Lack Luster surgery rotation

[PostMed2018]

So I just got both my step score and my clinical year surgery rotation comments back.

I am a USMD at a T10 school, I want to go into gen-surg to do CT, also possible I6. Thankfully, my step 1 score was good at 260+. Looking at my surgery comments I got very average, perhaps even below average comments, I got a pass on evals H/HP/P. This was a surprise to me, I seem to have very hit or miss comments on my rotations, for example on my medicine rotation I got comments such as: exemplary student, huge help on rounds, ect. Due to Covid my final grade in surgery will be reported pass/fail, but I would have gotten a HP overall (did well on the shelf).

How much has this hurt me? Do I still have a chance to match well?

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[bornhuman]

Taking as many electives as possible in surgery. The pass/fail system can be rotten. Regardless of credits, scrub in as many cases as you can (show them your stuff—something as simple as one hand ties goes a long way. Know your anatomy, technique, and be there if you get a 3AM call to scrub in. You may be holding retractors, but sound knowledge and willingness will pay off, and you will succeed in your quest, show em postmed2018. Best to you, and your post reflects dedication.

MD class of `81
GS

 

[cbc86]

This is a common experience. Keep crushing it.

 

[Banco]

A pass in and of itself won't hold you back at all as long as the rest of application is alright, and with a 260+ that's no issue. Do well on your SubI and surgery electives. Particularly for I6 it's important you network/research/get letters from CT surgeons.

You're very much in the running, don't sweat it.

 

[ohmanwaddup]

3rd year is rough. Best we can do is to keep working hard and not get bogged down. I made the mistake of beating myself up too much and getting to down on anything.

 

[PostMed2018]

Thank you all very much. As you might have guessed I consider myself a good student and getting such a negative evaluation was a shock to me. I totally agree third year grades seem to be so random, it really is a shame.

 

[ohmanwaddup]

Thank you all very much. As you might have guess I consider myself a good student and getting such a negative evaluation was a shock to me. I totally agree third year grades seem to be so random, it really is a shame.

Surgeons in my limited experience are incredibly finicky. My preceptor got mad at me and had me scrub out for not knowing where the button was for gas on my first day, but acted very impressed and let me do more in the OR when I was able to answer his pimp question of identifying an IVC filter on CT, something I only knew from a random zanki card.

 

[LunaOri]

Ask those who supervised your surgery rotation what you could have done better--then do it on your next rotation.

 

[Fatalis]

Welcome to MS3 “where evals are made up and the points don’t matter”.
Honestly with that score you will go where you want to go. Do some electives in MS4 as wel.

 

[OnePunchBiopsy]

While an honors is a plus, you really don’t need it. I didn’t honor surgery simply because my mentor refused to honor anyone.

 

[ohmanwaddup]

While an honors is a plus, you really don’t need it. I didn’t honor surgery simply because my mentor refused to honor anyone.

lol if I could sum up third year in a sentence it would be this