NBOME Propaganda

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Anyone know where/how they are getting these quotes from students who just matched? Is there some kind of survey that the NBOME sends out?

I wonder how many times the NBOME got answers like “actually, COMLEX only put me at a disadvantage, and I definitely should have taken USMLE” in which they just simply ignore it until they get the response they’re looking for.

And while most of the blame goes on the NBOME for this propaganda, I’m pretty disappointed in the students who give these quotes saying “I only took COMLEX and had no issues matching into my #1 residency choice.” Even if they matched FM, Peds, etc no problem with only COMLEX, were they just completely oblivious to the rest of their classmates aiming for any semi-competitive specialty where you really need USMLE? It’s frustrating to see fourth year students who should know a lot better than to give NBOME statements like COMLEX only is a great idea and completely fine.

I have classmates who want competitive specialties and when they say they just want to do COMLEX, I’m like, “Do your research. Your particular speciality almost always needs Step 1.”

But as someone interested in a pretty much non competitive and primary care oriented specialty, I ain’t taking step 1. No thanks, I’m good.

Would never pretend you only have to take that if it isn’t true.

Now if that same friend was like, “I want to be a pediatrician and I’ve gotten 69.5 just barely on my last few classes,” I’d be like ,”Avoid step 1. You don’t need it and it will probably only hurt you anyway.”
 
I have classmates who want competitive specialties and when they say they just want to do COMLEX, I’m like, “Do your research. Your particular speciality almost always needs Step 1.”

To be fair this actually wasn’t true in the past for most people wanting competitive specialties. USMLE was essentially worthless for a lot of these applicants because they would often be focusing on AOA programs from the start and would only need the COMLEX. I still think most of these former AOA programs will prefer COMLEX but a USMLE will allow an applicant to apply much more broadly and maybe add a few original ACGME programs to their rank list.

Honestly before the merger it was actually in the less competitive specialties where having the USMLE was most beneficial.
 
We once had a speaker from NBOME visit our school to give a lecture about COMLEX & single accreditation. He told the lecture hall of students NOT to take the USMLE because it's an inferior exam. He wove an interesting, delusional narrative about how NBME question writers were trying to infiltrate NBOME and steal COMLEX secrets because it's such a superior exam. His take on single accreditation was garbage too. He definitely had his head pretty far up his own a**.
Ahhh, one of the "True Believers", for whom Osteopathy is a belief system.

To be fair, the NBOME people we've encountered have been normal.
 
Basically that the AOA has stronger residency programs and single accreditation will force ACGME to improve their standards.

Oh, wow. Yes, that's why the ACGME is taking over for accreditation, because the AOA has stronger programs. Heck, some are SO strong they decide to just shut down.

I often found myself constantly questioning whether the people who run "old school" DO world are *****s and incompetent or more conniving than they let on. I'll go with both
 
Oh, wow. Yes, that's why the ACGME is taking over for accreditation, because the AOA has stronger programs. Heck, some are SO strong they decide to just shut down.

I often found myself constantly questioning whether the people who run "old school" DO world are *****s and incompetent or more conniving than they let on. I'll go with both
I've met some of those people. Believe me, it's the former. Well, I wouldn't say they're *****s, but zealots.
 
Oh, wow. Yes, that's why the ACGME is taking over for accreditation, because the AOA has stronger programs. Heck, some are SO strong they decide to just shut down.

I often found myself constantly questioning whether the people who run "old school" DO world are *****s and incompetent or more conniving than they let on. I'll go with both

Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity (read: incompetence).
Although, the AOA has proven themselves more of a structured finance organization that just happens to confer a medical degree, so I guess both theories are credible.
 
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