OMS Residency Application Process / Resume Boosters

[PADMD2017]

Hey all,

I was hoping that an OMS resident or current applicant could help me out with a few questions about OMS. I am currently a rising 3rd year dental student with an expected graduation date of 2017 and my interest in OMS has been renewed. Unfortunately, I didn't perform too well in school the first year and a half, but my grades have drastically improved as is evident in my most recent transcripts. I currently have a GPA of 2.90 and a low class rank, but I did pass part one of the dental boards. I am also young for my class (24yrs). I have just recently joined my school's OMS club, started to attend a review session for the CBSE that one of the oral surgeons at my school gives on early Friday mornings, and I plan on donating whatever extra time I have to the OS department as soon as I enter clinic within the next month. I know my stats are not ideal for OMS but I am not going to let the stop me from obtaining my dream even if it takes me extra time. I know I may have screwed up at the beginning of dental school, but I have found a deep desire within myself and I know this is what I want to do.

I plan on taking the NBME CBSE in early 2016. And got the following study materials:
First Aid USMLE Step 1 (2015)
First Aid Q&A Step 1 (3rd edition)
First Aid Cases USMLE Step 1 (3rd edition)
Deja Review USMLE
USMLE Step 1 Secrets (3rd edition)

If anyone could answer any or all of the following questions or just put some input into my situation it would be greatly appreciated!!!

1.) What should I do to boost my resume?
2.) Are my study materials enough to do EXTREMELY well on the CBSE?
3.) Should I look into a 4yr or 6yr residency?
4.) What are your thoughts on an OMS internship?
5.) When should I apply to residencies/internships and can I apply to both at the same time?
6.) About how big is the applicant pool overall?
7.) Is research necessary to be a competitive applicant?
8.) Who should I start looking at to write a letter of recommendation and how many should I get?
9.) What study suggestions to you have for the CBSE? (length of studying, sections to focus on, etc.)
10.) What else am I missing/should be looking for?

Sorry for the lengthy message, but THANK YOU for your time!!!
Looking forward to your responses.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[avangusva]

Do well on the NBME and if need be, do an internship and work hard. Many of your questions have been asked many times so I'm sure someone has answered it better than I ever could but in short, no, research isn't required. Some programs definitely want to see it more than others but it isn't necessary, it helps. You should get a letter of recommendation from whoever will write you a good one. Normally, if you spend enough time in your schools OMFS department, you can find some faculty there that can speak on your behalf in your letter. In addition, finding upperclassmen who are applying to OMFS will help you a ton since they're familiar with your programs faculty as well (perhaps try asking at your next NBME study meeting, or asking that oral surgeon who runs it for a letter). You don't need to worry about asking for a letter until probably February 2017, about 3 months before the PASS application opens.

You should apply to residencies, assuming you have a strong NBME score, and should you not match you will then scramble to find a non-categorical internship. Like I said, your questions (especially the NBME one) has been answered before but in short; pathoma, First Aid, and a question bank (UWorld is good).

1.) What should I do to boost my resume?
2.) Are my study materials enough to do EXTREMELY well on the CBSE?
3.) Should I look into a 4yr or 6yr residency?
4.) What are your thoughts on an OMS internship?
5.) When should I apply to residencies/internships and can I apply to both at the same time?
6.) About how big is the applicant pool overall?
7.) Is research necessary to be a competitive applicant?
8.) Who should I start looking at to write a letter of recommendation and how many should I get?
9.) What study suggestions to you have for the CBSE? (length of studying, sections to focus on, etc.)
10.) What else am I missing/should be looking for?

Sorry for the lengthy message, but THANK YOU for your time!!!
Looking forward to your responses.

 

[PADMD2017]

Thank you very much! I will look around SDN for more answers.

 

[Muggsy Bogues]

Yea you're really only hope is getting an extremely high CBSE score and even with your GPA you're probably looking at an internship. I would not waste time on that study materials you currently have except for the First Aid book. Throw is USMLE World and go through as many questions as you can as many times as you can and that's probably your most efficient route. Maybe throw Pathoma in there as that's a pretty good and concise pathology overview.

 

[agent2362]

Yeah, all of this is good advice, but I would also add that even though CBSE is near #1 most important factor for getting into programs, some still prefer higher class rank over CBSE scores. Don't get a high CBSE score at the expense of dropping drastically lower in your class rankings (I made that mistake). You can always retake the CBSE, but you can't retake dental school. Also, if you end up doing an internship, it's not likely you will have time to retake the CBSE and get a good score during the internship (unless it's some 9-5 joke internship). I've heard from many that 75-80+ on CBSE is a good goal for your situation.

 

[PADMD2017]

Got it. So my primary goal is to keep pulling up my grades in school and study my ass off for the CBSE. Are there any particular sections I should focus on for the test more so than others?

 

[amali]

Any idea which programs rely most exclusively on CBSE?

 

[agent2362]

Any idea which programs rely most exclusively on CBSE?

From what I have gathered from several residents, it's only logical that 6 year programs will tend to emphasize 65-70+ scores (failing to pass USMLE Step 1 is an obvious showstopper), while some 4 year programs might not value it as much as high rank. Some programs are known for having shorter med school time (e.g. LSU and Louisville), hence I imagine that a candidate with a 75 on the NBME only in the top 30% of the class might look like a safer choice to these programs, than someone who is in the top 5% of the class with a <65-67 on the NBME.

 

[agent2362]

Got it. So my primary goal is to keep pulling up my grades in school and study my ass off for the CBSE. Are there any particular sections I should focus on for the test more so than others?

I think it really depends on how well your science training background is. Watching Pathoma helps to teach and solidify the basics, if you don't know them. First Aid is like a dictionary of facts that lends itself to a terrible read if you are learning a large part of a subject for the first time. I highly recommend using Qbanks (UWorld, Kaplan, USMLERx - in order of difficulty of the bank) more than anything else to guide you to your weak spots. Do tons of questions, get a feel for the test and don't stress early on about your percentage correct on the qbanks, as long as you're learning. Go between First Aid and Qbanks constantly and you will see how every single fact in FA has been tested and is important. If you could memorize every page of FA and know how it all ties together and apply it, then you would rock the test. However, that may be one of the hardest things to do, hence the q banks. USMLERx is really cheap and may be a place to start a year out, but overall UWorld is the only indispensable qbank.

 

[PADMD2017]

I think it really depends on how well your science training background is. Watching Pathoma helps to teach and solidify the basics, if you don't know them. First Aid is like a dictionary of facts that lends itself to a terrible read if you are learning a large part of a subject for the first time. I highly recommend using Qbanks (UWorld, Kaplan, USMLERx - in order of difficulty of the bank) more than anything else to guide you to your weak spots. Do tons of questions, get a feel for the test and don't stress early on about your percentage correct on the qbanks, as long as you're learning. Go between First Aid and Qbanks constantly and you will see how every single fact in FA has been tested and is important. If you could memorize every page of FA and know how it all ties together and apply it, then you would rock the test. However, that may be one of the hardest things to do, hence the q banks. USMLERx is really cheap and may be a place to start a year out, but overall UWorld is the only indispensable qbank.

Thanks I appreciate the response. This past year my school switched to systems from the set classes (path, pharm, micro, etc.). At the time it SUCKED, but in hindsight it seems to be working pretty well as everything that is interrelated is grouped together. I will definitely have to check out Pathoma to see if I am missing any of the basics.

 

[AlbinoPolarBear]

Got it. So my primary goal is to keep pulling up my grades in school and study my ass off for the CBSE. Are there any particular sections I should focus on for the test more so than others?

Here's the subject breakdown for the NBME, from the NBME website:

COMPREHENSIVE BASIC SCIENCE The Comprehensive Basic Science Examination is a general, integrated achievement test covering material typically learned during basic science education, with somewhat more emphasis on second-year courses in medical schools with traditional curricula. The exam reflects content coverage on USMLE Step 1 and uses the same item formats.

System General Principles 25%−35%
Individual Organ Systems 65%−75%
Hematopoietic & lymphoreticular
Central & peripheral nervous
Skin & related connective tissue
Musculoskeletal
Respiratory
Cardiovascular
Gastrointestinal
Renal/urinary
Reproductive
Endocrine
Immune Process

Normal 25%−45%
Abnormal 30%−50%
Principles of therapeutics 15%−25%
Psychosocial, cultural, occupational, and environmental considerations 5%−10%

So ... Abnormal .. aka Path, will be 30-50% of your exam. I would focus on knowing my path VERY WELL. The best available materials to study path is Pathoma and Goljan audio. I would put it as a priority to recite everything from Pathoma from memory. The videos are freakin amazing, and it really filled in my knowledge gaps from dental school. The videos are 35 hours long, so it will take you a week to go through it, but you'll learn SO MUCH. Goljan was extremely good too, as he taught you strategy on how to attack the problems, and what they are looking for when they ask each question. It's also 35 hours of audio, but you can listen it on the car ride to school, or even while working out.

Pharm was like 20% of the exam, and I thought the pharm questions were gimmes. Uworld should be enough for pharm.
Throw in physiology and anatomy, but don't go crazy on these. These tend to be "lower yield". Just know what there is on first aid.

 

[PADMD2017]

Here's the subject breakdown for the NBME, from the NBME website:



So ... Abnormal .. aka Path, will be 30-50% of your exam. I would focus on knowing my path VERY WELL. The best available materials to study path is Pathoma and Goljan audio. I would put it as a priority to recite everything from Pathoma from memory. The videos are freakin amazing, and it really filled in my knowledge gaps from dental school. The videos are 35 hours long, so it will take you a week to go through it, but you'll learn SO MUCH. Goljan was extremely good too, as he taught you strategy on how to attack the problems, and what they are looking for when they ask each question. It's also 35 hours of audio, but you can listen it on the car ride to school, or even while working out.

Pharm was like 20% of the exam, and I thought the pharm questions were gimmes. Uworld should be enough for pharm.
Throw in physiology and anatomy, but don't go crazy on these. These tend to be "lower yield". Just know what there is on first aid.

Thanks for the reply. Luckily path was one of my stronger subjects. Does this path cover oral path also?

 

[agent2362]

Thanks for the reply. Luckily path was one of my stronger subjects. Does this path cover oral path also?

nope almost no oral path. Very basic stuff. Most of it would be Candidiasis related or HIV/ immunosuppression related topics, if there is any oral path at all. KCOT/ OKC, ameloblastoma, dentigerous cyst, yeah you can forget that stuff for this exam.

I agree with albino polar bear, anatomy is lower yield (all in Uworld or FA) mostly brachial plexus, sacral plexus/ groin area, legs (innervation and blood supply), maybe lymphatics and blood supply to some of the visceral organs. Physiology could better be termed pathophysiology...it's not really stuff like stroke volume x hear rate = ?. You have to be able to apply SV x HR = CO to MAP and TPR in cases of (for example) hemorrhage, shock, ect.

 

[Lspear]

Most people applying do well in dental school. According to stats - most people don't do that well on the CBSE. Try to stand out and be an individual not a person in the pack.

 

[yappy]

Most people applying do well in dental school. According to stats - most people don't do that well on the CBSE. Try to stand out and be an individual not a person in the pack.

+1 @Lspear
Like undergraduate GPA and the DAT; if you cannot do well on the NBME your dental school GPA is most likely BS. I'll second usmle-world and pathoma.

 

[PADMD2017]

+1 @Lspear
Like undergraduate GPA and the DAT; if you cannot do well on the NBME your dental school GPA is most likely BS. I'll second usmle-world and pathoma.

Does this apply in the opposite fashion also? As in the CBSE will overshadow my GPA in dental school if I do well on it?

 

[yappy]

Does this apply in the opposite fashion also? As in the CBSE will overshadow my GPA in dental school if I do well on it?

I have no idea. It's just an opinion I have. My opinion is that standardized tests like the CBSE are relatively objective while gpa is relatively subjective; therefore, a logical person would favor CBSE over GPA while comparing applicants. Unfortunately, my opinion doesn't mean anything right now lol.