MD advantage in matching into competitive specialties

[Pepe18]

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[smhmd]

How DO friendly is Diagnostic Radiology BTW ? That's the field I am most interested in, which is why I was initially a bit hesitant in applying DO, however I have looked at data, and it seems like its doable but not friendly.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

How DO friendly is Diagnostic Radiology BTW ? That's the field I am most interested in, which is why I was initially a bit hesitant in applying DO, however I have looked at data, and it seems like its doable but not friendly.

Rads is very doable for DO's. You need to be average to above average on boards but it's very doable.

 

[Goro]

That's one year of data from one program who, if I recall, accepted their first year graduating class from those who were rejected from MD programs already. I looked at CUSOM's list and I'm not sure how you are saying it's better. Look at Quinnipiac's match list. They don't have home programs for most (all?) competitive fields, but they are doing very well.

Again, DO is fine if that is your only option. However, if you want to do something competitive from a DO school you will most likely need to hustle more than your MD colleagues and will still most likely end up at a program that doesn't have the highest quality training and isn't in a great location. Of course there are exceptions, but those are exceptions. That is why I'm saying to the OP that it would be better to apply MD only at first and then apply MD/DO the next year.

It's also important to consider that, as pre-meds, you are only worried about if matching a subspecialty is possible. When you are a MS4, you worry about matching in a place where you would be happy. The MD (and working hard) will give you the most control over the quality and location of the program you match, which is very important.

I'm not talking about Netter, but CNU.

 

[Frogger27]

OP I was a borderline MD candidate (like a 3.6/507 MCAT). I saw so many of my friends who were similar or better candidates decide to apply to both DO and MD their first cycles and only get accepted to DO schools. They didn’t care though (YAY accepted to Med school!!!! Only to find out 3 years later they want to do ortho but are SOL because they didn’t have enough foresight or patience). I knew myself and knew I would be seriously interested in competitive specialties (ortho, ENT, Uro, etc). Instead of applying like all of my friends, I did a post bacc to raise my GPA and get more research. Then during my application cycle, I only applied to MD schools knowing that I was willing to take another year off if I did not get into an MD school. I told myself if I did not get in the first time, I would apply to MD/DO schools.

Currently an M3, I was very average at my mid tier school. Got a 238 step 1, which is lower than the fields I’m interested in. However, I busted my butt from day 1 of Med school getting involved in research and have built up a pretty good CV app with tons of pubs/abstracts. I am planning on applying to one of those fields and have gotten very positive reviews on my chances (obviously we will see next year If I match). There is absolutely ZERO chance if I went to DO school with my 238 I would have had a chance to match into one of these fields. It kills me a little bit inside knowing most of my friends from pre Med are already in residency, but I know it would have killed me too if I would have been limited to a field due to my degree.


TLDR: be introspective, know yourself and what will make you happy. Don’t be scared to take time off or have to reapply

 

[Pluto98]

OP I was a borderline MD candidate (like a 3.6/507 MCAT). I saw so many of my friends who were similar or better candidates decide to apply to both DO and MD their first cycles and only get accepted to DO schools. They didn’t care though (YAY accepted to Med school!!!! Only to find out 3 years later they want to do ortho but are SOL because they didn’t have enough foresight or patience). I knew myself and knew I would be seriously interested in competitive specialties (ortho, ENT, Uro, etc). Instead of applying like all of my friends, I did a post bacc to raise my GPA and get more research. Then during my application cycle, I only applied to MD schools knowing that I was willing to take another year off if I did not get into an MD school. I told myself if I did not get in the first time, I would apply to MD/DO schools.

Currently an M3, I was very average at my mid tier school. Got a 238 step 1, which is lower than the fields I’m interested in. However, I busted my butt from day 1 of Med school getting involved in research and have built up a pretty good CV app with tons of pubs/abstracts. I am planning on applying to one of those fields and have gotten very positive reviews on my chances (obviously we will see next year If I match). There is absolutely ZERO chance if I went to DO school with my 238 I would have had a chance to match into one of these fields. It kills me a little bit inside knowing most of my friends from pre Med are already in residency, but I know it would have killed me too if I would have been limited to a field due to my degree.


TLDR: be introspective, know yourself and what will make you happy. Don’t be scared to take time off or have to reapply

What fields did your friends go into?

 

[Frogger27]

What fields did your friends go into?

Two anesthesia, two IM, one FM

 

[Pluto98]

Two anesthesia, two IM, one FM

So I guess it didn't turn out that bad after all!

 

[Pepe18]

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[Frogger27]

So I guess it didn't turn out that bad after all!

Of course not, in the end you’re still a physician. By no means was I saying that by going DO you’d be banished to FM in Montana. I knew I would not be happy in any of those fields and third year only cemented that further. Who knows if any of their true interests were in another field that they were not able to fully explore/consider

 

[treatem-and-streetem]

How do lower ranked MD programs compare? Would going to the worst MD school still be better than going to the top ranked DO program regarding competitive residencies?

In my opinion...its what you make out of it. The school doesn't determine your board score, this is ultimately in your hands. There are so many resources out there, students (including myself) do not have a reason to complain about learning information. A 90-99th percentile USMLE step1 score is the same no matter where you attend.

 

[Doctoscope]

Rads is very doable for DO's. You need to be average to above average on boards but it's very doable.

How is gas for DOs? I've been shadowing an anesthesiologist and I'm highly interested in the field if I'm fortunate enough to get into med school. Is a respectable gas program in a desirable city doable as a DO?

 

[Angus Avagadro]

How is gas for DOs? I've been shadowing an anesthesiologist and I'm highly interested in the field if I'm fortunate enough to get into med school. Is a respectable gas program in a desirable city doable as a DO?

Yes

 

[Goro]

How is gas for DOs? I've been shadowing an anesthesiologist and I'm highly interested in the field if I'm fortunate enough to get into med school. Is a respectable gas program in a desirable city doable as a DO?

Very DO friendly

 

[Doctoscope]

Very DO friendly

What exactly determines if something is DO friendly or not? Curious as to what determines it. What makes EM/Anesthesia "DO friendly," while certain surgical sub specialties are not? Quality of training? But if that were the case, why would EM/Anesthesia be DO friendly in the first place (if DO students were indeed "less qualified")?

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

What exactly determines if something is DO friendly or not? Curious as to what determines it. What makes EM/Anesthesia "DO friendly," while certain surgical sub specialties are not? Quality of training? But if that were the case, why would EM/Anesthesia be DO friendly in the first place (if DO students were indeed "less qualified")?

Desirability and overall competitiveness of the field. It doesn’t really have much to do with quality of training, although that might play a role in certain cases, a lot of it is that on average DO applicants are weaker than their MD counterparts due to a number of factors.

 

[Goro]

What exactly determines if something is DO friendly or not? Curious as to what determines it. What makes EM/Anesthesia "DO friendly," while certain surgical sub specialties are not? Quality of training? But if that were the case, why would EM/Anesthesia be DO friendly in the first place (if DO students were indeed "less qualified")?

I define it as the number of PDs willing to rank and interview DOs, and also the overall % of DOs in the specialty. Yes, the AOA had its own residencies in these in the past, but those were only a tiny handful compared to ACGME residencies.

 

[Angus Avagadro]

What exactly determines if something is DO friendly or not? Curious as to what determines it. What makes EM/Anesthesia "DO friendly," while certain surgical sub specialties are not? Quality of training? But if that were the case, why would EM/Anesthesia be DO friendly in the first place (if DO students were indeed "less qualified")?

Agree with the above. In addition, I think mid level encroachment by CRNAs and PAs is overblown by med students while mid level encroachment in other areas doesnt raise similar alarm. I think this reduces applications. Fewer applications translates to PDs going further down their match list before matching candidates. Also, anesthesia and EM are relatively new specialties and retirements weren't common until the late 90s, causing new jobs to continue to open. A plethora of job openings might indicate these are undesirable jobs that no one wants to take.

 

[CosmeticLeFort3]

Just have a medical license theory