Matched Mid Tier University Diagnostic Radiology and Transitional Year w/ Failed PE AMA

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Radagion

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I matched Diagnostic Radiology and a Transitional Year. I have lots of time to answer questions before starting residency and would love to help those interested in matching Radiology. I am a DO student with high 230's step 1 and step 2 and high 500's on Comlex 1 and 2. I failed complex PE the first time but had a passing score before applications went out, no other red flags. I had lots of volunteering with underserved communities and peer mentoring. I had a couple of leadership positions. I did have some non-radiology research with poster presentations but no publications. I was in the top quartile of my class and had great letters of recommendation from local community doctors as I did my rotations in a rural area and did not do any aways. I received great feedback about my personal statement. I applied broadly as I was concerned with the PE failure (~ 80 DR 40 prelim) and received 27 DR interviews attended 19 and received 18 prelim interviews and attended 11. I matched my number 1 Transitional Year spot and my number 3 Radiology spot. I am very happy where I ended up and should have ranked it number 1 in hindsight. Let me know if you have any questions.

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Did you have a radiology rotation letter?
Yes, I did two radiology rotations in the community hospitals where I did all my other rotations and got to rotate with two private practice groups that worked with those hospitals. It was a great learning experience and I got what I was told was a great Radiology letter. My other letters were IM critical care/pulm and an IM doctor I rotated with who did outpatient only.
 
I feel like I'm the only one without volunteering lol I only just finished M2 but I literally do nothing but study. My grades are very good and goal is 250+ Step 1 but i feel like thats all i have. I never did any extracurriculars (other than GI club treasurer) because I seriously either wasn't interested enough and mostly just didn't have the time (spent all my time studying). Is there still time 3rd and 4th year to get some ECs in and some research if I want to match mid tier university IM? I know this is a rads thread but you still have the knowledge having gone through the match already as a new grad and would love your general input
 
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I feel like I'm the only one without volunteering lol I only just finished M2 but I literally do nothing but study. My grades are very good and goal is 250+ Step 1 but i feel like thats all i have. I never did any extracurriculars (other than GI club treasurer) because I seriously either wasn't interested enough and mostly just didn't have the time (spent all my time studying). Is there still time 3rd and 4th year to get some ECs in and some research if I want to match mid tier university IM? I know this is a rads thread but you still have the knowledge having gone through the match already as a new grad and would love your general input
The good news is that most PD won't care about your volunteering experience.
 
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The good news is that most PD won't care about your volunteering experience.
It depends on the field. I had several volunteering activities on my application, and about half my interviews I was asked about my volunteering.
 
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It depends on the field. I had several volunteering activities on my application, and about half my interviews I was asked about my volunteering.

I’d imagine that’s more of a conversation starter than a real factor in getting an interview and ranked no?


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I’d imagine that’s more of a conversation starter than a real factor in getting an interview and ranked no?


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Of course. Interviews are about showing you’re a normal person who can work on a team. It provided something to talk about.
 
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I am genuinely curious about how the subject of the failed PE was discussed on the interview trail. What were the questions you got, and how did you answer?
 
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Hi, thanks for doing this AMA! Just had a few questions:

1. From your post, it seems like you didn't have a home radiology program and/or MD radiology programs in your city. Did you find this to be a disadvantage relative to other DO applicants (such as those with nearby MD rads residencies)?

2. What year did you decide to pursue radiology? And if it was later on, did you find it difficult (though your scores were great) to build up an application with the inherent disadvantages that DO's face when applying for rads and other fairly competitive residencies?

3. Personally, what drew you to radiology as a field, and did you have any exposure to it prior to med school?

---

Thank you! Likely incoming DO student here (still waitlisted for MD's) that is very interested in radiology. I have no exposure to it (apart from reading reports while scribing), but really excited to explore it further while in school and hopefully build up a competitive application for it early on if I find it suits me.
 
Any advice for away rotations in rads? I have couple coming up in June/July & I need to snag a LOR in at least one of them.
 
What percentage of your 4th year was spent in radiology electives? And if high, would you recommend doing the same for other rads hopefuls?
 
I feel like I'm the only one without volunteering lol I only just finished M2 but I literally do nothing but study. My grades are very good and goal is 250+ Step 1 but i feel like thats all i have. I never did any extracurriculars (other than GI club treasurer) because I seriously either wasn't interested enough and mostly just didn't have the time (spent all my time studying). Is there still time 3rd and 4th year to get some ECs in and some research if I want to match mid tier university IM? I know this is a rads thread but you still have the knowledge having gone through the match already as a new grad and would love your general input

Honestly, I feel like the volunteering definitely helped in terms of interviews probably not so much in acquiring the interviews but people were very interested in my volunteering and it was brought up at about 75% of my interviews. I think it helped because I truly enjoyed the experiences and was able to express my passion for serving the underserved communities in Radiology as I am interested in procedural subspecialties. I'm also interested in teaching which is reflected in my volunteering and was brought up at interviews very frequently especially at academic programs. I would focus on studying because the Step score is what will get you the interviews I doubt my extensive volunteering got me any interviews but who knows. I would try to add something if you can consistency is key it doesn't have to be much.
 
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I am genuinely curious about how the subject of the failed PE was discussed on the interview trail. What were the questions you got, and how did you answer?

I was surprised I was only asked about it on two interviews. I was asked why I thought I failed and was told they were surprised with my failure as it was not consistent with my application as I had great feedback from rotations letters etc. I failed the humanistic domain and I was honest and answered that I did not know what happened as they do not give you any feedback. I explained how I was very shocked as I had good feedback on OSCE's and on clinical rotations from patients and preceptors. I was told by the PD's who asked me why I had failed that they saw me as very personable and could not understand how this happened and that "all that mattered was that I had passed it on my second attempt." I am sure it affected how I was ranked at some programs and perhaps I missed out on some interviews but unfortunately, I will never know. I tried not to let it affect me on interviews but it was always kind of the elephant in the room. I just took it as if they offered me the interview they did not care too much about the failed PE. I never brought it up if I was not asked about it not sure if that was the right thing to do or not.
 
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Hi, thanks for doing this AMA! Just had a few questions:

1. From your post, it seems like you didn't have a home radiology program and/or MD radiology programs in your city. Did you find this to be a disadvantage relative to other DO applicants (such as those with nearby MD rads residencies)?

2. What year did you decide to pursue radiology? And if it was later on, did you find it difficult (though your scores were great) to build up an application with the inherent disadvantages that DO's face when applying for rads and other fairly competitive residencies?

3. Personally, what drew you to radiology as a field, and did you have any exposure to it prior to med school?

---

Thank you! Likely incoming DO student here (still waitlisted for MD's) that is very interested in radiology. I have no exposure to it (apart from reading reports while scribing), but really excited to explore it further while in school and hopefully build up a competitive application for it early on if I find it suits me.

Hi, enchantments great questions. I am glad you have an early interest in Radiology that is awesome I did not get interested in it until third year.

1. I did not have a home radiology program or any MD rads programs in my city surprisingly I did not find this to be a significant disadvantage to me as I received plenty of interviews. I was able to obtain a Radiology letter, which seemed to be the most important thing you would be able to obtain from a home program other than of course having a program as a safety that will likely rank you highly. I am sure a letter from a well-known Radiologist may have been better than my letter from a community Radiologist however my letter was very personal as I had developed a good relationship with them. I was told on several interviews it was a great letter so not sure it matters so much who the letter is from as much as the content of the letter. I was lazy and didn't do any aways but I really don't think it is necessary for Radiology unless there is a particular program you are very interested in or your scores are on the lower end.

2. I thought I was going to go into another specialty that was heavy on imaging and realized that what I really liked about the specialty was the imaging. I loved reading the Radiology reports as they were so detailed and seemed to always have the answers clinicians were looking for. I love that Radiology requires such a large knowledge base that encompasses many different organ systems. As someone who enjoyed the first and second years of medical school the best, it seemed like a good fit for me as Radiology is a very intellectual field and requires lots of book learning. I also like the independence of Radiology where you can sit in a room by yourself and be super-efficient as I was very frustrated with how inefficient clinical medicine can be. I did not find it difficult to build an application as I was honest with how I became interested in Radiology as a third-year and how I had come to this realization from my interest in the other specialty. Radiology programs understand that many students are not interested in Radiology as an M1/M2 because most schools have little to no Radiology education so it can be difficult to get students interested in Radiology. I was asked about it many times on my interviews because most medical students get little exposure to Radiology so programs are genuinely interested in how you came about your interest. Radiology is competitive and you want to set yourself apart let your application tell the story about who you are and how you got to where you are today. Of course, scores are very important with Radiology so focus on that first and foremost with Step 1 becoming pass-fail I forsee step 2 being the new screener. Unfortunately, no one knows how this will affect future DO applicants as STEP was a way we could prove ourselves.

3. I guess I answered what drew me to the field above but basically the cerebral nature of the field, the independence, the broad knowledge base required and the ability to focus on diagnoses without other (what I consider mundane) clinical duties that other specialties face. I did not have any exposure to Radiology prior to med school.
 
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What percentage of your 4th year was spent in radiology electives? And if high, would you recommend doing the same for other rads hopefuls?

I did one Rad elective in 3rd year where I got my letter and then 2 electives in 4th year manly because Rads was my favorite rotation and it was a very easy rotation. I had another subspecialty Radiology rotation planned for 4th year but it got canceled due to coronavirus. I would have done more but wanted to show preliminary programs I was also interested in learning clinical medicine. I would say no more than 2 during the first half of fourth-year second half do as many as you can get away with ;).
 
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Any advice for away rotations in rads? I have couple coming up in June/July & I need to snag a LOR in at least one of them.

I did not do any aways so my advice is general. Unfortunately, it is difficult as a medical student to be helpful on a Radiology rotation. The best advice I can give is stay relatively quiet, polite, ask a few appropriate questions, and be likable these people want to know if they would be happy sitting next to you for four years in a dark room. It is honestly more difficult than it sounds as you will likely feel pretty useless but that's okay just try to learn as much as you can by listening and self-study. You could offer to present a topic during didactics it lets them know you are interested and gives them a chance to evaluate you. You could also try to get involved in a case study some preceptors will likely be more receptive to students than others just go with the flow and be pleasant.
 
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Would you say some of your experience and success would be applicable to other competitive residency specialties(ortho, urology, ent, Derm, gen surgery) with slight advantage of MD school vs DO?
Specifically, A) no home residency program but large hospital system obviously practicing in those specialties for clinical rotations and B) possibility of no research in that specific specialty and instead likely doing some primary care related research.
 
Isn’t failing the PE looked upon favorably for radiology?
 
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Would you say some of your experience and success would be applicable to other competitive residency specialties(ortho, urology, ent, Derm, gen surgery) with slight advantage of MD school vs DO?
Specifically, A) no home residency program but large hospital system obviously practicing in those specialties for clinical rotations and B) possibility of no research in that specific specialty and instead likely doing some primary care related research.

I don't really understand your question any U.S. MD school >>>> DO school. Some of those specialties like derm, ENT, urology are pretty much impossible as a DO unless you have a very strong application and have been gunning for it since day one. Ortho, gen surgery, and radiology are all very possible as a DO but will require a very good application, scores, etc. If you are a premed and are considering any competitive specialty I would certainly recommend MD school if at all possible. Although I am very happy with where I ended up, I know for a fact I would have received more/ higher quality interviews as an MD. I have several friends who also applied rads as MD's who got interviews I did not get with much lower scores. Any research is better than no research especially if you can swing it to make it relevant to the specialty you are interested in.
 
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Isn’t failing the PE looked upon favorably for radiology?

Haha I assume you are kidding. No, it is certainly not looked upon favorably but definitely is not as important as other specialties. I am sure I missed out on some interviews though due to the failure. I think it also helped that I had a passing score before applications went out.
 
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Do you have any fellowship plans?

I'm pretty undecided I really like neuroradiology thus the profile pic ;) . I also really loved breast imaging because I loved the ability to interact with patients, the procedures, and it has a pretty good lifestyle but I'm worried I will be bored and miss neuro. I am also slightly interested in neurointerventional but don't think I want that lifestyle. I wish I was more decided as I would like to get involved in research in whatever subspecialty I decide on.
 
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Did you get any interviews at any of the California programs? (if you applied out there)

I didn't apply to any California programs I was not interested in being in California and I know how competitive it is so I thought it would be too low yield and saved my apps for other programs. I avoided California and New York but applied pretty much everywhere else very broadly focusing my apps on places that had taken a D.O. before.
 
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I didn't apply to any California programs I was not interested in being in California and I know how competitive it is so I thought it would be too low yield and saved my apps for other programs. I avoided California and New York but applied pretty much everywhere else very broadly focusing my apps on places that had taken a D.O. before.

I feel you. congrats btw!
 
Any midwest programs you would recommend?

Good Midwest programs that are DO friendly

Henry Ford/ Wayne State

Beaumont Health

UPMC

Cleveland Clinic

Case Western / UH

Ohio State

University of Cincinnati

University of Minnesota

University of Iowa (not as DO friendly no DO's on class roster they do interview DO's)

University of Kentucky

University of Missouri Kansas City

University of Missouri Columbia

University of Kansas

University Illinois at Peoria

University of Illinois Chicago

Loyola

University of Nebraska

Indiana University (not as DO friendly only one DO on the class roster they do interview DO's)

Medical College of Wisconsin (not as DO friendly their class list can be misleading as they took in residents from MCW St. Joe’s hospital a previously AOA program that closed they do interview DO’s though I interviewed here was the only DO on my interview day out of 26 candidates)



Other DO friendly Midwest programs that are not as strong in my opinion

West Virginia University

University of Oklahoma

Allegheny Health

Case Western Metrohealth

Kettering/ Grandview Medical Center

Spectrum Health /MSU

DMC/Wayne State

Mclaren Oakland/MSU (This program only matched 1 of 3 spots this year)

Aurora Health Wisconsin


Hope that helps!
 
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Good Midwest programs that are DO friendly

Henry Ford/ Wayne State

Beaumont Health

UPMC

Cleveland Clinic

Case Western / UH

Ohio State

University of Cincinnati

University of Minnesota

University of Iowa

University of Kentucky

University of Missouri Kansas City

University of Missouri Columbia

University of Kansas

University Illinois at Peoria

University of Illinois Chicago

Loyola

University of Nebraska

Medical College of Wisconsin (not as DO friendly their class list can be misleading as they took in residents from MCW St. Joe’s hospital a previously AOA program that closed they do interview DO’s though I interviewed here was the only DO on my interview day out of 26 candidates)



Other DO friendly Midwest programs that are not as strong in my opinion

West Virginia University

University of Oklahoma

Allegheny Health

Case Western Metrohealth

Kettering/ Grandview Medical Center

Spectrum Health /MSU

DMC/Wayne State

Mclaren Oakland/MSU (This program only matched 1 of 3 spots this year)

Aurora Health Wisconsin


Hope that helps!
is U of Iowa DO friendly? their roster has no DO's
 
is U of Iowa DO friendly? their roster has no DO's
Good question they are certainly not as DO friendly as other programs on the list I believe they have taken DO's before. Residency explorer is down until June so I wasn't able to check. I do know they interview DO's. Indiana University is another one I didn't add that interviews DO's but isn't as DO friendly I believe there is one DO on their roster.
 
Good Midwest programs that are DO friendly

Henry Ford/ Wayne State

Beaumont Health

UPMC

Cleveland Clinic

Case Western / UH

Ohio State

University of Cincinnati

University of Minnesota

University of Iowa (not as DO friendly no DO's on class roster they do interview DO's)

University of Kentucky

University of Missouri Kansas City

University of Missouri Columbia

University of Kansas

University Illinois at Peoria

University of Illinois Chicago

Loyola

University of Nebraska

Indiana University (not as DO friendly only one DO on the class roster they do interview DO's)

Medical College of Wisconsin (not as DO friendly their class list can be misleading as they took in residents from MCW St. Joe’s hospital a previously AOA program that closed they do interview DO’s though I interviewed here was the only DO on my interview day out of 26 candidates)



Other DO friendly Midwest programs that are not as strong in my opinion

West Virginia University

University of Oklahoma

Allegheny Health

Case Western Metrohealth

Kettering/ Grandview Medical Center

Spectrum Health /MSU

DMC/Wayne State

Mclaren Oakland/MSU (This program only matched 1 of 3 spots this year)

Aurora Health Wisconsin


Hope that helps!

Did you have any experience/knowledge about any of the Arizona programs? Not so much DO friendliness, but level of competitiveness
 
University of Arizona Tucson is a good program that is DO friendly I did not interview anywhere out West although I applied to a few programs like Univ Arizona Tucson. If you are from the area/ your school is in the area I think you should have a good shot at this program. Creighton University/Maricopa is also DO friendly I believe but they are very competitive as there are only 3 spots and they preferentially accept Creighton students. I don't see a DO on their roster. University of New Mexico is another DO friendly program out West but I do think it is also very competitive. There aren't as many programs out West so competition is very high and they tend to interview/ match students from the area. Sorry, I wish I could be more help!
 
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Did you have any experience/knowledge about any of the Arizona programs? Not so much DO friendliness, but level of competitiveness

Not OP but I know a bit about them

UA Tucson - Takes DOs, not competitive if you have average Rads numbers.
Maricopa/St Joes - very competitive because few spots and UA Phoenix/Tucson/Creighton feed into these programs. I know St Joes interviews DOs though
Mayo Phoenix - Extremely competitive, did not know anyone who got an interview here.

More info on west coast programs:

UNM - Great program, if you have connections to NM/ABQ will help a lot. DOs match here.
Utah/Colorado - Very competitive, hard to match if you are a DO.

CA programs

I know UCI, Loma Linda and Kaiser LA have interviewed DOs in the past. Still all are extremely competitive.
 
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Not OP but I know a bit about them

UA Tucson - Takes DOs, not competitive if you have average Rads numbers.
Maricopa/St Joes - very competitive because few spots and UA Phoenix/Tucson/Creighton feed into these programs. I know St Joes interviews DOs though
Mayo Phoenix - Extremely competitive, did not know anyone who got an interview here.

More info on west coast programs:

UNM - Great program, if you have connections to NM/ABQ will help a lot. DOs match here.
Utah/Colorado - Very competitive, hard to match if you are a DO.

CA programs

I know UCI, Loma Linda and Kaiser LA have interviewed DOs in the past. Still all are extremely competitive.

Im not a DO student, so I was more looking for the overall competitiveness of them, not so much for DOs specifically, but this is very helpful thank you!
 
I matched Diagnostic Radiology and a Transitional Year. I have lots of time to answer questions before starting residency and would love to help those interested in matching Radiology. I am a DO student with high 230's step 1 and step 2 and high 500's on Comlex 1 and 2. I failed complex PE the first time but had a passing score before applications went out, no other red flags. I had lots of volunteering with underserved communities and peer mentoring. I had a couple of leadership positions. I did have some non-radiology research with poster presentations but no publications. I was in the top quartile of my class and had great letters of recommendation from local community doctors as I did my rotations in a rural area and did not do any aways. I received great feedback about my personal statement. I applied broadly as I was concerned with the PE failure (~ 80 DR 40 prelim) and received 27 DR interviews attended 19 and received 18 prelim interviews and attended 11. I matched my number 1 Transitional Year spot and my number 3 Radiology spot. I am very happy where I ended up and should have ranked it number 1 in hindsight. Let me know if you have any questions.
hey had 2 questions if you dont mind. Can you talk a bit more about research and how much is needed to be competitive, what other applicants you may know have had, publications vs research without any pubs. Secondly not sure if you applied there but how are the northeast programs in regards to competitiveness and DO friendly nature. appreciate the help
 
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hey had 2 questions if you dont mind. Can you talk a bit more about research and how much is needed to be competitive, what other applicants you may know have had, publications vs research without any pubs. Secondly not sure if you applied there but how are the northeast programs in regards to competitiveness and DO friendly nature. appreciate the help

Hey, I think research as a DO is not as important if you are okay matching at a community program/community w/ university-affiliated program but may be more necessary for the university programs. My research was brought up at about 50% of my interviews and was usually brought up more often at university programs. I think Radiology research is certainly better than research in another field but any research is better than no research for university programs. I think having pubs is not as important but will certainly help you at university programs. If you do not have research I still think you certainly have a shot at university programs as long as your scores are average/ above average and other parts of your application stand out as well w/ good letters of rec, community service, leadership, etc. I would make sure to express your interest in possibly pursuing research if you do get an interview at a university program because I think that is what they are looking for. I was straight up asked if I would like to continue to pursue research several times at university programs and definitely got the feeling it would not have gone well had I said no.

I did apply and interview at quite a few northeast programs and have included a DO friendly list along with some of my thoughts about the programs I interviewed at. I think the northeast is generally very DO friendly and is probably the best place to apply as a DO with below-average scores as there are many community programs that are DO friendly. I know New York has several DO friendly programs but I only applied to a handful of New York programs and only interviewed at one so I can't be very helpful with them. Maybe someone else who is more familiar with the New York programs can comment.


Northeast DO friendly programs



Temple (great program moderately competitive w/ average/ above average scores)

Albert Einstein Philly (DO’s in every class moderately competitive with average scores great teaching but old hospital rotate at CHOP supposedly merging with Jefferson)

Albert Einstein Montgomery (new branch campus will have teleconferences from main campus for didactics beautiful new hospital in a nice suburb of Philly, not very competitive)

Christiana Care DE (very DO friendly not very competitive with average/ slightly below average scores, very good community program)

Allegheny PA (solid community program lots of procedural experience rotate at UPMC children’s not very competitive with below-average scores/ average scores)

Main Line Health/Bryn Mawr PA

Penn State Hershey (good program in the middle of nowhere, moderately competitive with slightly below average to average scores)

Geisinger PA (received interview did not attend)

UPMC (excellent program very competitive do interview and accept DO’s rarely will need above-average scores and research)

Norwalk Hospital CT (received interview did not attend)

Quinnipiac University Frank Netter School of Med/St. Vincent’s CT

University of Connecticut

Hartford Hospital

Yale New Haven Med (not as DO friendly very competitive)

Maine Med Center (very solid community program very DO friendly especially those from Maine)

St. Vincent Hospital MA (received interview did not attend)

Layey Clinic MA

UMMS Baystate

University Massachusetts

Dartmouth-Hitchcock

Cooper NJ (good program, nice hospital in a bad area most residents live in Philly w/ short commute, very DO friendly entire match this year was DO not competitive with slightly below average/average scores)

St. Barnabas NJ

Monmouth Med Center NJ

Atlantic Health Morristown NJ

Rutgers Robert Wood NJ

Albany Med Center

Jacobi/Albert Einstein COM NY

Maimonides

SUNY Brooklyn (good program residents are very independent, teaching didn’t seem great, lots of trauma very expensive COL not competitive with average scores)

SUNY Upstate

Zucker Hofstra/Northwell

NYU Winthrop

Icahn Mount Sinai West

Stony Brook/ Mather

University of Rochester

Stony Brook Med/ University Hospital Program

Westchester Med
 
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Hey, I think research as a DO is not as important if you are okay matching at a community program/community w/ university-affiliated program but may be more necessary for the university programs. My research was brought up at about 50% of my interviews and was usually brought up more often at university programs. I think Radiology research is certainly better than research in another field but any research is better than no research for university programs. I think having pubs is not as important but will certainly help you at university programs. If you do not have research I still think you certainly have a shot at university programs as long as your scores are average/ above average and other parts of your application stand out as well w/ good letters of rec, community service, leadership, etc. I would make sure to express your interest in possibly pursuing research if you do get an interview at a university program because I think that is what they are looking for. I was straight up asked if I would like to continue to pursue research several times at university programs and definitely got the feeling it would not have gone well had I said no.

I did apply and interview at quite a few northeast programs and have included a DO friendly list along with some of my thoughts about the programs I interviewed at. I think the northeast is generally very DO friendly and is probably the best place to apply as a DO with below-average scores as there are many community programs that are DO friendly. I know New York has several DO friendly programs but I only applied to a handful of New York programs and only interviewed at one so I can't be very helpful with them. Maybe someone else who is more familiar with the New York programs can comment.


Northeast DO friendly programs


Temple (great program moderately competitive w/ average/ above average scores)

Albert Einstein Philly (DO’s in every class moderately competitive with average scores great teaching but old hospital rotate at CHOP supposedly merging with Jefferson)

Albert Einstein Montgomery (new branch campus will have teleconferences from main campus for didactics beautiful new hospital in a nice suburb of Philly, not very competitive)

Christiana Care DE (very DO friendly not very competitive with average/ slightly below average scores, very good community program)

Allegheny PA (solid community program lots of procedural experience rotate at UPMC children’s not very competitive with below-average scores/ average scores)

Main Line Health/Bryn Mawr PA

Penn State Hershey (good program in the middle of nowhere, moderately competitive with slightly below average to average scores)

Geisinger PA (received interview did not attend)

UPMC (excellent program very competitive do interview and accept DO’s rarely will need above-average scores and research)

Norwalk Hospital CT (received interview did not attend)

Quinnipiac University Frank Netter School of Med/St. Vincent’s CT

University of Connecticut

Hartford Hospital

Yale New Haven Med (not as DO friendly very competitive)

Maine Med Center (very solid community program very DO friendly especially those from Maine)

St. Vincent Hospital MA (received interview did not attend)

Layey Clinic MA

UMMS Baystate

University Massachusetts

Dartmouth-Hitchcock

Cooper NJ (good program, nice hospital in a bad area most residents live in Philly w/ short commute, very DO friendly entire match this year was DO not competitive with slightly below average/average scores)

St. Barnabas NJ

Monmouth Med Center NJ

Atlantic Health Morristown NJ

Rutgers Robert Wood NJ

Albany Med Center

Jacobi/Albert Einstein COM NY

Maimonides

SUNY Brooklyn (good program residents are very independent, teaching didn’t seem great, lots of trauma very expensive COL not competitive with average scores)

SUNY Upstate

Zucker Hofstra/Northwell

NYU Winthrop

Icahn Mount Sinai West

Stony Brook/ Mather

University of Rochester

Stony Brook Med/ University Hospital Program

Westchester Med

Thank you for the list! Do you have any thoughts/opinions about any west coast programs that are DO friendly?
 
Did you apply to any Texas schools? Or did u notice any bias from them preferring Texas residents?
 
Thank you for the list! Do you have any thoughts/opinions about any west coast programs that are DO friendly?

I did not interview at any West Coast program although I applied to most of the ones on the list below. I did not receive any interviews likely because I am from the east coast as is my school. I did not apply to any California programs and don't know much about them except that they are very competitive, even for MD's. A poster above had said Kaiser, UCI and Loma Linda have interviewed DO's in the past . I met DO applicants on the trail who had interviewed at OPTI West/Hemet Valley so I believe they may also be DO friendly. I think if you are not from the West coast/ your school is not in the West an away at the program you are interested in out West could help put you on their radar as long as your app is competitive. This may be one of the only times an away in Radiology may be useful as most people agree that they are not necessary. I Hope that helps!

DO friendly West Coast Programs

Creighton Maricopa/St.Joes (Interview DO’s very competitive b/c of small number of spots and Creighton students have taken DO's in the past)

University of Arizona Tucson (very DO friendly West coast program moderately competitive with average scores and connections to area)

University of Colorado (very competitive, interview DO’s and have matched a few DO’s in the past)

University of Utah (very competitive will interview DO’s one DO on their current roster)

University of New Mexico (great program that matches 1 or 2 DO’s every year, moderately competitive with average scores will likely need to do an away if not from West coast)

Oregon Health and Science University (moderately competitive a few DO’s on their roster will likely need an away if not from West coast)

Virginia Mason Medical Center (small program only 3 spots making it pretty competitive one DO on current roster)

Providence Sacred Heart Spokane (small program only 2 spots making it pretty competitive, very DO friendly)
 
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Did you apply to any Texas schools? Or did u notice any bias from them preferring Texas residents?

I did apply to a few Texas schools that were known to be DO friendly but did not receive any Texas interviews. I was pretty surprised by this as I am originally from a southeastern state so I expected a few Texas interviews. I guess Texas is pretty biased towards Texas residents. If you are interested in a Texas program and are not originally from Texas I would recommend doing an away.
 
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+1 also matched mid tier diagnostic radiology (and my #1 TY) with a failed comlex PE. feel free to PM if you need any help making a list or in a similar situation.
 
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When your PE failed was it because of early anticoagulation?

How did you remind it of its failure? Did you see the emboli on the CTA and whisper at it how worthless it and why it will never be a PE in an attending's lung?
Thanks!
 
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Hey, I think research as a DO is not as important if you are okay matching at a community program/community w/ university-affiliated program but may be more necessary for the university programs. My research was brought up at about 50% of my interviews and was usually brought up more often at university programs. I think Radiology research is certainly better than research in another field but any research is better than no research for university programs. I think having pubs is not as important but will certainly help you at university programs. If you do not have research I still think you certainly have a shot at university programs as long as your scores are average/ above average and other parts of your application stand out as well w/ good letters of rec, community service, leadership, etc. I would make sure to express your interest in possibly pursuing research if you do get an interview at a university program because I think that is what they are looking for. I was straight up asked if I would like to continue to pursue research several times at university programs and definitely got the feeling it would not have gone well had I said no.

I did apply and interview at quite a few northeast programs and have included a DO friendly list along with some of my thoughts about the programs I interviewed at. I think the northeast is generally very DO friendly and is probably the best place to apply as a DO with below-average scores as there are many community programs that are DO friendly. I know New York has several DO friendly programs but I only applied to a handful of New York programs and only interviewed at one so I can't be very helpful with them. Maybe someone else who is more familiar with the New York programs can comment.


Northeast DO friendly programs


Temple (great program moderately competitive w/ average/ above average scores)

Albert Einstein Philly (DO’s in every class moderately competitive with average scores great teaching but old hospital rotate at CHOP supposedly merging with Jefferson)

Albert Einstein Montgomery (new branch campus will have teleconferences from main campus for didactics beautiful new hospital in a nice suburb of Philly, not very competitive)

Christiana Care DE (very DO friendly not very competitive with average/ slightly below average scores, very good community program)

Allegheny PA (solid community program lots of procedural experience rotate at UPMC children’s not very competitive with below-average scores/ average scores)

Main Line Health/Bryn Mawr PA

Penn State Hershey (good program in the middle of nowhere, moderately competitive with slightly below average to average scores)

Geisinger PA (received interview did not attend)

UPMC (excellent program very competitive do interview and accept DO’s rarely will need above-average scores and research)

Norwalk Hospital CT (received interview did not attend)

Quinnipiac University Frank Netter School of Med/St. Vincent’s CT

University of Connecticut

Hartford Hospital

Yale New Haven Med (not as DO friendly very competitive)

Maine Med Center (very solid community program very DO friendly especially those from Maine)

St. Vincent Hospital MA (received interview did not attend)

Layey Clinic MA

UMMS Baystate

University Massachusetts

Dartmouth-Hitchcock

Cooper NJ (good program, nice hospital in a bad area most residents live in Philly w/ short commute, very DO friendly entire match this year was DO not competitive with slightly below average/average scores)

St. Barnabas NJ

Monmouth Med Center NJ

Atlantic Health Morristown NJ

Rutgers Robert Wood NJ

Albany Med Center

Jacobi/Albert Einstein COM NY

Maimonides

SUNY Brooklyn (good program residents are very independent, teaching didn’t seem great, lots of trauma very expensive COL not competitive with average scores)

SUNY Upstate

Zucker Hofstra/Northwell

NYU Winthrop

Icahn Mount Sinai West

Stony Brook/ Mather

University of Rochester

Stony Brook Med/ University Hospital Program

Westchester Med

Thank you for this awesome thread! Do you have more thoughts/info on the Allegheny program? One of the posts calls it solid but it's also listed under "not as strong" programs.
 
Thank you for this awesome thread! Do you have more thoughts/info on the Allegheny program? One of the posts calls it solid but it's also listed under "not as strong" programs.
I interviewed there. Applied mostly bc it is very DO friendly. It really depends what your goals are. If you're looking to publish a ton, it might be more challenging to do that at AGH than at a university program, but definitely not impossible. Per my notes, I thought the procedural training and volume were strong (I believe IR is the only fellowship they offer). Pittsburgh seems like a nice city with good COL. Definitely not a bad place to train
 
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