Is Step 3 important for Anesthesia Fellowships?

[treasurefull2]

I'm currently studying for Step 3 and will be doing anesthesia next year.

I heard mixed opinions as to whether this test score is considered when reviewing residents for fellowship positions. Furthermore, I noticed that the fellowship applications do request the results for Step 3, so I'm assuming they actually look at them. Are other test such as the in-training exams more important, or are these test not even reviewed by fellowships.

Thanks for you help.

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[Bertelman]

I would have to imagine they take the ITE much more seriously. It was recently shown to actually have a positive correlation with passing your writtens, unlike that other crap.

 

[anesthesiadoc]

I don't think my fellowship cared. I've never heard any discussion about step 3 scores, between colleagues or anything. Step I counts the most, Step2 for consistency's sake (or to show improvement if you biffed the step I), but step III scores seemed like they may as well have been Pass/fail

 

[SleepIsGood]

talkig fro experience..i dont think they evn cared...of course you needed to have taken it and passed..

 

[Coastie]

talkig fro experience..i dont think they evn cared...of course you needed to have taken it and passed..

what were the biggest factors in your experience?

 

[treasurefull2]

what were the biggest factors in your experience?

Good question. I'd be interested in knowing as well.

 

[shift_roro]

what were the biggest factors in your experience?

I've asked some senior residents while on the interview trail, and the consensus seems to be that the top 2 factors are ITE scores and letters/phone calls/connections.

I would think program reputation and regional ties are probably up there too.
Curious to hear what other fellows/residents think.

Other questions:
Do they look at AKT scores? Is research during residency a big deal?

 

[DScully]

This is going to sound so stupid - but what's the difference between AKT and ITE? Do you take one but not the other?

And I have heard that some cardiac fellowship programs won't even look at you if you don't have research (don't ask me which ones because I didn't get the chance to ask my resident which ones)...so I guess research is very much dependent upon the type of fellowship...?

 

[Bertelman]

This is going to sound so stupid - but what's the difference between AKT and ITE? Do you take one but not the other?

And I have heard that some cardiac fellowship programs won't even look at you if you don't have research (don't ask me which ones because I didn't get the chance to ask my resident which ones)...so I guess research is very much dependent upon the type of fellowship...?

I think nearly everyone takes the ITE. AKT is less popular. They are also taken at different times, though that has blurred since they moved the ITE to March.

ITE is produced by ABA/ASA. AKT is not.

 

[IlDestriero]

I interview candidates for a very competitive fellowship program. We require copies of ite scores, usmle, medical school transcript, 3 LOR, etc.
I don't know the difference between a good or great usmle score.
I read the CV, LORs and scan the other stuff for something to talk about. The letters usually are the most useful, if you read between the lines. I just want to know why you want to do the fellowship, what your future goals are and why you want to train here.
I looked at a packet just today and asked another attending if he knew what a good ite score was. Sure enough his PD LOR indicated that his score was 99th percentile. Who knew. In my defense, if he was not up to snuff, he would have never gotten an interview at all.
I look at personality, motivation, special skills, partner potential, research interests, etc. more than any scores. Others may value other things more or less.
We have a rolling admission, so when we're down to the last 2 or 3 spots, scores may well become much more important in deciding who gets an interview or offer. Your best bet is to interview as early as possible, and of course be a superstar.

 

[veetz]

what were the biggest factors in your experience?

From my experience, LOR's & connections from well known people are huge.

 

[Gern Blansten]

LORs are huge as mentioned previously. If you have connections through a faculty member, even better. I think most "look" at the scores, but I suspect that it is lower on the list, unless, of course, you fail it.
Many of the bigger name programs prefer some research or pubs on your CV.

As a side note, the percentiles for the ITE change through the years, as you might expect. Since there are currently many of the best and the brightest going into our field, it is harder to score in the higher percentiles. So, a score that would have been in the 90th %ile in the late nineties may be the mean today.

I also believe that there has been some research to show a correlation between scoring well on the USMLE and scoring well on the ITE. Basically,what I have seen over the years is that those who get outstanding USMLE scores also usually get outstanding ITE scores and pass the written on the first pass. The ability to excel at a standardized exam seems to hold for the the MCAT, the USMLE, the ITE, and the ABA written. Whether it is a function of being a good "test taker" or the fact that the people that do well put forth the hours of studying and dedication needed to make it happen is probably a debatable topic. Nonetheless, it is rare that we have someone get "dumber" and suddenly not do well when they have previously shown the ability to score in the higher percentiles on previous standardized exams.

 

[treasurefull2]

Thanks for your responses, I appreciate it.