Official 2013-2014 IM Residency WAMC (What Are My Chances) Thread

[monabash]

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Step 1/2: 218/239
School: Not top 40, but a good name
Class rank: We don't do that
Clinical grades: Honors in medicine, family and medicine elective, hp everything else
Research: some ID stuff, two posters, no pubs.
EC: published some fiction, international volunteer work, local volunteering, won an award for excellent evals (top 15% judged by evals!)

I've gotten some interviews at some exciting spots, but haven't heard back yet from Oregon, UCSD, UCLA (harbor and olive view), UC Irvine, Georgetown, Scripps, CPMC, Colorado, Cleveland Clinic. I know some of these are reaches, but I'd be really happy to hear from some of them. I really just want to be in a (preferably coastal) program that has a good track record with fellowships. I know my step 1 isn't impressive, but step 2 shows improvement. I'd love to hear suggestions. So... WAMC? Oh, and I'm originally from California, don't know if that helps for west coast programs.

 

[zizo10]

dd

 

[disorder]

Step 1/2: 218/239
School: Not top 40, but a good name
Class rank: We don't do that
Clinical grades: Honors in medicine, family and medicine elective, hp everything else
Research: some ID stuff, two posters, no pubs.
EC: published some fiction, international volunteer work, local volunteering, won an award for excellent evals (top 15% judged by evals!)

I've gotten some interviews at some exciting spots, but haven't heard back yet from Oregon, UCSD, UCLA (harbor and olive view), UC Irvine, Georgetown, Scripps, CPMC, Colorado, Cleveland Clinic. I know some of these are reaches, but I'd be really happy to hear from some of them. I really just want to be in a (preferably coastal) program that has a good track record with fellowships. I know my step 1 isn't impressive, but step 2 shows improvement. I'd love to hear suggestions. So... WAMC? Oh, and I'm originally from California, don't know if that helps for west coast programs.

oregon, ucsd, georgetown, reach
uci, colorado borderline
ucla harbor/olive, scripps, cpmc attainable

clev clinic no idea

being from ca doesn't matter

 

[Phlame217]

A little intimidated since I have had radio silence since prior to Oct 1.

I am DO
Top 25% of class
No SSP

Rotations are graded: all As

USMLE: 239/251
COMLEX: 626/671

LOR: strong letters from head of cardio, pd of IM, some preceptors from other rotations.

Pretty much applied Texas and Ok since I have a family and would like to be near family.

List:
BCM
Baylor Dallas
UT Houston
UTHSCSA
UTMB
Methodist Dallas - Interview
Presbyterian Dallas
UTSW
Methodist Houston
Texas A&M - interview
OU Tulsa - interview
------------
OSU Tulsa - interview
TCOM JPS - hold until my step 2 which I got Monday

Just got step 2 USMLE last week and retransmitted, got step 2 comlex Monday and retransmitted.

Looking for long term cardio goals

 

[Superhero Mars]

Internal Medicine, northeast area.
Step 1: 225
Step 2 CK: 250 CS: n/a
School: Middle-Tier NY state school (AMG)
Class Rank: 3rd quartile
LORs: 3 strong LORs, 1 MSPE, 1 Departmental Medicine Letter
Grades in Clekship:
-Medicine: P
-Sub-I (Medicine): H
-Ambulatory Medicine: HP
-Emergency: HP
-Radiology: H
-Surgery: HP
-Family Medicine: HP
-Neuro: HP
-Psych: H
-OB/GYN: P
-Pediatrics: P
AOA: no
Research/ Publications/ Extracurriculars:
-Research in undergrad. with poster, no publication
-various volunteer activities, some leadership positions in medical school
Overview of where you want to end up:
1) New York:
Lenox Hill, SLR, Stony Brook, LIJ (New Hyde Park, Forest Hills), Einstein (Jacobi, Beth Israel, Montefiore), Mt. Sinai (Elmhurst, Bronx, Manhattan), NYU, Cornell, Columbia
2) Massachusetts:
BU, MGH, Tufts, Deaconess, Brigham and Women's
3) New Jersey:
Rutgers, Robert-Wood Johnson
4) Pennsylvania:
Drexel, Temple, Thomas Jefferson, and University of Penn

I ended up applying to about 35 programs, the ones I listed are the ones I'm interested in, the remainder are community programs I hope are just safeties.

What do you guys think my chances of the programs I listed? And is NY and the northeast a little late on sending out IM interviews compared to the rest of the nation? Thanks for the help!

 

[235009]

Internal Medicine, northeast area.
Step 1: 225
Step 2 CK: 250 CS: n/a
School: Middle-Tier NY state school (AMG)
Class Rank: 3rd quartile
LORs: 3 strong LORs, 1 MSPE, 1 Departmental Medicine Letter
Grades in Clekship:
-Medicine: P
-Sub-I (Medicine): H
-Ambulatory Medicine: HP
-Emergency: HP
-Radiology: H
-Surgery: HP
-Family Medicine: HP
-Neuro: HP
-Psych: H
-OB/GYN: P
-Pediatrics: P
AOA: no
Research/ Publications/ Extracurriculars:
-Research in undergrad. with poster, no publication
-various volunteer activities, some leadership positions in medical school
Overview of where you want to end up:
1) New York:
Lenox Hill, SLR, Stony Brook, LIJ (New Hyde Park, Forest Hills), Einstein (Jacobi, Beth Israel, Montefiore), Mt. Sinai (Elmhurst, Bronx, Manhattan), NYU, Cornell, Columbia
2) Massachusetts:
BU, MGH, Tufts, Deaconess, Brigham and Women's
3) New Jersey:
Rutgers, Robert-Wood Johnson
4) Pennsylvania:
Drexel, Temple, Thomas Jefferson, and University of Penn

I ended up applying to about 35 programs, the ones I listed are the ones I'm interested in, the remainder are community programs I hope are just safeties.

What do you guys think my chances of the programs I listed? And is NY and the northeast a little late on sending out IM interviews compared to the rest of the nation? Thanks for the help!

Yea the northeast programs do send out invites fairly late compared to other programs though some have already started. You could keep track of this through the interview invite thread.

You have plenty of safety programs on the list you posted so you won't have any trouble matching however you need to consider whether you're willing to settle for a weaker community program due to your (apparent) geographic preference.

 

[GammaCrush]

.

 

[hereinafter96]

Step 1: 240
Step 2: 246
Grades: Medicine - P (first clerkship), Medicine SubI - H, rest - mix of P/HP/H
Class rank: 3rd quartile
School: middle-tier northeast state school
Letters: 3 strong LORs (2 from SubI, 1 from 3rd year), Medicine departmental, MSPE
ECs: first author paper in undergrad, no research in med school, few minor ECs in med school

My dean's office said I had a good shot anywhere except top tier (Hopkins, Duke, Columbia, MGH, Penn etc). So I applied broadly to 44 schools with a mix of reaches, safes, and middle-tiers. I only have invites at 8 programs (Miami, USF, Harbor-UCLA, Cedars, RWJ, NS-LIJ, Stony Brook, Beth israel (nyc)), and rejections at 4 programs (UCSD, GW, Hopkins-Bayview, Yale).

Dean's office is basically telling me to be patient I will get more interviews in the coming weeks, but I am skeptical. Any advice?

 

[576484]

let's say i want to go to southern california... w/o having any family/school/serious relationships there.

but i do dislike snow and prefer the beach, so there's that.

step 1: 251
step 2: next month!
school: top 30 midwest
grades: h (im, family, psych, surg) & hp (obgyn, peds), h in sub-i
rank: top 50%?
aoa: no
research: 4 papers/posters, no first-author

ucla or ucsd?

 

[jdh71]

let's say i want to go to southern california... w/o having any family/school/serious relationships there.

but i do dislike snow and prefer the beach, so there's that.

step 1: 251
step 2: next month!
school: top 30 midwest
grades: h (im, family, psych, surg) & hp (obgyn, peds), h in sub-i
rank: top 50%?
aoa: no
research: 4 papers/posters, no first-author

ucla or ucsd?

You've got a shot, but it will all kind of depend on the schools experience with your school.

You snobbing out on any other southern california programs?

 

[jdh71]

Step 1: 240
Step 2: 246
Grades: Medicine - P (first clerkship), Medicine SubI - H, rest - mix of P/HP/H
Class rank: 3rd quartile
School: middle-tier northeast state school
Letters: 3 strong LORs (2 from SubI, 1 from 3rd year), Medicine departmental, MSPE
ECs: first author paper in undergrad, no research in med school, few minor ECs in med school

My dean's office said I had a good shot anywhere except top tier (Hopkins, Duke, Columbia, MGH, Penn etc). So I applied broadly to 44 schools with a mix of reaches, safes, and middle-tiers. I only have invites at 8 programs (Miami, USF, Harbor-UCLA, Cedars, RWJ, NS-LIJ, Stony Brook, Beth israel (nyc)), and rejections at 4 programs (UCSD, GW, Hopkins-Bayview, Yale).

Dean's office is basically telling me to be patient I will get more interviews in the coming weeks, but I am skeptical. Any advice?

Waiting to hear from 32 places? Hm. Yeah, you should still get invites from at least a third. You could PM me who you're waiting for, and I can tell you if I think you'll still get an invite.

 

[cardio22]

School: US top 50
Step 1 : 230
step 2: 254
AOA: no but im not at the bottom either. the best way to put is:i missed AOA by couple of points. ( our school breaks it down for us pretty well, thats how i know)
Grades: mostly honors on ist two years, H in medicine and surgery HS in rest.
LoRs: excellent letter from sub I, cardiology elective. other from surgery, chair letter.
research: 1 poster presentation. thats it
lots of local volunteer.

My question is what are my chances at NYC programs? mainly mt. sinai, nyu, cornell/columbia. So far have invitation from albert einstein. I ve pretty much given up on cornell/columbia. but what about NYU or mt sinai?

Thanks!

 

[235009]

School: US top 50
Step 1 : 230
step 2: 254
AOA: no but im not at the bottom either. the best way to put is:i missed AOA by couple of points. ( our school breaks it down for us pretty well, thats how i know)
Grades: mostly honors on ist two years, H in medicine and surgery HS in rest.
LoRs: excellent letter from sub I, cardiology elective. other from surgery, chair letter.
research: 1 poster presentation. thats it
lots of local volunteer.

My question is what are my chances at NYC programs? mainly mt. sinai, nyu, cornell/columbia. So far have invitation from albert einstein. I ve pretty much given up on cornell/columbia. but what about NYU or mt sinai?

Thanks!

sorry to say but don't hold your breath. you may possibly get a second wave interview from NYU but with such a low step 1, no AOA, barely any research it seems unlikely.

 

[BadRobot]

Deleted (duplicate post)

 

[BadRobot]

Step 1: 245
Step 2 CK: 257
Clerkship Grades: Honors in Medicine (ranked 2nd in class), Neuro/Psych, OB/GYN
Satisfactory in Surg, Peds, Fam Med (my school doesn't do HP, and I
only missed honors by a few points in these)
Class Rank: Top 8%
AOA: Yes
School: Unranked allopathic US med school
Letters: All strong letters, 2 from clerkship directors I rotated with, 1 from SubI, 1 from
Departmental Chair/PD
Research: 1 poster (undergrad), 1 first-author pub not yet submitted (med school)
ECs: President IM group, lots of volunteer

Looking for a strong academic program that can prepare me for Cards fellowship

I applied to 27 programs:

14 interviews currently scheduled: Mayo (Rochester), WashU, OHSU, U Colorado, UIC, Loyola, U Minn, U Wisconsin, Med College Wisconsin, U Kansas, Mayo (AZ), and 2 smaller midwest programs

4 Rejections so far: UCSF, MGH, Northwestern, U of Wash

I have not heard a peep from 9 programs, mostly top-tier programs including BWH, Hopkins, Duke, U Michigan, U Chicago, and Wake Forest

Do I have any shot at the above programs if I haven't heard anything yet? I think that I have a pretty strong app, except that many top programs are probably less familiar with my med school. I know that the 6 programs I listed above have already been giving out interviews. Would it be worth contacting any of these schools to express interest?

Thanks!

 

[disorder]

Step 1: 245
Step 2 CK: 257
Clerkship Grades: Honors in Medicine (ranked 2nd in class), Neuro/Psych, OB/GYN
Satisfactory in Surg, Peds, Fam Med (my school doesn't do HP, and I
only missed honors by a few points in these)
Class Rank: Top 8%
AOA: Yes
School: Unranked allopathic US med school
Letters: All strong letters, 2 from clerkship directors I rotated with, 1 from SubI, 1 from
Departmental Chair/PD
Research: 1 poster (undergrad), 1 first-author pub not yet submitted (med school)
ECs: President IM group, lots of volunteer

Looking for a strong academic program that can prepare me for Cards fellowship

I applied to 27 programs:

14 interviews currently scheduled: Mayo (Rochester), WashU, OHSU, U Colorado, UIC, Loyola, U Minn, U Wisconsin, Med College Wisconsin, U Kansas, Mayo (AZ), and 2 smaller midwest programs

4 Rejections so far: UCSF, MGH, Northwestern, U of Wash

I have not heard a peep from 9 programs, mostly top-tier programs including BWH, Hopkins, Duke, U Michigan, U Chicago, and Wake Forest

Do I have any shot at the above programs if I haven't heard anything yet? I think that I have a pretty strong app, except that many top programs are probably less familiar with my med school. I know that the 6 programs I listed above have already been giving out interviews. Would it be worth contacting any of these schools to express interest?

Thanks!

You have a strong app and lots working for you. And, you have plenty of good interviews right now. There's not much hurting your app except your fluffy EC's and lack of published research (ie not top 50/30/20/10 whatever). Just makes me wonder if something else is hurting your app...

You should have a shot at UMich and Wake. The others, probably not given your other rejections.

 

[BadRobot]

You have a strong app and lots working for you. And, you have plenty of good interviews right now. There's not much hurting your app except your fluffy EC's and lack of published research (ie not top 50/30/20/10 whatever). Just makes me wonder if something else is hurting your app...

You should have a shot at UMich and Wake. The others, probably not given your other rejections.

Thank you very much for the response. Can I ask what would be considered a NON-fluffy EC? I have several volunteer/community service experiences mostly related to public health and education, a smattering of leadership positions in various organizations, and I've had 3 different jobs involving direct patient care, including working for about a year in a hospital that is ranked nationally by US News.

I know the lack of pubs isn't good, but I can't really think of much else that could be hurting my app. I've been told at the interviews I've been to so far that my MSPE is outstanding. I'm still thinking the snubs by the elite programs is most likely related to not coming from a top 50 med school - only one of the "elite" programs I've been rejected from or haven't heard back from has a current resident from my school.

Oh well, I'm probably stressing out too much, I've already been invited to some of my top choices, so I'm very happy with that. I'd just like to get the opportunity to take a look at a few of the other programs. I'm still debating whether it's worth it to contact any of them, or if I should just sit tight.

 

[chargersfan]

Hey guys I just wanted a little advice on my application. I have received some interviews so far but I'm a little confused why I got interviews from certain places but not others.

Step 1: 247
Step 2 CK: 255
School: Lower-end private school
Class Rank: Top third
Grades in Clerkship: High pass in medicine (first rotation), 2 other HP, 2 pass, 2 honors
AOA: Yes
Research/ Publications: 1 paper accepted in journal, 2 first author abstracts, 1 poster, 1 presentation (all in plastic surgery though)
Extracurriculars: Nothing extraordinary, volunteer with at-risk kids, student free clinic, various interest groups, tutoring

Interviews: Mayo rochester, Wash U, UTSW, UC Davis, Boston University, Colorado, UC Davis, Cedars Sinai, Olive View, Harbor-UCLA

Rejections: UCSF, Stanford, MGH, Northwestern

Still waiting on: UCI, UCLA, UCSD, University of Chicago, BIDMC, Johns Hopkins, Bayview, Albert Einstein montefiore, Mount Sinai, Columbia, Cornell, NYU, OHSU, UW

I am just worried that I haven't heard anything from places like UCI, OHSU, or the any of the NY places even though places like Mayo and WashU invited me. Am I missing something here?

Thanks!

 

[gutonc]

Hey guys I just wanted a little advice on my application. I have received some interviews so far but I'm a little confused why I got interviews from certain places but not others.

Because that's life.

I am just worried that I haven't heard anything from places like UCI, OHSU, or the any of the NY places even though places like Mayo and WashU invited me. Am I missing something here?

Patience.

And a reason to be in those places. I personally think "geographical preference" is bulls$%t but I appear to be alone in that assessment.

But the programs you haven't heard from have their pick of applicants. You're clearly still on the cusp of getting an interview (or you'd have been rejected by now) but they'd like to interview other folks first. I would anticipate you getting offers from at least 1/3 of those places.

And if you don't? Get over it. You've got good offers and are likely to match your Top 3-5.

 

[disorder]

Thank you very much for the response. Can I ask what would be considered a NON-fluffy EC? I have several volunteer/community service experiences mostly related to public health and education, a smattering of leadership positions in various organizations, and I've had 3 different jobs involving direct patient care, including working for about a year in a hospital that is ranked nationally by US News.

I know the lack of pubs isn't good, but I can't really think of much else that could be hurting my app. I've been told at the interviews I've been to so far that my MSPE is outstanding. I'm still thinking the snubs by the elite programs is most likely related to not coming from a top 50 med school - only one of the "elite" programs I've been rejected from or haven't heard back from has a current resident from my school.

Oh well, I'm probably stressing out too much, I've already been invited to some of my top choices, so I'm very happy with that. I'd just like to get the opportunity to take a look at a few of the other programs. I'm still debating whether it's worth it to contact any of them, or if I should just sit tight.

To me, at least, programs could care less about the volunteer work I did during medical school. In fact, I didn't do much. People did care that I published, albeit, fairly insignificant work. People also cared that I was actively involved in improving the medical school.

Hey guys I just wanted a little advice on my application. I have received some interviews so far but I'm a little confused why I got interviews from certain places but not others.

Step 1: 247
Step 2 CK: 255
School: Lower-end private school
Class Rank: Top third
Grades in Clerkship: High pass in medicine (first rotation), 2 other HP, 2 pass, 2 honors
AOA: Yes
Research/ Publications: 1 paper accepted in journal, 2 first author abstracts, 1 poster, 1 presentation (all in plastic surgery though)
Extracurriculars: Nothing extraordinary, volunteer with at-risk kids, student free clinic, various interest groups, tutoring

Interviews: Mayo rochester, Wash U, UTSW, UC Davis, Boston University, Colorado, UC Davis, Cedars Sinai, Olive View, Harbor-UCLA

Rejections: UCSF, Stanford, MGH, Northwestern

Still waiting on: UCI, UCLA, UCSD, University of Chicago, BIDMC, Johns Hopkins, Bayview, Albert Einstein montefiore, Mount Sinai, Columbia, Cornell, NYU, OHSU, UW

I am just worried that I haven't heard anything from places like UCI, OHSU, or the any of the NY places even though places like Mayo and WashU invited me. Am I missing something here?

Thanks!

To me, it seems like things are just getting more competitive every year (even though I just applied last year). You're a strong applicant and I think you should be getting some interviews at the places you have yet to hear from. UCI, UCSD, Monte, Sinai, NYU, OHSU being the more likely from that list.

 

[Neanderball]

Step 1: 260
Step 2 CK/ CS: Will take in late November/ early December
School: middle tier
Class Rank: Top 10-15%
Grades in Clekship: Medicine- Honors, Surgery-Pass, Psych- Honors, FM- Honors, Neurology- Honors, Peds HP, Ob Gyn HP
AOA: Yes
Research/ Publications/ Extracurriculars: 5 Pubs in top tier journals before med school, urology poster, ID case study during medical school, Heme Onc research pending
Overview of where you want to end up: Near family in New York, Boston, or Southern California or best program. I applied to all below
Interviews: Tufts, Yale, U Pitt, U Chicago, Wash U, UCLA, UCI, UCSD, Scripps, Cedars, Georgetown, U Wash
Rejections: MGH, UCSF, Stanford, JHU. Should I be concerned about these rejections?

Cornell
Columbia
NYU
Mount Sinai
Albert Einstein
Yale
MGH
BWH
BIDMC
Tufts
UPenn
JHU
Georgetown
U Chicago
Wash U
U Pitt
U Wash
UCI
USC
Cedars
UCLA
UCSD
Scripps
Stanford
UCSF

 

[jdh71]

I can't

 

[jdh71]

I just can't

 

[miss tofu]

Hi all, I will really appreciate your honest opinions about where I have a decent chance of matching to this season!

Step 1: 224 first try
Step 2 CK: 254 first try
School: middle tier, MD school
Class Rank: 2nd quartile
Grades in Clekship: A's in all clerkships during MS3 year except Surgery (got a B)
AOA: No
Research/ Publications: 2 second-author papers in undergrad, 1 fourth-author paper on psych research, 3 first-author poster presentations (1 won an award), 1 presentation
Extracurriculars: global health experience, 3 leadership positions, tutored

I applied to only 50 university-based programs in case I decide to do a fellowship later. (Hope that was not a dumb thing to do!)

Interviews received (underlined programs = invited but I canceled them to save travel costs):
UC Irvine, UC Davis, USC, U Maryland, Georgetown, U of George Washington, Wake Forest, Rush U, St. Louis U, UT Houston, Baylor, UTHSCSA, Texas A&M, UTMB, U Arizona, U New Mexico, USF, U Oklahoma, LSU

Rejections: UCSF, UCSD, Stanford, JHU, U Chicago, Northwestern, UNC, JHU

Haven't heard from: Southwestern, NY (SUNY, NYU, Columbia, Cornell, Mt. Sinai), Boston (Beth Israel, Tufts, BWH, Boston medical center), Tulane, Pennsylvania (Drexel, Temple, Thomas Jeff, UPenn, UPMC), Duke, Wash U, Emory, Medical college of Georgia, U Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Mayo


I understand that I have a lot of reacher schools on my list. Can you please tell me WAMC for the programs that I already have interviews for and WAMC for getting interviews at the non-rejected ones as of now? Thank you so much!

 

[gutonc]

Hi all, I will really appreciate your honest opinions about where I have a decent chance of matching to this season!

Step 1: 224 first try
Step 2 CK: 254 first try
School: middle tier, MD school
Class Rank: 2nd quartile
Grades in Clekship: A's in all clerkships during MS3 year except Surgery (got a B)
AOA: No
Research/ Publications: 2 second-author papers in undergrad, 1 fourth-author paper on psych research, 3 first-author poster presentations (1 won an award), 1 presentation
Extracurriculars: global health experience, 3 leadership positions, tutored

I applied to only 50 university-based programs in case I decide to do a fellowship later. (Hope that was not a dumb thing to do!)

Interviews received (underlined programs = invited but I canceled them to save travel costs):
UC Irvine, UC Davis, USC, U Maryland, Georgetown, U of George Washington, Wake Forest, Rush U, St. Louis U, UT Houston, Baylor, UTHSCSA, Texas A&M, UTMB, U Arizona, U New Mexico, USF, U Oklahoma, LSU

Rejections: UCSF, UCSD, Stanford, JHU, U Chicago, Northwestern, UNC, JHU

Haven't heard from: Southwestern, NY (SUNY, NYU, Columbia, Cornell, Mt. Sinai), Boston (Beth Israel, Tufts, BWH, Boston medical center), Tulane, Pennsylvania (Drexel, Temple, Thomas Jeff, UPenn, UPMC), Duke, Wash U, Emory, Medical college of Georgia, U Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Mayo


I understand that I have a lot of reacher schools on my list. Can you please tell me WAMC for the programs that I already have interviews for and WAMC for getting interviews at the non-rejected ones as of now? Thank you so much!

You will match somewhere half decent based on the IVs you currently have. Your chances of getting some of those others range from good (Drexel, Temple, GA Regents, UTenn) to non-existent (WashU, Duke, Penn, Most of the NYC schools, Vandy, Mayo). But I wouldn't stress about it...you'll be OK.

 

[miss tofu]

You will match somewhere half decent based on the IVs you currently have. Your chances of getting some of those others range from good (Drexel, Temple, GA Regents, UTenn) to non-existent (WashU, Duke, Penn, Most of the NYC schools, Vandy, Mayo). But I wouldn't stress about it...you'll be OK.

Thanks a bunch Gutonc! I didn't know if I should stop expecting for more interviews or not but may be I will hear back from a few more places then 🙂

 

[trickster123]

Step 1: 260
Step 2 CK/ CS: Will take in late November/ early December
School: middle tier
Class Rank: Top 10-15%
Grades in Clekship: Medicine- Honors, Surgery-Pass, Psych- Honors, FM- Honors, Neurology- Honors, Peds HP, Ob Gyn HP
AOA: Yes
Research/ Publications/ Extracurriculars: 5 Pubs in top tier journals before med school, urology poster, ID case study during medical school, Heme Onc research pending
Overview of where you want to end up: Near family in New York, Boston, or Southern California or best program. I applied to all below
Interviews: Tufts, Yale, U Pitt, U Chicago, Wash U, UCLA, UCI, UCSD, Scripps, Cedars, Georgetown, U Wash
Rejections: MGH, UCSF, Stanford, JHU. Should I be concerned about these rejections?

Cornell
Columbia
NYU
Mount Sinai
Albert Einstein
Yale
MGH
BWH
BIDMC
Tufts
UPenn
JHU
Georgetown
U Chicago
Wash U
U Pitt
U Wash
UCI
USC
Cedars
UCLA
UCSD
Scripps
Stanford
UCSF

wow WTF do you need to get interviews from MGH, Hopkins, or UCSF?!?!?! I mean come on....still rejected despite AOA + 260 step 1 + honors medicine?!?!

 

[tracyface86]

First off, my apologies in advance if this is not the right place to post this. I'm applying into radiology and wondering how my chances look forgetting into prelim medicine programs. So far I've been getting a good number of the rads interviews I've gone for, but I'm a little worried since I realize I may not be as competitive for prelim positions as say, the typical derm or ophtho applicant.

Step 1: 222
Step 2 CK/ CS: 212 (not yet submitted)/ Pass (submitted)
School: 25-30th ranked
Class Rank: n/a
Grades in Clekship: All commendable, except honors in an elective and in my rads sub-I
AOA: not likely ha...
Research/ Publications/ Extracurriculars: Two 2nd-author publications, one first-author publications; admissions interviewer; student body president
Overview of where you want to end up: In the same city as my advanced program (Chicago, Philly, Boston, DC). Mostly community programs and a few institutions where I have gotten advanced interviews.

On a related note, does interviewing at an institution's advanced program generally improve one's chances of getting a prelim medicine spot there (assuming the person is a decent interviewer)?

Also when would be a good time to submit my pretty mediocre CK score?

Thank you!

 

[gutonc]

First off, my apologies in advance if this is not the right place to post this. I'm applying into radiology and wondering how my chances look forgetting into prelim medicine programs. So far I've been getting a good number of the rads interviews I've gone for, but I'm a little worried since I realize I may not be as competitive for prelim positions as say, the typical derm or ophtho applicant.

Step 1: 222
Step 2 CK/ CS: 212 (not yet submitted)/ Pass (submitted)
School: 25-30th ranked
Class Rank: n/a
Grades in Clekship: All commendable, except honors in an elective and in my rads sub-I
AOA: not likely ha...
Research/ Publications/ Extracurriculars: Two 2nd-author publications, one first-author publications; admissions interviewer; student body president
Overview of where you want to end up: In the same city as my advanced program (Chicago, Philly, Boston, DC). Mostly community programs and a few institutions where I have gotten advanced interviews.

On a related note, does interviewing at an institution's advanced program generally improve one's chances of getting a prelim medicine spot there (assuming the person is a decent interviewer)?

Also when would be a good time to submit my pretty mediocre CK score?

Thank you!

Since we're already halfway through interview season, it would be helpful if you told us how well you're doing in terms of invites at this point. If you get a reasonable number of invites, you're likely to match. But pursue programs at places where you also have advanced invites.

 

[tracyface86]

Thanks for weighing in. So far I have prelim medicine interviews at Jefferson, Rush, Loyola, Lahey Clinic, Rutgers, Medstar, and Case Western. I applied to about 20 prelim programs total.

Any thoughts on when to submit CK, or whether interviewing at an advanced spot improves my chances at the respective prelim programs?

 

[SloeDOwn]

first of all you are basically donating your money to the following programs which don't consider DOs (or do not have one on their resident roster):
Boston University Medical Center Program, Boston, MA
Massachusetts General Hospital Program, Boston, MA
Brown University Program, Providence, RI
Baylor College of Medicine Program, Houston, TX
University of Pennsylvania Program, Philadelphia, PA

then you have a few which may not consider DOs or have not taken any recently:
University of Virginia Program, Charlottesville, VA
Case Western Reserve University (MetroHealth) Program, Cleveland, OH
Tufts Medical Center Program, Boston, MA
College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic (Rochester) Program, Rochester, MN

...and those are just the programs i either know something about or took the time to google

beyond that i don't really have much advice except that you should be more savvy and realistic with your application ...there is a thread about DO-friendly programs and you should look at program websites to determine whether a program considers/matches DOs. It seems like you took a bit of a shotgun approach in choosing some of these programs.

A kid from my (DO) school matched at HUP (UPenn) last year, but apparently he was amazing. A lot of those programs like to see a Step 1. However, DOs aren't in some programs because we don't try or others tell us where we can go (DO friendly), make the horse tell you no, not outsiders. Best wishes!

 

[mercaptovizadeh]

wow WTF do you need to get interviews from MGH, Hopkins, or UCSF?!?!?! I mean come on....still rejected despite AOA + 260 step 1 + honors medicine?!?!

Shocking, isn't it? I expect it's a snob issue of the med school name not being "famous" enough, or lack of other ECs, or the LOR writers not being Nobel laureates, or some such nonsense.

IM has become drastically more competitive over the past 5 years.

 

[gutonc]

Shocking, isn't it? I expect it's a snob issue of the med school name not being "famous" enough, or lack of other ECs, or the LOR writers not being Nobel laureates, or some such nonsense.

IM has become drastically more competitive over the past 5 years.

I don't think it's a snobbery issue per se. But when every single 250+/AOA student in the country (plus half of the rest) apply to your program, you've got to have some way of screening them.

And while I think IM has gotten somewhat more competitive in the last few years, I think a part of it is the trend toward applying more widely. So now the 260/AOA/PhD crowd, who used to just apply to 10 programs and call it good (like most of my colleagues back in the day) are now applying to 20-30 (or even more) which then makes it appear even more competitive that it is.

 

[IMPD]

I don't think it's a snobbery issue per se. But when every single 250+/AOA student in the country (plus half of the rest) apply to your program, you've got to have some way of screening them.

And while I think IM has gotten somewhat more competitive in the last few years, I think a part of it is the trend toward applying more widely. So now the 260/AOA/PhD crowd, who used to just apply to 10 programs and call it good (like most of my colleagues back in the day) are now applying to 20-30 (or even more) which then makes it appear even more competitive that it is.

For sure. The numbers will tell the tale, but it appears that # of applicants is up by about 1500 in 5 years (although positions are also up, due to All-in). # of apps is up, resulting in "apparent" doubling of IM applicants in 5 years. Real increase is not double, of course, so programs are simply going down further on their rank list.

The small actual increase in AMGs matching will likely continue, maybe up another 5-10% this year (at most) to 3200? 3300?

The high-end places are in-elastic (as the economists say) and cannot expand 5-10% a year, which they certainly could fill with excellent residents. Thus, high-end has gotten outsized increase in competition. This is exerting some downward pressure and the IMG forums this year have been relentlessly pessimistic even though 2700 of them will still match to IM.

 

[HelpPleaseMD]

For sure. The numbers will tell the tale, but it appears that # of applicants is up by about 1500 in 5 years (although positions are also up, due to All-in). # of apps is up, resulting in "apparent" doubling of IM applicants in 5 years. Real increase is not double, of course, so programs are simply going down further on their rank list.

The small actual increase in AMGs matching will likely continue, maybe up another 5-10% this year (at most) to 3200? 3300?

The high-end places are in-elastic (as the economists say) and cannot expand 5-10% a year, which they certainly could fill with excellent residents. Thus, high-end has gotten outsized increase in competition. This is exerting some downward pressure and the IMG forums this year have been relentlessly pessimistic even though 2700 of them will still match to IM.

thanks IMPD. I've always found these stats interesting. Hate that its getting more competitive from my point of view though 🙁, but I guess matching at a program is more likely if I got offered an interview there.

 

[mishmosh]

i am a DO from the northeast and my sights are set on temple for internal medicine.

here are my stats:
USMLE step 1 - 256
USMLE step 2 - 262
COMLEX 1 - 715
COMLEX 2 - 758

honors/high passes first and second year, honors in IM, Surgery, Family med, OB/GYN, Psych, ICU, Cardio
no research (except during undergrad) but a lot of community service
LORs from IM and critical care attendings, strong (or so I have been told from interviewers)

does anyone know if a letter of intent is likely to help me for this program?

thanks for your help!

 

[IM2GI]

i am a DO from the northeast and my sights are set on temple for internal medicine.

here are my stats:
USMLE step 1 - 256
USMLE step 2 - 262
COMLEX 1 - 715
COMLEX 2 - 758

honors/high passes first and second year, honors in IM, Surgery, Family med, OB/GYN, Psych, ICU, Cardio
no research (except during undergrad) but a lot of community service
LORs from IM and critical care attendings, strong (or so I have been told from interviewers)

does anyone know if a letter of intent is likely to help me for this program?

thanks for your help!

Great scores. I don't know how DO friendly Temple is, but Im sure it is not a huge deal there. If it truly is your number one, most people would advise you letting the PD know that you will be ranking them number one. Do not send more than one of these and do not lie.

 

[kdhmed]

i am a DO from the northeast and my sights are set on temple for internal medicine.

here are my stats:
USMLE step 1 - 256
USMLE step 2 - 262
COMLEX 1 - 715
COMLEX 2 - 758

honors/high passes first and second year, honors in IM, Surgery, Family med, OB/GYN, Psych, ICU, Cardio
no research (except during undergrad) but a lot of community service
LORs from IM and critical care attendings, strong (or so I have been told from interviewers)

does anyone know if a letter of intent is likely to help me for this program?

thanks for your help!

Temple is "DO friendly." I know of multiple DOs from various schools who have received interview invites. Your stats are very strong, I think you will receive an invite without much hassle. Other friendly programs in the Philly area include Albert Einstein, Drexel, and Abington Memorial to name a few. Jefferson and UPenn tend not to take us.

 

[mishmosh]

thanks for your help! i actually did interview there early in the season but i didn't get a chance to rotate through the medicine department. i was thinking about doing a second look and sending a letter of intent, and i assume that trying to do a rotation there in early february would not be worth very much?

 

[235009]

thanks for your help! i actually did interview there early in the season but i didn't get a chance to rotate through the medicine department. i was thinking about doing a second look and sending a letter of intent, and i assume that trying to do a rotation there in early february would not be worth very much?

A letter of intent can be useful but make sure you don't come off as desperate. You can forego the rest. No reason to do a second look if you've already decided it's your number 1 and definitely don't schedule a rotation there since at this point there's absolutely nothing to be gained. You do an audition rotation in hopes of securing an interview.

 

[EMBeast]

Anyone else skipping the post intubation xray or am I going cowboy on this one?

I realize that post intubation chest xray continues to be the standard of care.

Assuming adequate pre-intubation xray as well as non traumatic intubation in which I witnessed the tube go through the cords, I've been skipping the post xray. For tube depth, I start with 21 cm for women and 23 cm for men. Adjust based on size obviously. I've never had a right mainsteam, and if I did, lung exam should reveal that. Witnessing the ET pass through the cords and proper lung exam are in enough confirmation of tube placement in my mind to forgo further imaging, cost, and time.

Any thoughts?

 

[daveyjwin]

I definitely get it. You can put the tube through the cords and get good, equal breath sounds, and have the tube sitting in the carina or just above it, and in the transfer to the ICU, all it would take is a nudge to get the tube displaced into the right main, and call sorts of problems. May as well get the CXR and be sure...

 

[Hamhock]

Anyone else skipping the post intubation xray or am I going cowboy on this one?
I've never had a right mainsteam, and if I did, lung exam should reveal that.

1. What makes you think a lung exam (by which I assume you mean auscultation) would reveal a right mainstem?
2. You may have never seen a right mainstem on one of your ETT, but how many have you done? 100? 300? 1000?

I am not saying that foregoing the post-ETT CXR in some cases is necessarily wrong (in fact, I have thought about how I can more frequently get away without it and very often skipped it in trauma with CT pending and almost always skip it when a bronchoscope is about to be introduced); however, I am saying that your reasoning is suspect, IMO.

HH

 

[The Buff]

I also do the CXR more to prove to everyone else that it's in. Otherwise everyone from the intensivist to the ICU janitor (maybe) is going to blame every little desaturation on your crappy tube placement. No one else can see the tube passing through the cords and everyone knows physical exams are for cavemen only.

 

[Janders]

Pick something else to cowboy.

I've been surprised on post-intubation CXRAY to see:
(1) pneumothorax
(2) ETT barely through the cords [respiratory can mess things up when they tape the tube]
(3) Left mainstem. Couldn't do it again if I tried.

Even if your ETTs are ALL PERFECT... there is no proof without the XRay. So when they are accidentally extubated, or have a sudden turn on arrival to the ICU, and the chart is reviewed... you will look bad.

 

[deleted128562]

One could certainly argue that we overtest/ overimage in the ED, but I don't think this is the battle I'd pick. Xray is already in house anyway, it's a relatively cheap and easy study, and the amount of radiation is pretty darned small compared to other studies I'm sure you order every day.

Perhaps more importantly where your hindparts are concerned, it's the standard of care. I wouldn't want to be the guy on the witness stand insisting that respiratory must have jacked up the tube when they moved the patient to ICU, but uh, no your honor I don't have any way to prove that.... CXR from the ED shows tube 2 cm above the carina and later something went wrong, you're golden.

 

[gman33]

The test is probably a waste of time/money in most cases.
The patient is heading to the ICU anyway where every useless test that exists is about to be ordered.

 

[deleted128562]

That may be true gman.... but if ICU XR shows bad placement or if something goes wrong on the way, YOU will be blamed. Period. Regardless of what might have really happened in the interim.

 

[Cerberus]

I agree with what has been said above. I had a patient recently who was in ARDS, my senior resident tubed, but I was called back into the room before the cxr was shot (the resident had gotten another coding patient and had forgotten to order the cxr) because he was hypoxic in the 80s on 100% FiO2 and dropping. The tube was poorly secured and at like 19 at the lips so I thought it may have been dislodged by respiratory so I just pulled it and reintubated. Still wasn't able to get the SaO2 above 88% with ARDS protocols. I'm still not sure if the tube was in or the had become dislodged.

 

[Cerberus]

Pick something else to cowboy.

I've been surprised on post-intubation CXRAY to see:
(1) pneumothorax
(2) ETT barely through the cords [respiratory can mess things up when they tape the tube]
(3) Left mainstem. Couldn't do it again if I tried.

Even if your ETTs are ALL PERFECT... there is no proof without the XRay. So when they are accidentally extubated, or have a sudden turn on arrival to the ICU, and the chart is reviewed... you will look bad.

I did a left main as a resident, using glide scope, apparently they are more common with the Glidescope stylet.