research but I was a paramedic for 5 years prior to medical school. Most of the people posting have outstanding scores and such,,,,so will I be limited to a "no-name" program?? Some of my friends with better scores than I matched on their 4th or 5th ROL......it's sort of got me worried. Any advice?? Thanks in advance. 🙂

 

[deleted52758]

First of all, congratulations to all of you who have successfully matched. My concern is this: I have wanted to do EM for quite some time, but not sure if I will be competitive enough.....Step 1 234, gpa 3.8, (no step 2 yet), A's thus far in my clerkships (1 honors), no research but I was a paramedic for 5 years prior to medical school. Most of the people posting have outstanding scores and such,,,,so will I be limited to a "no-name" program?? Some of my friends with better scores than I matched on their 4th or 5th ROL......it's sort of got me worried. Any advice?? Thanks in advance. 🙂

yes. you're fine. just do well on your EM rotations.

you're more then fine. you're in good position to secure your EM residency of choice.

 

[shortbread9]

is it jut me or do any of you out there get really annoyed when people with top board scores, good grades and experience post the "do i have any chance whatsoever?" this is ridiculous....of course you will get a residency and not have any problem matching. Its hard to believe that these people actually think that they have a disadvantage.....when in fact by posting these kinds of things makes the rest of us average to slightly above applicants feel just that. Get over yourselves!

First of all, congratulations to all of you who have successfully matched. My concern is this: I have wanted to do EM for quite some time, but not sure if I will be competitive enough.....Step 1 234, gpa 3.8, (no step 2 yet), A's thus far in my clerkships (1 honors), no research but I was a paramedic for 5 years prior to medical school. Most of the people posting have outstanding scores and such,,,,so will I be limited to a "no-name" program?? Some of my friends with better scores than I matched on their 4th or 5th ROL......it's sort of got me worried. Any advice?? Thanks in advance. 🙂

 

[turtle md]

Agree. Continue the good work, shine on your EM rotations (try to do them at places you might like to go). Send applications to a few programs, interview at about 10-12, and you should match with little problem. 👍

Unless you lack a personality and that shows through on your interview 😀

 

[deleted52758]

is it jut me or do any of you out there get really annoyed when people with top board scores, good grades and experience post the "do i have any chance whatsoever?" this is ridiculous....of course you will get a residency and not have any problem matching. Its hard to believe that these people actually think that they have a disadvantage.....when in fact by posting these kinds of things makes the rest of us average to slightly above applicants feel just that. Get over yourselves!

i can understand the frustration of these type of posts. but we'll give him the benefit of the doubt, and assume he/she is just a neurotic med student.

 

[8744]

First of all, congratulations to all of you who have successfully matched. My concern is this: I have wanted to do EM for quite some time, but not sure if I will be competitive enough.....Step 1 234, gpa 3.8, (no step 2 yet), A's thus far in my clerkships (1 honors), no research but I was a paramedic for 5 years prior to medical school. Most of the people posting have outstanding scores and such,,,,so will I be limited to a "no-name" program?? Some of my friends with better scores than I matched on their 4th or 5th ROL......it's sort of got me worried. Any advice?? Thanks in advance. 🙂

"No name," "Top Tier," and "Ultra-prestigious" are words that should be starred out by the profanity detector.

Most Emergency Medicine programs are ** **** as most people have never heard of most of them but they are all good and you will get excellent trainig whether you go to a new ** **** program like LSU Shreveport or an *****-*********** program like Duke.

Your grades and stats are fine. Don't worry about it. You will like wherever you end up and it won't impact your salary which is more dependent on where and how much you want to work.

You also might get better trainig at a little **-**** program than at one attached to a *****-*********** academic hospital secondary to the ability to consult specialists for everything all the time. Makes you lazy. Your education will suffer but it would be unethical not to consult the specialists if they are in-house because you need to do what is best for your patient.

 

[EctopicFetus]

nice post..

 

[EM Junkie]

Agreed, nice post. However, I take issue with Duke being called an *****-*********** program. More like THINKS they are *****-***********!

 

[Apollyon]

Agreed, nice post. However, I take issue with Duke being called an *****-*********** program. More like THINKS they are *****-***********!

Thanks for the insult, but the residents don't think it's *****-***********. We're just at a big name tertiary care center. I take issue with your blanket rip.

 

[southerndoc]

Agreed, nice post. However, I take issue with Duke being called an *****-*********** program. More like THINKS they are *****-***********!

All the Duke residents I met when I interviewed there were laid back and didn't think of themselves that way.

 

[Dr. Will]

Hi guys. I wanted to find out if I'm competitive for EM. I have a 4.0 gpa, scored 299 on Step 1. I scored 280 on Step 2. (I would have scored higher if I would have taken it in my 4th year as opposed to taking it right after I took Step 1) As far as my rotations this year, I've gotten A's in all my rotations, including the two extra sub-i's I did as a 3rd year. My research has been spectacular. I'm part of a project that is on the verge of curing cancer! I just wanted to know if I'm going to be able to get a residency here in the US. How many "reach/no-name" programs should I apply to?

(I agree with the above posters that threads like this are a little frustrating...DO THE RESEARCH IN PREVIOUS THREADS. NOT EVERYONE HAS THE BEST STATS, BUT MAY HAVE SO MUCH MORE TO OFFER MAKING THEM GREAT CANDIDATES. Plus, no program is a terrible program.)

 

[8744]

Hi guys. I wanted to find out if I'm competitive for EM. I have a 4.0 gpa, scored 299 on Step 1. I scored 280 on Step 2. (I would have scored higher if I would have taken it in my 4th year as opposed to taking it right after I took Step 1) As far as my rotations this year, I've gotten A's in all my rotations, including the two extra sub-i's I did as a 3rd year. My research has been spectacular. I'm part of a project that is on the verge of curing cancer! I just wanted to know if I'm going to be able to get a residency here in the US. How many "reach/no-name" programs should I apply to?

Well, your CV is OK but not really that impressive. I think you might get a few interviews but you definitely need to consider Family Medicine as a back up.

 

[alreadylernd]

<<is it jut me or do any of you out there get really annoyed when people with top board scores, good grades and experience post the "do i have any chance whatsoever?" this is ridiculous....of course you will get a residency and not have any problem matching. Its hard to believe that these people actually think that they have a disadvantage.....when in fact by posting these kinds of things makes the rest of us average to slightly above applicants feel just that. Get over yourselves!>>

Hi there. I'm kind of new to this board and I know I've been one to ask a seemingly silly question here and there. But don't you think it is kind of unfriendly to berate someone for asking a rather personal question of quite some concern? Isn't that the surest way to discourage new people from becoming members of this message board community? I'm sure there are plenty of people sitting pretty, quite content with their matches etc, who at one point or another were just as worried/concerned as the original poster; and if they weren't they are lying to themselves or are blessed with a nonchalance many medical students don't have. Either way, being mockingly sarcastic or just outright rude isn't the friendliest answer to the original question. I, for one, like the teamwork exhibited in the ED and appreciate the widespread willingness to help even a measly MS3 like myself coming down to the ED to try and do an admission. Shouldn't this board try and reflect that too?

 

[tkim]

The thing of it is that most of the questions new posters ask could be answered by:

1) doing a search using the search function

2) reading the FAQ of the forum

3) lurking for a while before asking

A lot of people do all these things and still can't find the answer and then post, which is fine.

The perceived problem with the OP post is that his/her stats are rather competitive for most specialties, so it appears either disingenuous or neurotic to ask about one's competitiveness when the the stats are so clearly and unmistakeably above average.

 

[southerndoc]

The thing of it is that most of the questions new posters ask could be answered by:

1) doing a search using the search function

2) reading the FAQ of the forum

3) lurking for a while before asking

A lot of people do all these things and still can't find the answer and then post, which is fine.

The perceived problem with the OP post is that his/her stats are rather competitive for most specialties, so it appears either disingenuous or neurotic to ask about one's competitiveness when the the stats are so clearly and unmistakeably above average.

I agree that it could be answered by searching the forums, but to the OP's credit, half the time the search function has been disabled due to overwhelming server loads.

 

[8744]

<<is it jut me or do any of you out there get really annoyed when people with top board scores, good grades and experience post the "do i have any chance whatsoever?" this is ridiculous....of course you will get a residency and not have any problem matching. Its hard to believe that these people actually think that they have a disadvantage.....when in fact by posting these kinds of things makes the rest of us average to slightly above applicants feel just that. Get over yourselves!>>

Hi there. I'm kind of new to this board and I know I've been one to ask a seemingly silly question here and there. But don't you think it is kind of unfriendly to berate someone for asking a rather personal question of quite some concern? Isn't that the surest way to discourage new people from becoming members of this message board community? I'm sure there are plenty of people sitting pretty, quite content with their matches etc, who at one point or another were just as worried/concerned as the original poster; and if they weren't they are lying to themselves or are blessed with a nonchalance many medical students don't have. Either way, being mockingly sarcastic or just outright rude isn't the friendliest answer to the original question. I, for one, like the teamwork exhibited in the ED and appreciate the widespread willingness to help even a measly MS3 like myself coming down to the ED to try and do an admission. Shouldn't this board try and reflect that too?

The OP is just bragging and trying to make those of us whose Step 1 scores were around the boiling point of water feel bad.

Oh, wait. I matched into EM. I don't feel bad. Never mind.

 

[8744]

219, if you must know.

 

[alreadylernd]

The OP is just bragging and trying to make those of us whose Step 1 scores were around the boiling point of water feel bad.

Oh, wait. I matched into EM. I don't feel bad. Never mind.

Wait, so you're justifying trying to make the OP feel bad because you have the impression that his post was trying to make you feel bad? And you're complaining he has a complex? If you re-read his post, it seems as if he's offering his congrats to those who matched.

All I'm saying is that if people don't like other people's posts (this sentence is going to have some problems with pronouns pretty soon), then it's not worth responding to them in the first place...

 

[leviathan]

219, if you must know.

Whenever I see your username I think of that Milky Way commercial.

"Why so blue, panda bear? You are a buffet of manliness!" 😀

 

[JackBauERfan]

Whenever I see your username I think of that Milky Way commercial.

"Why so blue, panda bear? You are a buffet of manliness!" 😀

Every time I see "panda bear" posts, for some reason I get an irresistable urge to go to a zoo. But then there aren't really any good zoos near me, so I get a little dissapointed, then I move on to someone elses post and forget about the zoo.

 

[trkd]

Hi there. I'm kind of new to this board and I know I've been one to ask a seemingly silly question here and there. But don't you think it is kind of unfriendly to berate someone for asking a rather personal question of quite some concern? Isn't that the surest way to discourage new people from becoming members of this message board community? I'm sure there are plenty of people sitting pretty, quite content with their matches etc, who at one point or another were just as worried/concerned as the original poster; and if they weren't they are lying to themselves or are blessed with a nonchalance many medical students don't have. Either way, being mockingly sarcastic or just outright rude isn't the friendliest answer to the original question. I, for one, like the teamwork exhibited in the ED and appreciate the widespread willingness to help even a measly MS3 like myself coming down to the ED to try and do an admission. Shouldn't this board try and reflect that too?

I think you (or others new to the forum) should not be too offended by the posts here. People who are regular posters here are actually quite nice and helpful (especially compared to many other forums I have seen). I don't post as much as many on this forum but I can tell you that some threads are of no interest to me but I know I will have a good laugh based on the original post. In the end, most people with genuine questions get their answers and hopefully have a few laughs. It is not to be taken personally. In some ways, the personalities on this forum make me want to work with these people in the lifetime of EM I have ahead of me. Learn to take a step back and see the humor instead of the insult. Welcome to the forum.

 

[trkd]

BTW Panda Bear, you really need to get an avatar. Mine sucks but that is b/c everything I want to put there is too big of a file, too many pixels, too many.....

 

[southerndoc]

BTW Panda Bear, you really need to get an avatar. Mine sucks but that is b/c everything I want to put there is too big of a file, too many pixels, too many.....

Do you have Photoshop? If not PM me and I will downsize it. Need to let me know the size limitation though (I think it's 75x75?). It's 150x150 if you're a donor (I highly recommend it -- no ads, which means a slightly faster load time).

 

[cdql]

I don't see why so many people get so easily angered. The whole point of a forum is to ask questions.

Was the original question kind of stupid? Maybe

But no one forced you to click on it!

That being said, another great place to find advice like this (without being screamed at by online strangers) is probably your dean's office!

 

[8744]

Whenever I see your username I think of that Milky Way commercial.

"Why so blue, panda bear? You are a buffet of manliness!" 😀

It was my radio call sign in the Marines when I was the Mortar Section Leader of a Weapons Platoon.

 

[8744]

It was my radio call sign in the Marines when I was the Mortar Section Leader of a Weapons Platoon.

And yes, even though my MOS was 0331 (Machinegunner) I was cross-trained as a mortarman (0341).

 

[trkd]

BTW Panda Bear, you really need to get an avatar. Mine sucks but that is b/c everything I want to put there is too big of a file, too many pixels, too many.....

Woohoo, I found a better avatar! Thanks for the motivation SouthernDoc. I love this pic. I am such a sucker for little furry things. 😀

 

[jigga_what]

Using this forum to ask questions, whether misinformed or otherwise, is no worse than using "serious" threads to discuss sports, alcohol, or any of the other asinine things we all take part in here. Give the OP a break - a year ago most of us were all afraid we wouldn't match, too.

 

[colforbinMD]

Using this forum to ask questions, whether misinformed or otherwise, is no worse than using "serious" threads to discuss sports, alcohol, or any of the other asinine things we all take part in here. Give the OP a break - a year ago most of us were all afraid we wouldn't match, too.

HEY NOW
🙂 Who you calling asinine? 😛
I too hate the am I competetive questions with a passion, especially from those more competetive then myself, BUT I realize they are never going to end and that it is simply a part of the perverse process of medical education. The best way to decrease their appearance is by posting your stats on threads like the "How far down your ROL thread".
Perhaps there should be a compilation of that thread and last years, board score thread (which had many more contributors 🙁 ) that then gets made into a sticky called AM I COMPETETIVE? CLICK HERE FIRST

 

[jigga_what]

Or maybe BKN could come up with an "am I competitive" algorithm??

 

[shortbread9]

I agree, we should definitely have an algorithm. I think the majority of the people that post on sdn give great advice and are only here to help each other out. My post was not to make it out to be that we are rude and want to make those posters feel bad. But in truth...when someone with stellar stats makes a post on how could they ever possibly match...its a little hard to believe. I understand that the match is a very stressful process...im about to start my 4th year and definitely have some worries of my own so i do get where most people are coming from taht post the "do i have a chance". but i dont have much sympathy for those that have such above average, scores, cva, grades,etc. I find more often than not on this forum that most posters have amazing stats...and the people that are average dont post as much (but i know your out there-me included). i wish everyone good luck in the process....but if you scored above 230, have all A and have done research and are a likeable person...give me a break. Have some faith in yourself, make some good contacts and enjoy all the interviews.

 

[NinerNiner999]

McFattypants, Fatty

GPA 4.1 (accelerated track)
USMLE STEP 1 - 286
USMLE STEP 2 - Waived due to high performance

Applied to 65 Programs
Interviewed at 9
Failed to Scramble

Current Employment: Night cook at the In-N-Out Burger in Inglewood.


If I were you, I would SERIOUSLY look for a backup plan, like now...

 

[colforbinMD]

McFattypants, Fatty

GPA 4.1 (accelerated track)
USMLE STEP 1 - 286
USMLE STEP 2 - Waived due to high performance

Applied to 65 Programs
Interviewed at 9
Failed to Scramble

Current Employment: Night cook at the In-N-Out Burger in Inglewood.


If I were you, I would SERIOUSLY look for a backup plan, like now...

I nominate the above post for POST OF THE MONTH! (Another potential sticky thread?) I nearly peed my pants

 

[Shookas]

Okay, rereading my thread it may seem that I'm trying to brag or something,,,,but completely not true. I've seen the surgery threads and I am in no way that full of myself. I just gave the stats to give you guys a better idea of where I was standing. Friends of mine who have equal stats are matching pretty far down on their ROL, and they're not even considered the "popular" programs. So I thought what was considered competitive standards might have changed.

pandabear,,,,you have a lot of tension under that hide.....shouldn't you be warm and fuzzy?? 😀 No worries maan!!!

alreadylernd--thanks for the support. A little thrashing doesn't get under my skin.

 

[punkmd]

Hi there. I'm kind of new to this board and I know I've been one to ask a seemingly silly question here and there. But don't you think it is kind of unfriendly to berate someone for asking a rather personal question of quite some concern?

Yes.

Isn't that the surest way to discourage new people from becoming members of this message board community?

No, I am pretty "sure" corpsman can come up with even more offensive methods, some that might even be deadly.

I'm sure there are plenty of people sitting pretty, quite content with their matches etc, who at one point or another were just as worried/concerned as the original poster; and if they weren't they are lying to themselves or are blessed with a nonchalance many medical students don't have. Either way, being mockingly sarcastic or just outright rude isn't the friendliest answer to the original question. I, for one, like the teamwork exhibited in the ED and appreciate the widespread willingness to help even a measly MS3 like myself coming down to the ED to try and do an admission. Shouldn't this board try and reflect that too?

This board IS NOT the ED and I am pretty confident that EM is no longer an appropriate field for you. Take one for the "team" and don't bother applying.

😍

 

[alreadylernd]

Yes.

No, I am pretty "sure" corpsman can come up with even more offensive methods, some that might even be deadly.

This board IS NOT the ED and I am pretty confident that EM is no longer an appropriate field for you. Take one for the "team" and don't bother applying.

😍

Really? This message board isn't an ED??? Maybe that's why when I tried to intubate my laptop, the fan broke and then the computer died.

I can take a joke too 😉

 

[punkmd]

Really? This message board isn't an ED??? Maybe that's why when I tried to intubate my laptop, the fan broke and then the computer died.

I can take a joke too 😉

You can take a joke - now you are one of us. As THE gatekeeper to the field of EM, I will make sure you always have a spot amongst us.

🙂

 

[EM_Rebuilder]

Really? This message board isn't an ED??? Maybe that's why when I tried to intubate my laptop, the fan broke and then the computer died.

I can take a joke too 😉

Worst part is when I tried to do a rectal, it shocked the *()@&_#@& out of my finger!