oms residency + step 1

[KY2007]

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How common is it for oms residents to fail step 1 of the medical boards (6 year program). Also, does going to a program that offers three years of med school instead of 2 help with step 1.

 

[zidanereal2003]

How common is it for oms residents to fail step 1 of the medical boards (6 year program). Also, does going to a program that offers three years of med school instead of 2 help with step 1.

Well, I think most of them pass. Don't forget that most OMS residents were top of their class. Plus, the study material for USLME1 is good enough to answer 85% of the questions.
Going to a school that offers 3 years medical school will help, but I don't see why you would do that.

 

[River13]

Interestingly one study was done by Miloro published in the JOMS which suggested that a high part I dental board score and 1 month study time previous to the USMLE was the best predictor of success for passing the first try...the stats showed that the number of years of med school completed didn't correllate with an increased pass rate...3 years med school is an insult to our dental training IMHO...2 years is plenty.

 

[Yah-E]

Yo River, how ya doing? Please correct me if I'm wrong, but don't most if not all MD-OMFS residencies require you to pass the Step I BEFORE you can start the medical school curriculum (3 or 2 years)? So a 3 or 2 years medical school wouldn't even help you on the Step I because you wouldn't even get that unlese you've already passed the Step I. It would greatly help on the Step II though.

 

[Jediwendell]

If you start as a second year medical student, then you take it with the rest of the medical student class. If you start as a third year medical student, you generally take it at your leisure (whatever leisure you may have during an oms residency) during your intern year. Most places where you start out as a third year have you do an intern year first with oms. From my standpoint, I think I could have passed it coming out of dental school, but that is hindsight. Step one is a real biznitch.

 

[KY2007]

It sounds like failing step 1 is not as big of an issue for oms residents as I thought it was.

 

[River13]

Yo River, how ya doing? Please correct me if I'm wrong, but don't most if not all MD-OMFS residencies require you to pass the Step I BEFORE you can start the medical school curriculum (3 or 2 years)? So a 3 or 2 years medical school wouldn't even help you on the Step I because you wouldn't even get that unlese you've already passed the Step I. It would greatly help on the Step II though.

You're wrong actually...3 years means you take part I after 1 year of med school (2nd year)

 

[tjb]

You're wrong actually...3 years means you take part I after 1 year of med school (2nd year)

At Mayo you start as a first year med student, so you would take step1 after 2 years of med school.

tjb

 

[Yah-E]

At Mayo you start as a first year med student, so you would take step1 after 2 years of med school.

tjb

In this case, I would think that the OMFS resident should pass the Step I with ease since most med school's first two years are geared towards prepping for the exam.

You're wrong actually...3 years means you take part I after 1 year of med school (2nd year)

I stand corrected. 👍

 

[River13]

At Mayo you start as a first year med student, so you would take step1 after 2 years of med school.

tjb

That's what I mean by an insult to our dental training...there's no reason anyone should have to do that to pass part I.

There's always variations too...at Oregon OMFS they do 2 years of med school, namely the 2nd and 3rd year, skipping 1st and 4th...whereas most omfs residencies that include 2 years of med school include the 3rd and 4th and skip the 1st and 2nd.

 

[River13]

In this case, I would think that the OMFS resident should pass the Step I with ease since most med school's first two years are geared towards prepping for the exam.



I stand corrected. 👍

It's all good man! 😀

 

[toofache32]

At Mayo you start as a first year med student, so you would take step1 after 2 years of med school.

tjb

I externed at Mayo and was not impressed at all. I didn't even apply. They basically only do OMS during the 1st and 6th year. The chief at Mayo drove the sticks for over 50% of each case. The first 2 years of med school are a huge waste of time.

My program makes us do part of the second year and sometimes I wish I had gone somewhere that used the time for OMS instead. But then again, a first-year intern is just gonna be everyone's biznitch. And it's not like you're getting to operate that much.

Of course an OMFS resident will fail step 1 every so often, but so do med students.

 

[KY2007]

What's tested in step 1.

 

[toofache32]

Biochem, anatomy, micro, pharm, path, behavioral science, and one more I can't remember. Behavioral science is the one thing that wasn't familiar to me from the NBDE, but it's pretty darn easy. Everything you need to know is in "First Aid for the USMLE." That's what I used and I scored above the national average when I was only trying to pass.

 

[aphistis]

You did better than a 217? Hot dog, toofache, you're embarrassing some of the folks in the allo board. 😉

 

[toofache32]

You did better than a 217? Hot dog, toofache, you're embarrassing some of the folks in the allo board. 😉

Not much better, but thanks. I've never really talked scores with the other guys in my program (because we don't care and only need to pass) but I doubt I did any better than most oral surgery guys. I do know of a few that did really well, but they are definately the exception.

 

[LordLister]

There are 2 articles in JOMFS in 90's that investigated the mean step 1 score of OMFS residents, the pass rate, and the best predictors of success (class rank, NBDE part I and II scores, etc). The study found that approximately 50% of OMFS residents taking step 1 fail on their first attempt. I forgot what the mean score was, but I remember that the greatest predictor of success was a high NBDE part 1 score (I think 94 or higher). I don't think the papers mentioned overall failure rates after several attempts (I would bet this number is quite low).
With 50% of OMFS residents failing their first attempts at Step 1, it's odd that the previous 15 posts put a positive bend on our performance. I don't think that we do poorly, per say. Step 1 is a very difficult exam. The pass rate for US allopathic first attempt is around 90%, osteopathic is somewhat less (I think 75-80%), and FMG's around 50-60%. Given the unique and difficult situation of a 1st year OMFS resident (2 years out of basic science training taught by a dental faculty, fulfilling work responsibilities as an intern, little time to study), I think we do fairly well.

 

[KY2007]

What about taking step 1 the same summer as the national dental boards? If you passed it would you still have to take it in medical school? If some of the sections are similar it seems like it would be best to take it now.

 

[BSSO]

What about taking step 1 the same summer as the national dental boards? If you passed it would you still have to take it in medical school? If some of the sections are similar it seems like it would be best to take it now.

You can't just walk in and take the exam, you have to have approval from the dean of the medical school, and i think enrolled as a medical student.

 

[LordLister]

What about taking step 1 the same summer as the national dental boards? If you passed it would you still have to take it in medical school? If some of the sections are similar it seems like it would be best to take it now.

This would be ideal. You can ask the dean (or dean of student affairs) of your dental school if this is possible and how to get the required signatures (it has been done). If you pass, I would think that this would be a great asset when applying to a 6 year program ( Most program directors are very worried about an applicants ability to pass step 1). If you fail, not the end of the world (I don't think it would look that bad considering how many people fail) and you can retake it.

The biggest drawback is that you have to complete all steps 1-3 and a medical internship within a 7 year time span. If you don't, your will have to repeat all 3 step exams. If you take step 1 as a 3rd year dental student, you will have to have completed all three exams by the fifth year of your residency (or retake all 3 exams thereafter).

 

[toofache32]

You can't just walk in and take the exam, you have to have approval from the dean of the medical school, and i think enrolled as a medical student.

This is correct. This was only started in the last 15 years or so.