OMS IV with some time to spare .. Ask me Anything

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GuitarFreak

GuitarFreak

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Hey everyone,

I'm an OMS-IV with some time on my hands. I remember being a Pre-med student, back in the day, and wished that I could speak with people in Medical School to ask them the questions I had.

Having almost finished school, I've seen the ups & downs of every year, through the process.

Let me know if you guys have any questions at all.
 
Hi, I may need some of your advice! I got into a few schools and cannot choose between two of them. What helped you to choose your school? Should the school's curriculum be a deal breaker? Also, when you were choosing the school back then vs what you think of it now: Is there anything you wish you knew or something you wish you gave more consideration when choosing the school. Example: you thought location was very important but now you know that the school's 3rd year rotations are more important than anything...or stuff like that. I know it's a silly question, but I would really appreciate your input. Thanks!
 
Which medical school year was your hardest? why?

What specialty are doing?

What were your stats when you applied to med school?

Regrets for going to med school?
 
Hey LanaChicago,

As cliched as it may sound, I think the most vital factor when choosing between schools is whether it seems like a 'good fit' for you. That was primarily my thought process, and still feels very relevant now that I'm choosing between residency programs.

I initially had some qualms with the administration but later on found out, by talking to students at other med schools (DO & MD), that pretty much every school has its set of administrative problems.

But like I said, you need to figure out where you'd be the happiest, in terms of environment, location etc. Just that, will increase your productivity and would make sure that you do well academically and otherwise.

Good Luck!
 
Hi Ibn Alnafis MD,

I think the first two years were the hardest: M1 being hard because I had to figure out how to learn relatively obscene amounts of material (compared to undergrad), in significantly less time. M2 because I had to learn how to split time between doing well in school, as well as study for the boards.

I'm applying for Radiology.

I tend not to discuss stats publicly but will be happy to share them if you send me a private message.

No regrets, whatsoever. I started without any expectations and a completely blank mind, so I wasn't let down or disappointed in any significant way.
 
What kind of study habits worked best for you? What would you do differently? What specialty did you have interest in before starting school and why did it change (if it did)?

Thanks!
 
GuitarFreak said:
Hi Ibn Alnafis MD,

I think the first two years were the hardest: M1 being hard because I had to figure out how to learn relatively obscene amounts of material (compared to undergrad), in significantly less time. M2 because I had to learn how to split time between doing well in school, as well as study for the boards.

I'm applying for Radiology.

I tend not to discuss stats publicly but will be happy to share them if you send me a private message.

No regrets, whatsoever. I started without any expectations and a completely blank mind, so I wasn't let down or disappointed in any significant way.
Click to expand...
How well does a DO need to do on the USMLE to be competitive for allo Radiology? How did you do on USMLE step 1?
 
Hey Elevencents,

I found that taking notes on my computer, formatting my familiar way, printing & making folders worked best for me. It was redundant and time consuming but it seemed to work so I continued doing so.

I actually went into medical school wanting to do Radiology and didn't change my mind for a second, throughout the process.
 
Hi user3,

I did not take USMLE Step 1 and am only applying for Osteopathic Radiology Residencies.

I do have friends who've applied to Allo Rads. Their stats range from 230 - 250 on Step 1. That is not to say that if your USMLE is lower than that, you won't get a spot. I have a DO friend, who failed USMLE Step 1 once, retook it and ended up at an Allo Rads program. Obviously, these situations are few and far between, but keep in mind that though a major part, Board Scores are only 1 of many criterion used for selection.
 
Hey thanks for doing this! I see that you went to NYCOM and was wondering if you could give me your perspective on the school such as the pros and cons. I was accepted to NYCOM recently and a few other schools and am trying to make a decision.
 
Hey Jjkwest1,

Congratulations on your acceptance to NYCOM / A medical school 🙂

I think NYCOM has more pro's than con's. Their pros being the affiliation with numerous hospitals for rotations (plenty of them having residency programs in many fields). That in itself is very beneficial, in my opinion. The current dean of the school is also an amazing teacher, academic & an overall person. He's super accessible and has nothing but the students' best interest at heart. NYCOM also has really good visiting faculty from all over the place, so the networking opportunities, if you'd like to take advantage of, are significant.

The cons that I experienced were very year specific. Like the placement of exams, with proximity to boards, Percentage distribution between exams in the same System etc. These change with each year, based on feedback from the students. There were also some administrative issues, where the admin weren't very accessible or generally helpful at times but I hear that's changed now (keep in mind that I've been out of the campus for 2 years now).

I'm sure a bunch of pros & cons are skipping my mind right now but that's all I can remember off of the top of my head.

Good Luck! You'll do great 🙂
 
Thanks for the description!

Also, one of the things that I keep seeing on this forum regarding NYCOM is the high attrition rate. For your class, did you see a lot of your classmates failing out? If so, was it because the exams at NYCOM are unreasonably hard or is this whole high attrition rate for NYCOM sort of overblown on sdn?

Thanks again for doing this and good luck with the residency app process!!
 
No worries!

NYCOM does have a high attrition 'rate' but I think its because of sheer statistics. I think people focus on the 'number' of students that fail out. NYCOM's enrollment is among the highest of any medical school (DO & MD) in the country. So the number of students failing out, during the first year, is equally high. I haven't done up or calculated the numbers, but I do think that if percentages were calculated, NYCOM's attrition 'rate' would be around the national average.

But I didn't think the exams were unreasonably hard. They were very challenging but I think that would be standard of any medical school, since the learning culture is different than undergrad. I think the reasons of failing out are your regular reasons that you'd think of; too much pressure, stress, not being able to adjust to the vast amount of material etc.

All of this, obviously, is my opinion. 🙂
 
Hey GuitarFreak,

Thanks for doing this Q and A. I was wondering about how different matching into an AOA residency is from ACGME residency? From my understanding, AOA programs are not so number oriented, which is very prevalent in ACGME programs. What do AOA residencies look for in an applicant?

I would also like to ask this more specifically for AOA radiology also.
 
Hey GuitarFreak,
what are the pros and cons of doing an AOA residency vs. ACGME in your opinion? Do you find that your options in the future will be limited in any way by doing AOA (like international recognition of your ability to practice medicine in other countries?). Any big advantages AOA has over ACGME?

I want to do lots of OMM after I graduate and still want to practice primary care or pm&r, what is the best way to go about this so I can make these happen, in your opinion?

In medical school, what resources do you think were the most helpful in maximizing your studying and absorbing the materials (e.g. recorded lectures, non mandatory lectures, tutoring, books, etc etc...)?

Thanks for taking time to answer these questions!
 
guylewis said:
Hey GuitarFreak,
what are the pros and cons of doing an AOA residency vs. ACGME in your opinion? Do you find that your options in the future will be limited in any way by doing AOA (like international recognition of your ability to practice medicine in other countries?). Any big advantages AOA has over ACGME?

I want to do lots of OMM after I graduate and still want to practice primary care or pm&r, what is the best way to go about this so I can make these happen, in your opinion?

In medical school, what resources do you think were the most helpful in maximizing your studying and absorbing the materials (e.g. recorded lectures, non mandatory lectures, tutoring, books, etc etc...)?

Thanks for taking time to answer these questions!
Click to expand...

YMMV but I shadowed an attending who ran the PM&R department at my hospital and apparently OMM is not allowed in their residency program.
 
DOs in ACGME programs are generally not allowed to use OMM on patients because the MD attendings are unable to supervise them when they're doing OMM.
 
costales said:
DOs in ACGME programs are generally not allowed to use OMM on patients because the MD attendings are unable to supervise them when they're doing OMM.
Click to expand...

This is not universally true.

I am also a 4 th year student applying for family med and applying to both dually accredited and allo only programs .
Even at programs where there are no supervising DO they tend to be very open to OMT if they have other DO residents around. Some AGCME programs will have a DO on staff and they will be very open to you doing OMT and most have said they will watch me once or twice to make sure I am competent then they will sign off on my skills and I can go forward unsupervised

Apologies for thread barge
 
Thanks for adding the clarification. Supervision is key. It seems that some FM programs are more flexible.
 
Last edited:
I think you need a DO attending to actually bill for it, though.
 
IslandStyle808 said:
Hey GuitarFreak,

Thanks for doing this Q and A. I was wondering about how different matching into an AOA residency is from ACGME residency? From my understanding, AOA programs are not so number oriented, which is very prevalent in ACGME programs. What do AOA residencies look for in an applicant?

I would also like to ask this more specifically for AOA radiology also.
Click to expand...

Hey IslandStyle8o8,

You're correct, in that AOA programs are less number oriented than their counter ACGME programs. But at the end of the day, its not that AOA programs look for some innate quality that ACGME programs do not. Its just that AOA programs tend to weigh in your personality, drive, motivation & aptitude for the particular field higher than your COMLEX score (Obviously this isn't a general rule & is more of a YMMV kind of a situation). But from my experience, doing audition rotations at AOA programs, if you plan on applying for the AOA match, is key. Seem like if you have a good rotation where you set a good impression on the residents and the attendings/PD, it definitely secures your chances a bit more than if you weren't to rotate at all. That is not to say that you NEED to rotate to match at an AOA program.

That, in itself, is the main difference between AOA Rads & ACGME Rads. In ACGME Rads, as long as you have a very good score, a rotation is pretty unnecessary and a good rotation is less likely to make up for a lower score. Whereas, in the AOA world, a good rotation where you're able to show your aptitude and passion for Radiology, will be able to offset a COMLEX score lower than your fellow applicants.
 
guylewis said:
Hey GuitarFreak,
what are the pros and cons of doing an AOA residency vs. ACGME in your opinion? Do you find that your options in the future will be limited in any way by doing AOA (like international recognition of your ability to practice medicine in other countries?). Any big advantages AOA has over ACGME?

I want to do lots of OMM after I graduate and still want to practice primary care or pm&r, what is the best way to go about this so I can make these happen, in your opinion?

In medical school, what resources do you think were the most helpful in maximizing your studying and absorbing the materials (e.g. recorded lectures, non mandatory lectures, tutoring, books, etc etc...)?

Thanks for taking time to answer these questions!
Click to expand...

Hey guylewis

If you want to do 'lots' of OMM, then it would just make sense for you to do an AOA residency. Not only for 'permission' or 'supervision' issues but also to stay sharp in your OMM skills and make sure you don't lose them. Like other people have pointed it out, OMM during your residency program (AOA or ACGME) is a YMMV kind of a situation. But from the sheer aspect of not letting your OMM skills get rusty, I would think that it'd make sense to go with an AOA residency. But keep in mind, that's only one aspect of that residency. If you're going for something like PM&R, it may make sense to do an ACGME residency since their training is supposedly superior. I cannot comment on any of that since I'm not doing PM&R and didn't research it much at all. There are plenty of great threads on SDN in the PM&R section that I'm sure you've already looked at that are far more insightful than me, haha.

In school, I found that taking my own notes was vastly helpful. For Path, I seemed to find Pathoma & Goljan lectures to be extremely helpful. Physio, Dr. Costanzo's book is amazing and will definitely make Physiology easier for you. But more than any books, the best resource is studying smart; not studying hard. There will be times where you will be studying and find yourself just not absorbing the material anymore. If you try to continue to study, despite feeling as such, your productivity will tank & you probably won't recall the material. The smartest thing you can do is to give yourself mini breaks. Play a game on your iphone, reddit, youtube, do whatever you need to do for like 10-15 mins, just to refresh your mind, you'll find that you'll end up being more productive & time efficient at the end.
 
I keep hearing that during year 4 you have much more free time, but haven't seen a definitive answer as to why. Is this true and why? Also, what is a normal day like for year 3? It seems so daunting to spend all that time on rotations and still be responsible to study for tests and such. Thanks for doing this!
 
FutureDO22 said:
I keep hearing that during year 4 you have much more free time, but haven't seen a definitive answer as to why. Is this true and why? Also, what is a normal day like for year 3? It seems so daunting to spend all that time on rotations and still be responsible to study for tests and such. Thanks for doing this!
Click to expand...

Hey FutureDO22,

4th year is definitely the 'easiest' year of Med school. Although, the application process, interview season & waiting for the match, all have their own stresses.
Its ease is mostly due to an easier schedule based on the electives you choose. Most people won't have to spend long hours like they did in core surgery, OB, medicine rotations. And many 4th year students aren't required to be on call for various rotations.

There's no such thing as a normal day during 3rd year because its based on what rotation you're on. You can have anywhere from a 3-4 hr day, to a 8-10 hour day, to a 24-26 hour day (on call) during 3rd year. It is daunting, but you absolutely have to find time to study after work, or during down time at work. Otherwise you not only do badly on the exams, but your knowledge base decreases and you're not going to set a good impression during the pimping sessions.
It seems daunting, but its very doable.

We all do it, so I have no doubt that you will be also be able to. 🙂
 
I see that you are a guitar player, I am as well. How often were you able to practice during medschool? I understand that your priorities must change, but as a lifelong musician I'd hate to put my guitar in the closest for 4 years.
 
Cmaj7th said:
I see that you are a guitar player, I am as well. How often were you able to practice during medschool? I understand that your priorities must change, but as a lifelong musician I'd hate to put my guitar in the closest for 4 years.
Click to expand...

Hey Cmaj7th,

My first year of medical school, I put an album on iTunes, and the rest of the years, I continued to tour the US for shows & do studio sessions.

My point is, you don't have to put it away at all 🙂 .. Studying smart (vs. Studying hard) and time management are key. Set realistic goals for the day & make sure you hit every single one of them. It will come with practice but eventually you'll be able to do it which will open up to do anything you'd like to, as long as your goals are realistic. 🙂
 
What was the most stressful part of school you've experienced so far?

Any tips for adjusting when school starts?

I know you mentioned a few above, but were there any other books/resources you found particularly helpful (or overhyped)?

Thanks for doing this!
 
HH8911 said:
What was the most stressful part of school you've experienced so far?

Any tips for adjusting when school starts?

I know you mentioned a few above, but were there any other books/resources you found particularly helpful (or overhyped)?

Thanks for doing this!
Click to expand...

Hey HH8911,

1. - The most stressful part was the sheer amount of material. Probably tied with studying for Step 1 while studying for the school exams.

2. - Don't give up. Lots of people do & end up regretting it. It will be tough. You're going to be hit in the face with a lot of material but know that everyone else is as well. Talk to the other students, and figure out your most efficient way of studying 🙂

3. I try not to say what books were overhyped since its so subjective. For instance, netter's atlas is well-liked by most students but I thought it wasn't good at all and used Rohen's instead. That doesn't mean its not a good book. Just means that it didn't resonate with me much. In addition to the books I mentioned above, I also found that Neuro made ridiculously simple was a very easy and good read to get the basics of neuro down.
 
I have but one question:
ToiletPaper_over_or_under.jpg
 
If you went back, would you buy any must-have items prior to OMS-I?
 
I notice your name is Guitarfreak. When you play it does it make ladies swoon? Lebron or Michael Jordan?
 
Haxx said:
If you went back, would you buy any must-have items prior to OMS-I?
Click to expand...

Hey Haxx,

Not a one. In fact, I would've bought less stuff. I splurged on books and supplies that I didn't use that much. So my advice would be to start & figure out what you need. You'll save time & money 🙂
 
NontradCA said:
I notice your name is Guitarfreak. When you play it does it make ladies swoon? Lebron or Michael Jordan?
Click to expand...

Oh it does. Till they see my John-Mayer-Guitar-Playing faces .. at that point .. ::crickets:: haha

MJ.
 
GuitarFreak said:
Hey HH8911,

1. - The most stressful part was the sheer amount of material. Probably tied with studying for Step 1 while studying for the school exams.

2. - Don't give up. Lots of people do & end up regretting it. It will be tough. You're going to be hit in the face with a lot of material but know that everyone else is as well. Talk to the other students, and figure out your most efficient way of studying 🙂

3. I try not to say what books were overhyped since its so subjective. For instance, netter's atlas is well-liked by most students but I thought it wasn't good at all and used Rohen's instead. That doesn't mean its not a good book. Just means that it didn't resonate with me much. In addition to the books I mentioned above, I also found that Neuro made ridiculously simple was a very easy and good read to get the basics of neuro down.
Click to expand...
Thank you!
 
Have you met or know any international/Canadian students?
If so, how hard was it for them to get into their top residency programs?

Thanks in advance!
 
After teaching rounds is there a lot of down time during 3rd/4th year? Can you always find something to do? I don't like down time and hate waiting around twittling my thumbs.
 
EMDO2018 said:
After teaching rounds is there a lot of down time during 3rd/4th year? Can you always find something to do? I don't like down time and hate waiting around twittling my thumbs.
Click to expand...

For me, this depended entirely on rotation.
Some rotations there are teaching rounds during lunch and you are working up until that point and running off to do afternoon tasks after that point.
For lectures on campus which were our weekly didactics, if they were in the afternoon most rotations would expect us to show up in the morning and work until 11-12 then leave for campus.

Some rotations there is down time. I had a ton of down time on my gen surgery rotation. There were three of us and we rotated in the OR so if I was sitting around I would have my surgical recall in my pocket and reading that or reviewing for a quiz or doing whatever needed to be done.

It all comes down to making sure you have something with you in case you do run into down time and knowing that you will have something to do besides twiddle your thumbs - as a fellow hate to sit around and twiddle person I can tell you I managed to stay busy 🙂
 
ChineseKid said:
Have you met or know any international/Canadian students?
If so, how hard was it for them to get into their top residency programs?

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

Hey ChineseKid,

Unfortunately, I haven't met any Canadian students. I've met lots of students from European & South Asian countries. Unfortunately, its getting tougher and tougher each year for them to match into competitive residency programs, even the 'low tier' programs in competitive fields.
The trend seems to show that IM, Psych & FM have been IMG friendly, recently. At least that's what I've noticed.
 
EMDO2018 said:
After teaching rounds is there a lot of down time during 3rd/4th year? Can you always find something to do? I don't like down time and hate waiting around twittling my thumbs.
Click to expand...

Hello EMDO2018,

I agree with everything that mommy2three said in her post above!

You can always choose to read, instead of twittling your thumbs 🙂 .. You'll definitely figure it out once you get there!
 
Hey guitar freak, thanks for doing this. I'm lucky enough to already be accepted to a school and have a few more interviews coming up.

Anyway, now that it's a reality, I'm getting anxious about the course work. I have a decent academic history and don't feel I'm an underdog. But I'm also the person in undergrad that worked my ass off for every A. My question is: how did you find a a study regimen that worked for you? How do you know when you need to try something new? I'm hoping I can find one early on.
 
Mehd School said:
Hey guitar freak, thanks for doing this. I'm lucky enough to already be accepted to a school and have a few more interviews coming up.

Anyway, now that it's a reality, I'm getting anxious about the course work. I have a decent academic history and don't feel I'm an underdog. But I'm also the person in undergrad that worked my ass off for every A. My question is: how did you find a a study regimen that worked for you? How do you know when you need to try something new? I'm hoping I can find one early on.
Click to expand...

Hey Mehd School,

Congratulations for your acceptance into Medical School!

For me, it was by the sheer process of trial & error. I tried multiple approaches, for each exam, when school started. I assessed the 'success' of each approach by how much material I seemed to retain / felt comfortable with after I was done studying. If you don't feel like you internalized the material as well as you could've, probably time to move on & try a different approach.
 
GuitarFreak said:
Hey ChineseKid,

Unfortunately, I haven't met any Canadian students. I've met lots of students from European & South Asian countries. Unfortunately, its getting tougher and tougher each year for them to match into competitive residency programs, even the 'low tier' programs in competitive fields.
The trend seems to show that IM, Psych & FM have been IMG friendly, recently. At least that's what I've noticed.
Click to expand...
Thanks.
In regards to the fields you have mentioned, is that AOA or ACGME?
 
ChineseKid said:
Thanks.
In regards to the fields you have mentioned, is that AOA or ACGME?
Click to expand...

In terms of ACGME.

I'm not sure if IMG's can apply to AOA residencies.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
 
GuitarFreak said:
In terms of ACGME.

I'm not sure if IMG's can apply to AOA residencies.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
Click to expand...
As I understand it, IMG applicants won't be DOs since physician DOs are only trained in the US (as opposed to osteopaths trained worldwide). So, no I don't think they can.
 
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