Need help! PE Weight on Residency!

[monkeytown1]

Hi! For all the PDs out there, just wondering how much a COMLEX PE or USMLE CS fail x1 is to residency interviews and positions. I've got great scores for all 4 written tests 99%, but messed up on the PE for not draping on some patients! I won't have a passing score to show to them until at least Dec or Jan. I'd be able to explain myself during the interview, but how big of a deal is this - or is it just something I need to pass before starting residency? Trying to shoot for internal medicine with possible fellowship afterwards.

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[sylvanthus]

From what I have heard it isn't a big deal. They just want to make sure you pass before either ranking or graduation. Someone correct me if I am wrong.

 

[smq123]

It probably depends on the program, but for some people, that is a big red flag. CS/PE is supposedly the easiest exam to pass out of all of them, so it makes people wonder what happened.

At our program, we did have a student who had failed the COMLEX PE. The fact that she rotated with us, and was very rude to patients, already didn't help her case, but the failure of the PE just sealed the deal.

 

[monkeytown1]

Thanks for the replies guys. The rest of my application shows that I'm a pretty nice person - like the LORs and evaluators comments and I guess I can explain a draping issue on interviews. Should I be more worried about this during the interview process? Any tips or help from people who have dealt with taking the test twice? Or PDs who have taken residents who have failed? How do I get over this hump?

Thanks guys!

 

[thecampuslegend]

Any failure is a red flag. You should bring it up and honestly explain what happened instead of hoping that the PDs don't notice. And there has to be more to you failing than "not draping." I had a friend who forgot to drape all his patients and another buddy 'who forgot to perform OMM on all their patients and they both still passed (although it was an anxious 5 weeks for them). It actually takes a lot to fail one of those things, so make sure you have a few good reasons of what happened. I wouldn't buy "not draping" as the main reason you failed, so make sure you have really thought about what happened and address it head on.

 

[microshar88]

Any failure is a red flag. You should bring it up and honestly explain what happened instead of hoping that the PDs don't notice. And there has to be more to you failing than "not draping." I had a friend who forgot to drape all his patients and another buddy 'who forgot to perform OMM on all their patients and they both still passed (although it was an anxious 5 weeks for them). It actually takes a lot to fail one of those things, so make sure you have a few good reasons of what happened. I wouldn't buy "not draping" as the main reason you failed, so make sure you have really thought about what happened and address it head on.

I'm in a similar boat as the OP. I have absolutely no idea why I failed the humanistic portion. I am at a complete loss as to why this happened. The fact that we get absolutely know input as to specifics is also not helpful at all.