Looking for brutal honesty

[ninjatorpedo]

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Ok. Here is my plight. I realize now that this is just another "what are my chances" post, with a little bit of a twist.

1) DO student
2) 218 step 1, just took step 2 and I think did I much better.
3) 3.7, upper 25% class rank
4) No research, no AOA, but lots of community service.
5) I am genuinely passionate about radiology, an obvious hardworker, and I could care less about the pay and the lifestyle. I would pursue this field even if radiologists were making 60K a year.
6) Good communicator, all around cool guy who is deeply into art, photography, web design, politics, the world, etc.

I am aware that my statistics/performance have made middle/top tier radiology programs inaccessible. I am curious now though, if even community programs are within my grasp. I am also wondering how significant the stigma is against DOs, or is the lack of numbers that I observe simply a function of DOs not applying for such specialties. I have heard from DOs who have matched with step 1 scores of 220, while MDs in the same program matched with a 210.

The statistics show that people with my scores as "independent applicants" have a 50% chance of matching. However, these statistics also lump in FMG and MDs/DOs reapplying from other residencies with DOs straight out of school. DOs comprise only about 15% of the "independent applicants". The data also shows that MDs with a 220 have a 2:1 chance of matching. My question is, although it is hard to draw a conclusion about whats actually going on with DO applicants from the data, does anybody have other data about where DOs lie in the spectrum of FMG vs. MD applicants??

I would love to hear the opinion from people who ACTUALLY have matched, and were in remotely the same situation I am in. Also, if you think this is impossible and me just not squaring up with reality, let me know! Thanks for your input.

And please, give me something other than "stay positive and cast a broad net".

Thanks.

 

[abcabc1]

I've never applied, but I don't think it's impossible for you to get in. The applying broadly think really does apply in your case. If asked to handicap your chances, I'd rate them as less than 50%. There was an old thread about the chances for people with Step 1 < 220 and the results were hard to interpret b/c some interpretations were under the assumption of at least one interview invite. I can't recall the title of the thread, but it's not that old (Aug '08).

 

[ScooterBanks]

1) DO student
Negative. Right or wrong, there definitely is a large bias towards MD's in the application process at the vast majority of programs.

2) 218 step 1, just took step 2 and I think did I much better.
Large negative. Step 1 is the most important aspect of the application. Yours is going to be in the bottom 25% of applicants. This will be accentuated by your DO status.

3) 3.7, upper 25% class rank, no AOA.
Neutral to positive. Although grades are difficult to compare between applicants, it does show you are capable of doing work at a high level for long time. No AOA keeps the rest from being accentuated in a positive way. In other words, there are going to be lots of applicants around the top 25% of their class who are not AOA.

4) No research, but lots of community service.
No research, slight negative at some places. However, there are a decent number of places that don't really care about research.
Lot's of community service. Unfortunately for you, this is easily the least important part of the application. No one really cares because it has almost nothing to do with radiology.

5) I am genuinely passionate about radiology, an obvious hardworker, and I could care less about the pay and the lifestyle. I would pursue this field even if radiologists were making 60K a year.
Everyone is going to say that in an interview or at least try to come across that way. It will be tough to distinguish yourself from the others in that respect. Also, be prepared to answer the question "if you are so passionate about radiology, why haven't you been involved in any type of research?"

6) Good communicator, all around cool guy who is deeply into art, photography, web design, politics, the world, etc.
Big positive. Outside of step 1 score, being someone that others like and want to hang out with is the second most important factor.

Honestly your chances are not very good. If you rock step 2 (20+ improvement), they would probably improve a good deal. That being said, it only takes 1 program to match, so if it's what you want to do regardless, go for it. I'm sure there are a couple of DO friendly programs out there that don't really care about research with generous step 1 cutoffs for interviews. If you really click with your interviewing attendings and residents during your visit, anything can happen though.

 

[Vince]

I was in similar circumstances, with a Step I that was a little better, and I did do better on Step II. I was told that the Step II score DID help me...however I think my visiting 4th year elective helped the most.

You are in for a tough road, and if you want to play it a bit safer, you should consider some of the osteopathic rad residencies, and rotating at those programs is huge. I didn't rotate at any DO programs, and I could tell it "hurt" me on the interview trail. Ultimately I withdrew from the DO match, and I had applied to over 70 MD radiology programs, got interviews at 7, and ended up matching to my #1 choice.

You should either strongly consider DO residencies and/or take a chance and rotate through some MD programs which you might have a shot at and where they can get to know you a bit. Unless the match process has changed, you might be able to rank some DO progams and then if you don't match first into a DO residency, you can then take a shot at some MD programs.

Good luck. Radiology is a great field to be in.

Vince
PGY4 Radiology Resident

P.S. Please, no PMs.