People have been saying for years that DO students NEED to take USMLE to increase their chances of obtaining an ACGME residency. The argument has been that if you only have the COMLEX, then program directors have no way of comparing "apples to oranges." Makes sense.
I've also heard that COMLEX is not the best assessment of DO students' knowledge because of the manner in which the test is written.
My question is this: now that the merger is upon us (I will be in the second round of applicants after the merger begins) and MD students will be able to apply to all previous AOA residencies, won't these program directors (who have historically accepted COMLEX because.... they were DO-specific residencies) have the same problem of trying to compare "apples to oranges," because as a DO, its suggested that we take USMLE to stack up against MD students, but will there be a similar suggestion or push for MD students to take COMLEX, hypothetically, obviously?
What is the solution to this problem? Universal exam with "ACT-esque" additional OMM component for DO students, scored as a letter grade?
I've also heard that COMLEX is not the best assessment of DO students' knowledge because of the manner in which the test is written.
My question is this: now that the merger is upon us (I will be in the second round of applicants after the merger begins) and MD students will be able to apply to all previous AOA residencies, won't these program directors (who have historically accepted COMLEX because.... they were DO-specific residencies) have the same problem of trying to compare "apples to oranges," because as a DO, its suggested that we take USMLE to stack up against MD students, but will there be a similar suggestion or push for MD students to take COMLEX, hypothetically, obviously?
What is the solution to this problem? Universal exam with "ACT-esque" additional OMM component for DO students, scored as a letter grade?
