MS3 Seeking Advice

[Brewmeister]

Hi all--here are stats/info...any advice concerning competitiveness for ENT / what I should be doing would be appreciated

Step 1: 258 / 99
Clerkships: HP medicine, P ambulatory, HP family medicine
2nd year: H in pretty much everything
1st year: HP in pretty much everything
Research: One conference poster presentation (in process of turning into paper), another abstract submitted; neither in ENT but both surgical (surg onc and uro)

The thing that worries me is my grades in clerkships so far. I am killing the shelf exams but for some reason can't grab the H clinically. My attendings/residents praise me to the heavens but it doesn't translate into the grade. I'm frustrated to say the least. Maybe it's the nature of third year? Who knows. Any advice is appreciated.

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[OtoHNS]

I don't know what to tell you if you're acing the shelf and getting good evals. If this is true, you're already doing all you can gradewise.

Make some contacts in your ENT dept and get working on some ENT-related research during lighter rotations.

I think you'll still be in good shape to match.

 

[ThePursuit]

Talk to them. If you've got good shelf scores, sometimes they don't even realize the eval is a big part of your final grade. I had my grade switched from HP to H twice last year by just going back and talking with them. Being nice (and actually deserving honors) is obviously helpful in this approach. Also, pretend like if you don't honor surgery someone is going to kill your dog... or some other high stakes event.

You're going to need 3 (some programs require 4) letters of recc next year. Assume that one is your chair. Find those people you click well with and spend time with them so those letters are good. Maybe delay step2CK. I took it early to show I wasn't afraid, but it's a risk if step1 is good. Most people probably won't care about it.

2011 matches showed avg step 1 was 243, so your score is good... but so is everybody elses. Find some unique things you do that will make you memorable in your application (make bicycles or something) too.

Lastly, some more substantial ENT research or oral presentation would help you strengthen your mediocre research set-up. Good luck!

 

[lildave2586]

I'm applying this cycle, my stats are very similar to yours, and I've gotten 15 offers after applying to 36 programs (which isn't too many for ENT). When I was in your position last year, I got two case reports going with one of my faculty and got them published. That's an easy way to show interest to your department. Try to get some real research in ENT as well, that's really what people are looking for. Case reports are just an easy way to get published quickly. You need to get to know the faculty and residents in your program. If you've got a free day ask if you can show up to the OR and scrub some cases with them. That's what I've done for the past two years and it has worked well for me.

 

[fizzle]

Bumped because I'm curious for more responses. I'm in a similar position: MS3 w/ Step 1 score in the 250's, yet I'm having a difficult time getting any honors in third year. My school gives out very few honors, but I hardly think that excuse is going to fly when I'm competing with applicants from other schools who honor every rotation.

I've been finding it unsettling that all the forums hawk on getting many clinical honors for any specialty, considering that less than the top 10% of our class gets honors for any rotation. It's not a matter of me being socially awkward or having terrible clinical skills; it's just that honors at our school is a very difficult thing to achieve (I can't speak for other schools).