Official 2018-2019 Anesthesiology Residency Application Thread

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Jayhow92 said:
Thanks for the support guys.



I had some top tiers, but mostly mid-high tier programs (including my home school). And I had 10 programs ranked. Seriously unlucky stuff.
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That's insane. Are you MD or DO?
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The only soap spots open are new community programs. Do you guys suggest trying for those versus sitting out a year and doing research then reapplying?
Similar situation, US MD as above with step scores that should have made it nearly impossible not to match.
 
good at least that anesthesia is becoming more and more competitive.

also, i would either scramble into another competitive specialty in soap or sit out a year and then reapply.
 
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physicianado said:
Breaking news from today, Rich people paid bribes to get better SAT & ACT scores for their kids, do you guys think happens in our world also? Something like $10,000 to move you up a few spots on the rank order list wouldn't surprise me.

Live updates: College admissions cheating scheme - CNN
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Unlikely IMO.

The saddest part of that story is that the parents didn’t have enough faith in their own children. Some of the kids were in on it but others were not. Imagine finding out what your parents did.
 
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Jayhow92 said:
Didn't match with 250+ step scores (US 4th yr) into anesthesia. Absolutely stunned today. Didn't even think it was a possibility and nobody can give me a good reason for how this happened. Thought my interviews went well, I have research experience, and plenty of volunteer experience. SOAPing on ERAS has been a complete nightmare due to the website crashing.

Sorry for ranting on here. Just extremely frustrated today.
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Quit posting crap like this you're gonna scare the wee children -_-
 
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Matched my number 2!! Hopefully y’all are happy!
 
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MightBeACylon439 said:
1000% this happens in the medical community.
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it happens everywhere in every field, in many countries on the planet, its common knowledge you have to bribe someone to get **** done. in the great country of america, we are as corrupt as other countries, but we try to hide it, so ignorant people think we live in a beautiful honest country, when we dont
 
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Did anyone NOT get a welcome letter from their match? I still haven’t gotten any communication asides from the NRMP email. Are others in this boat too?
 
Shlez said:
Did anyone NOT get a welcome letter from their match? I still haven’t gotten any communication asides from the NRMP email. Are others in this boat too?
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i got a generic email from PC welcoming/ asking us to look out for further emails. I think people will start getting welcome letters/calls next week. They probably just assumed ppl were out celebrating.
 
I have also not gotten anything from my program. Hoping they are just letting us enjoy the weekend and contacting us Monday.
 
Did an away at my #1, got a letter from them co-signed by the PD, and they're known to take many away rotators with my exact stats (1/2 of each class is away rotators and home students). I didn't match there. But another student from my school matched without doing a rotation lol. I matched my #2 so I shouldn't be disappointed but I feel like I got betrayed so badly and am very very salty. There's truly no loyalty in this process and no guarantees. To future applicants, don't be naive as me.

That being said, I know I'll be a great anesthesiologist anyway. It will just take a few days to get over this.
 
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studentofsdn said:
Did an away at my #1, got a letter from them co-signed by the PD, and they're known to take many away rotators with my exact stats (1/2 of each class is away rotators and home students). I didn't match there. But another student from my school matched without doing a rotation lol. I matched my #2 so I shouldn't be disappointed but I feel like I got betrayed so badly and am very very salty. There's truly no loyalty in this process and no guarantees. To future applicants, don't be naive as me.

That being said, I know I'll be a great anesthesiologist anyway. It will just take a few days to get over this.
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Not sure why you are salty. Your classmate was ranked higher than you on their rank list but his/her rank has nothing to do with yours. They probably got the same letter.


The reality is that your #1 program LIKED you and would have been happy to have you. They didn’t send you a letter to be malicious or deceptive. But they can’t predict the outcome of the match any more than you can. And you matched at your #2. Congratulations!!
 
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nimbus said:
Not sure why you are salty. Your classmate was ranked higher than you on their rank list but his/her rank has nothing to do with yours. They probably got the same letter.


The reality is that your #1 program LIKED you and would have been happy to have you. They didn’t send you a letter to be malicious or deceptive. But they can’t predict the outcome of the match any more than you can. And you matched at your #2. Congratulations!!
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Thank you!
I meant I got a letter of recommendation from the PD during my away. The other student didn't do an away. That's why I'm salty. I guess they were such a rockstar they didn't need the away. But it just hurts when I had residents, alumni, and even other PDs who knew that program telling me I would likely match there. You're right though. I guess I was in a favorable position to match but they were so popular they filled up higher than the spot I was ranked. I just feel stupid as hell for getting my hopes up so high by listening to all those people.

Don't get me wrong though. Im not ungrateful for where I matched. I'm very happy about it.
 
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studentofsdn said:
Thank you!
I meant I got a letter of recommendation from the PD during my away. The other student didn't do an away. That's why I'm salty. I guess they were such a rockstar they didn't need the away. But it just hurts when I had residents, alumni, and even other PDs who knew that program telling me I would likely match there. You're right though. I guess I was in a favorable position to match but they were so popular they filled up higher than the spot I was ranked. I just feel stupid as hell for getting my hopes up so high by listening to all those people.

Don't get me wrong though. Im not ungrateful for where I matched. I'm very happy about it.
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dont be salty. the truth is there are only limited # of spots, you dont know how many of those students like you exist. also you dont know other peoples applications. even after interview invite, they look at your entire package and everything has weight. a student that did not do away, but still has stellar recommendations, 260 step1/2s, patents, publications, can take away your spot despite you having done an away there. Away rotation isn't everything
 
anbuitachi said:
dont be salty. the truth is there are only limited # of spots, you dont know how many of those students like you exist. also you dont know other peoples applications. even after interview invite, they look at your entire package and everything has weight. a student that did not do away, but still has stellar recommendations, 260 step1/2s, patents, publications, can take away your spot despite you having done an away there. Away rotation isn't everything
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Did an away at my number four was given the wink wink nudge nudge the last week I was there and then on my interview they told me we’d love to see you in July. Guess what, I did not match there and actually fell little bit below them. Aways in theory do help but nothing is guaranteed anymore there’s just too many applicants . I’m also a little salty but happy I matched gas as a Do. Some of my Do classmates matched to great programs. Some to meh programs like me. Surprisingly some thought the had matched gas but actually ended up matching their back up specialties. Some did not match at all with 10 ivs. So be happy dude
 
Dr.Jekyll75 said:
Did an away at my number four was given the wink wink nudge nudge the last week I was there and then on my interview they told me we’d love to see you in July. Guess what, I did not match there and actually fell little bit below them. Aways in theory do help but nothing is guaranteed anymore there’s just too many applicants . I’m also a little salty but happy I matched gas as a Do. Some of my Do classmates matched to great programs. Some to meh programs like me. Surprisingly some thought the had matched gas but actually ended up matching their back up specialties. Some did not match at all with 10 ivs. So be happy dude
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Piggybacking off of this, I think we should be humble that we are in the 1% of the 1%. Not everyone gets into medical school, not everyone matches into their desired specialty, not everyone gets their favorite school/location. I picture someone else reading our 'woes' and it being equivalent to being upset with a Porsche when we were within grasp of a Ferarri.
 
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agent_purple said:
Piggybacking off of this, I think we should be humble that we are in the 1% of the 1%. Not everyone gets into medical school, not everyone matches into their desired specialty, not everyone gets their favorite school/location. I picture someone else reading our 'woes' and it being equivalent to being upset with a Porsche when we were within grasp of a Ferarri.
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I feel you. Perception is everything.
 
Honestly, who cares where you fell on your rank list - you're going to be an Anesthesiologist. Over the next 4 years, get involved and try to make it a residency that you would rank number 1 if you were applying again. Morale and camaraderie does wonders to dynamic team based organizations. Some of the best memories I have are at places that are complete **** holes.

Congrats to everyone matching!
 
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studentofsdn said:
Did an away at my #1, got a letter from them co-signed by the PD, and they're known to take many away rotators with my exact stats (1/2 of each class is away rotators and home students). I didn't match there. But another student from my school matched without doing a rotation lol. I matched my #2 so I shouldn't be disappointed but I feel like I got betrayed so badly and am very very salty. There's truly no loyalty in this process and no guarantees. To future applicants, don't be naive as me.

That being said, I know I'll be a great anesthesiologist anyway. It will just take a few days to get over this.
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I feel your saltiness. I did an away at my number 1 and got a letter, and failed to match there. Busted my ass. Many years later I’m happy at the residency I ended up at, probably happier than I would have been at my number 1. It is what you make of it. The saltiness never completely goes away, just use it to make yourself better and more determined.
 
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This is a great reminder to stop the cycle of fake news and misinformation when we are residents and possibly academic attendings involved in the process!
 
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dipriMAN said:
I feel your saltiness. I did an away at my number 1 and got a letter, and failed to match there. Busted my ass. Many years later I’m happy at the residency I ended up at, probably happier than I would have been at my number 1. It is what you make of it. The saltiness never completely goes away, just use it to make yourself better and more determined.
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I also did an away at a program that I ended ranking #2. Got a stellar LOR that was referenced in multiple interviews. The best rotation eval I had. Thought it was almost a sure thing. Fell below it on my rank list. I felt a little jaded, but realistically I think my current program was probably a better fit for me.
 
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dipriMAN said:
I feel your saltiness. I did an away at my number 1 and got a letter, and failed to match there. Busted my ass. Many years later I’m happy at the residency I ended up at, probably happier than I would have been at my number 1. It is what you make of it. The saltiness never completely goes away, just use it to make yourself better and more determined.
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From the sounds of it I’ll likely die of hypernatremia cuz I’m very salt and will continue to stay salty
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Real talk happy to match and will work my ass off to get a fellowship and change the culture at my program
 
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What criteria do competitive fellowships look at? For residencies, it’s pretty transparent with step 1/2 scores being the most important factor. I wasn’t sure on what is used for fellowships though: is the BASIC exam at the end of CA-1 year a big factor? I recall someone telling me that you don’t have to tell programs your score (or no more than that you passed), but that you can tell them your exact score/percentile if you do really well?

Is program pedigree the biggest factor? Like coming from a well known mid/upper tier academic residency vs newer community program? That and connections?
 
Eagles6389 said:
What criteria do competitive fellowships look at? For residencies, it’s pretty transparent with step 1/2 scores being the most important factor. I wasn’t sure on what is used for fellowships though: is the BASIC exam at the end of CA-1 year a big factor? I recall someone telling me that you don’t have to tell programs your score (or no more than that you passed), but that you can tell them your exact score/percentile if you do really well?

Is program pedigree the biggest factor? Like coming from a well known mid/upper tier academic residency vs newer community program? That and connections?
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You’re on the right track. At our program, we basically looked at it in this order:

1) Program (especially for home students that are really liked)
2) ITE scores
3) LORs/Connections
4) Research

In general, ITE scores are much, much less emphasized than Step 1. Also these fields are very compact with a relatively small number of folks involved in national organizations/research (in cardiac, its the same 30 or so that do the lion’s share of the publishing and sit on SCA boards) - a letter from a big name can and does go a LONG way.

Basic exam has no impact whatsoever, assuming you passed as the scaled score is not released to programs as ITE is.

SF Match also asks for AKT scores, but the number of programs that still take it continue to decrease so we basically threw it out. That being said, it shouldn’t be surprising that high scorers do so throughout their standardized tests
 
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AdmiralChz said:
You’re on the right track. At our program, we basically looked at it in this order:

1) Program (especially for home students that are really liked)
2) ITE scores
3) LORs/Connections
4) Research

In general, ITE scores are much, much less emphasized than Step 1. Also these fields are very compact with a relatively small number of folks involved in national organizations/research (in cardiac, its the same 30 or so that do the lion’s share of the publishing and sit on SCA boards) - a letter from a big name can and does go a LONG way.

Basic exam has no impact whatsoever, assuming you passed as the scaled score is not released to programs as ITE is.

SF Match also asks for AKT scores, but the number of programs that still take it continue to decrease so we basically threw it out. That being said, it shouldn’t be surprising that high scorers do so throughout their standardized tests
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Very interesting, thanks for the info! So would you say STEP 1 & 2 are no longer used for fellowship selection, or just considered less so than the above 4 things you mentioned?
 
DM27 said:
You will get a letter for the basic if you’re in the top 10% but I have no deal if anyone submits this.
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Might be speaking out of line but generally not. That’s like using sat scores when applying for Med school
 
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agent_purple said:
Piggybacking off of this, I think we should be humble that we are in the 1% of the 1%. Not everyone gets into medical school, not everyone matches into their desired specialty, not everyone gets their favorite school/location. I picture someone else reading our 'woes' and it being equivalent to being upset with a Porsche when we were within grasp of a Ferarri.
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57ac9857fd94012eb39fed69-58078dde95cee4003cf1d933.jpg
 
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DM27 said:
You will get a letter for the basic if you’re in the top 10% but I have no idea if anyone submits this.
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Anyone that gets this and does not submit it is "leaving money on the table." It is an award/recognition that one should be proud of. As mentioned, you don't know a percentile for the Basic exam unless you are top 10% or lower 6-8% (meaning you failed).
I personally believe that ITE scores do have an influence on how many interviews for fellowship that you will get. When it is time to apply, you will likely only have your CA-I score back, so it tends to have a far bigger weight than maybe it should. Late in the process, you will likely get your CA-II score back in time for it to be considered in your application.
A really high percentile on the ITE will get you way more interviews and a single digit percentile may hamper your efforts. A fail on the Basic is a tough obstacle to overcome, but not impossible. If you are pursuing Critical Care, all will be well no matter what you get on anything. Cardiac, pedi, and pain are significantly more competitive. A program with a good track record of fellowship placement is a big help. Programs that have drawn good candidates from programs tend to continue that pipeline in subsequent years, in my experience. Fellows who go out and are rock stars at their fellowships will really open up the eyes of the fellowship directors to strongly consider future candidates from that program, in hopes that the same skill set will be there. Conversely, I think someone who performs poorly can sabotage residents behind them for the same reason. Fellowships and private practice groups remember people that do an awesome job for them and they remember the ones who suck.
 
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studentofsdn said:
Thank you!
I meant I got a letter of recommendation from the PD during my away. The other student didn't do an away. That's why I'm salty. I guess they were such a rockstar they didn't need the away. But it just hurts when I had residents, alumni, and even other PDs who knew that program telling me I would likely match there. You're right though. I guess I was in a favorable position to match but they were so popular they filled up higher than the spot I was ranked. I just feel stupid as hell for getting my hopes up so high by listening to all those people.

Don't get me wrong though. Im not ungrateful for where I matched. I'm very happy about it.
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That's the way the match goes sometimes. They likely really did believe you would match there and likely had no intention of deceiving you. Some years, a program may go to 75 to get their program filled and then only go to 35 the next year. Each year is a different beast and every time you think you have it figured out, it will turn you on your head. Whether or not someone did an away is only a small part of the total equation. A good away rotation will not make someone's 220/3rd quartile class rank become more attractive than another's 255/1st quartile class rank. The truth is, the 255/1st quartile person did all of their work on the front end while the 220/3rd quartile student is playing a game of catch up that they will (almost) never win. You should not begrudge that person or that program for choosing the other candidate over you. That is just how life sometimes goes. The only exception to the above rule that I have seen is the super cute female with low scores/class rank that can occasionally leapfrog over the AOA/250 step I student.
 
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you guys make me nervous... I"m a DO that will be applying this Fall. 238 on STEP 1 and 652 on COMLEX. Do I need to do aways for all 6 months? How many applications should I send?
 
Nonam22 said:
you guys make me nervous... I"m a DO that will be applying this Fall. 238 on STEP 1 and 652 on COMLEX. Do I need to do aways for all 6 months? How many applications should I send?
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Uh no. You’ll be fine.
 
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Nonam22 said:
you guys make me nervous... I"m a DO that will be applying this Fall. 238 on STEP 1 and 652 on COMLEX. Do I need to do aways for all 6 months? How many applications should I send?
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Do 1-2 aways. Apply as broadly as possible (60-70 programs or so, that have taken DOs in the past, also depends on ur step 2 score). Ppl will tell u not to, but an opportunity to interview at a place u may not think you had a shot at but get still get it, is priceless.
 
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UnoMas said:
How receptive are PDs to light-hearted jokes? Nothing inappropriate. I got one of those 'We love you, please keep us in mind when you prepare your rank list" email, I wrote a response back saying 'thank you with a small joke relating to some of the jokes that the PD made during the interview day.' After I sent it I felt like I might have earned myself a DNR. The PD seems like a really cool guy though, made a lot of jokes during the interview day and they are hilarious.

Oh well, time to read up on the SOAP process
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did u have to soap? stats?
 
Nonam22 said:
you guys make me nervous... I"m a DO that will be applying this Fall. 238 on STEP 1 and 652 on COMLEX. Do I need to do aways for all 6 months? How many applications should I send?
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There is no US-based applicant that should do so many aways - there are huge diminishing returns and your time is better spent doing something else. 1-2 is fine for you, those with lower stats (Step < 230, Comlex < 600) could consider a 3rd but even then not necessary.

Make sure you do your away at a program you are competitive at with a history of taking DOs, otherwise it’s a total waste of a month.
 
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AdmiralChz said:
There is no US-based applicant that should do so many aways - there are huge diminishing returns and your time is better spent doing something else. 1-2 is fine for you, those with lower stats (Step < 230, Comlex < 600) could consider a 3rd but even then not necessary.

Make sure you do your away at a program you are competitive at with a history of taking DOs, otherwise it’s a total waste of a month.
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Im from Az so my dream is to get into Uofa Tucson so I am planning on rotating there. although they aren't HUGE in taking DOs.. they have so i have heard to do rotations at reach programs, is that smart?
 
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