Outlook on match chances?

[Step2myLou]

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Hey everybody, I am a US MD student who had a pretty terrible preclinical career with 2 LOA's, 1 that caused me to remediate my first year and one after my second year to deal with family stuff, and 3 total failures on my record. I do feel like I can explain my LOA's, which were for good reasons but medicine nevertheless is not as forgiving! I want to be realistic with my chances of what fields I should be aiming for when I start third year. I know I will be happy just being a physician so am open to any field. Thank you for your advice!

 

[kelminak]

Do you have a Step 1 score? That would probably help to know (even if just a 23x or whatever to maintain privacy).

 

[Step2myLou]

Do you have a Step 1 score? That would probably help to know (even if just a 23x or whatever to maintain privacy).

I have yet to take step 1(will do so in the next few months) but to be honest I am not expecting to blow it out of the park. I would be happy with a 210+ but am aiming for a 220.

 

[Step2myLou]

FWIW, I have not applied to the match process yet, so I am not the most qualified person to answer your question. However, I do know people who have taken LOAs/failures and matched, so I am going to share my two cents. Others on here will definitely be able to offer better insight.

First of all, what are your interests? This is not something you need to decide on right away. Why not focus all of your energy on Step 1 to ensure a pass, and maybe even push for a 220/230, and then reassess once you have completed a few rotations? Most people get a gist of what they like and dislike pretty early on.

With that being said, LOAs with a good explanation are okay (for the most part). Stuff happens, and most reasonable people understand that. However, these multiple LOAs + multiple failures + a "low" Step 1 will be concerning for most anything competitive. You are considered a gamble for a program that has limited spots. If possible, you should line up rotations and electives of specialties that are within your estimated score range -- stuff like FM, IM, Peds, PM&R, and maybe even psych & OB (even though it seems both of these have gotten quite competitive recently).

Good luck and stay positive/focused!

Thank you for responding! I honestly have never thought about what I truly like as my limited exposure to general medicine has been positive so FM and IM are def on the table. I do not think peds is for me and have thought about and do have interest PM&R and anesthesia but I feel like those are out of my range of being competitive enough(if at all). I am definitely focusing all of my efforts on Step 1 but sometimes my mind wanders down the road of not matching. You are absolutely right in that I should definitely just go through a few rotations and see what I truly like. Thanks again for your response!

 

[W19]

FM is arguably one of the most forgiven specialties in term of class/board failures... Assuming you score 200-220, you still have a shot at Path > FM > IM in that order...

Anesthesia and PM&R might be difficult. The latter is due to limited # of spot.

 

[Equality]

Focus on Step1 like your life depends on it (it sort of does). Good step1 score will open many doors.

IM is a good option because there are many subspecialties you can choose for fellowship/rest of your life if you don't love general medicine. There are also many many many IM spots in the country.

Good luck.

 

[Step2myLou]

FM is arguably one of the most forgiven specialties in term of class/board failures... Assuming you score 200-220, you still have a shot at Path > FM > IM in that order...

Anesthesia and PM&R might be difficult. The latter is due to limited # of spot.

I really dont think I see myself doing path but am open to FM and IM. People say that IM is less competitive than FM due to the vast amount of positions available. Is it still possible to get into a fellowship from a community IM program?

 

[Step2myLou]

Focus on Step1 like your life depends on it (it sort of does). Good step1 score will open many doors.

IM is a good option because there are many subspecialties you can choose for fellowship/rest of your life if you don't love general medicine. There are also many many many IM spots in the country.

Good luck.

Thank you! What are the chances of getting into a fellowship from a community IM program?

 

[W19]

I really dont think I see myself doing path but am open to FM and IM. People say that IM is less competitive than FM due to the vast amount of positions available. Is it still possible to get into a fellowship from a community IM program?

IM and FM are on the same scale in term of competitiveness IMO, but I think FM is more forgiven when it comes to class/board failures. It will be hard getting into competitive fellowship (GI, Card, PCCM, HemOnc etc... ) coming from a community program, but it can be done. ID, Nephro, A&I and even Rheum are still doable coming from a community program...