Is “passed after failure” on my 1st OSCE enough to keep me out of the top specialties?

[IntoTheNight]

My school has a system where you can pass the class, and if you pass the OSCE on the second attempt that’s fine, but if you do, the above designation is on your transcript.

Will this have any bearing at all? Let’s say I’m going for a top specialty like Optho. Is this alone enough to alter the trajectory of my application, assuming no failures otherwise?

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[NotAProgDirector]

Nothing is 100% but this is not good. Competitive fields are looking for reasons to pass on your application, as they have plenty. Nothing like this can happen again. And you'll want to overperform in other areas.

 

[GoSpursGo]

As noted above, it puts you behind the eight ball because you've got a red flag that most applicants for these specialties won't have. If the rest of your app is pristine (ie all honors/HP in clinical, 250-260+ step 2, multiple pubs), then this may be explained away as a blip. But if there's any other issues, or nothing else in your app is attention grabbing, then there will be little reason for a program to look at your app seriously.

More importantly, you really need to figure out why you failed in the first place and make the necessary corrections. Assuming you finish medical school you will be locked in for a high-earning and likely enjoyable profession for the rest of your life, regardless of whether you achieve your holy grail of ophtho. So focus on the problem immediately in front of you.

 

[Angus Avagadro]

Well, it won't help. Great advice above. Work on your deficiencies, ask for some feed back, and rock the rest of your time in med school

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I'm not a program director to know the tolerance of not passing your first OSCE, but I'm sure it goes down if you establish a pattern of having to repeat subsequent failed OSCE attempt(s).

 

[IntoTheNight]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I guess I am just a little surprised because I didn't think it would be this serious.

 

[GoSpursGo]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I guess I am just a little surprised because I didn't think it would be this serious.

This truly isn’t a reflection on you or how good a doctor you may be. The issue is that you’re not judged in a vacuum, you’re judged in relation to other people applying to your competitive specialty. When everyone else looks amazing on paper, programs look for any little reason to differentiate applicants.

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

Schools screw over their students by doing this imo. Pass after first remediation should be no designation

 

[GoSpursGo]

Schools screw over their students by doing this imo. Pass after first remediation should be no designation

I agree that schools sometimes capriciously do unfair things that are not in their students' best interests... however, assuming that an unreasonable number of students didn't fail this exam, this is not one of those times. If a student requires twice as many attempts to achieve a passing score, that is significantly different from passing on the first attempt.

 

[lacrossegirl420]

It’s not insurmountable but unfortunately it’s a roadblock. I know it seems unreasonable, but it’s kind of akin to how a C in ochem freshman year can potentially knock you out of contention of top med schools just because there are a lot of perfect applicants

 

[Robin-jay]

It’s not insurmountable but unfortunately it’s a roadblock. I know it seems unreasonable, but it’s kind of akin to how a C in ochem freshman year can potentially knock you out of contention of top med schools just because there are a lot of perfect applicants

Getting a C in O-chem even looks bad for Caribbean schools.

 

[gyngyn]

Getting a C in O-chem even looks bad for Caribbean schools.

There are at least 80 Caribbean schools that will take just about anybody.

 

[Robin-jay]

There are at least 80 Caribbean schools that will take just about anybody.

Can't argue with that. Although even an ADCOM at a Caribbean school probably nods at a C in O-chem, but still gives the acceptance.

 

[lacrossegirl420]

I don’t think any of the caribbean schools even look at your grades or mcat lol

 

[Robin-jay]

I don’t think any of the caribbean schools even look at your grades or mcat lol

They probably look at them but don't care. Although if the averages of the top 4 Caribbean schools are accurate, the stats really aren't that much different than DO schools.

 

[gyngyn]

Although if the averages of the top 4 Caribbean schools are accurate, the stats really aren't that much different than DO schools.

I don't believe anything they say when what I have seen is a direct contradiction.
Sorry, OP. Back to the topic at hand.

 

[Cornfed101]

Schools screw over their students by doing this imo. Pass after first remediation should be no designation

Yeah that’s how I feel about schools that do ranking. My School does quintiles. The top quintile gets a boost but basically everyone else gets a downgrade.