Path--too competitive for me??

[pathER]

Well, the bad news for me came today with my step I score. A quite astounding 205/83. Note the sarcasm please. I was really really thinking I broke 220 which would have made my day, but of course, it didn't happen. Oh but it get's worse. I really needed a good score, and I studied my butt off for a few months, but now I found myself with not so great grades, no failing, but not great, osteo school grad, and now a mediocre 205 on step one.

I'm really wanting path at some area specific places, but now it seems I may have a hard time landing path period. I was planning on doing rotations there but now I'm thinking it may not even matter, and they may not even let me rotate there with my sub par stats. Coming from current residents, do you think there is anyway I can dig myself out at this point?? Or any words of encouragement at all. IM is my back up, but I've had my heart set on path, so I don't want to think this is the end just cause I may not be great at multiple choice tests. Crap. Just had to vent!!!!!!

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[pathstudent]

Well, the bad news for me came today with my step I score. A quite astounding 205/83. Note the sarcasm please. I was really really thinking I broke 220 which would have made my day, but of course, it didn't happen. Oh but it get's worse. I really needed a good score, and I studied my butt off for a few months, but now I found myself with not so great grades, no failing, but not great, osteo school grad, and now a mediocre 205 on step one.

I'm really wanting path at some area specific places, but now it seems I may have a hard time landing path period. I was planning on doing rotations there but now I'm thinking it may not even matter, and they may not even let me rotate there with my sub par stats. Coming from current residents, do you think there is anyway I can dig myself out at this point?? Or any words of encouragement at all. IM is my back up, but I've had my heart set on path, so I don't want to think this is the end just cause I may not be great at multiple choice tests. Crap. Just had to vent!!!!!!

Please a 205 will not keep you out of path. You might not land a spot at the most popular programs but you can get in somewhere. Path still only fills like 60% with AMGs. There is a ton of room for DOs, FMGs, Carib. grads.

 

[Sean2tall]

Please a 205 will not keep you out of path. You might not land a spot at the most popular programs but you can get in somewhere. Path still only fills like 60% with AMGs. There is a ton of room for DOs, FMGs, Carib. grads.

I'm glad to hear the words of encouragement as well, as I'm in a similar situation. US MD student - I just got my scores, 200 even. I was also thinking I would try to apply in a specific geographic area, but now I'm starting to think I'll have to have lots of backups.

 

[pathdawg]

Well, the bad news for me came today with my step I score. A quite astounding 205/83. Note the sarcasm please. I was really really thinking I broke 220 which would have made my day, but of course, it didn't happen. Oh but it get's worse. I really needed a good score, and I studied my butt off for a few months, but now I found myself with not so great grades, no failing, but not great, osteo school grad, and now a mediocre 205 on step one.

I'm really wanting path at some area specific places, but now it seems I may have a hard time landing path period. I was planning on doing rotations there but now I'm thinking it may not even matter, and they may not even let me rotate there with my sub par stats. Coming from current residents, do you think there is anyway I can dig myself out at this point?? Or any words of encouragement at all. IM is my back up, but I've had my heart set on path, so I don't want to think this is the end just cause I may not be great at multiple choice tests. Crap. Just had to vent!!!!!!

Are you kidding? Seriously. I don't care what your step I score is or if you are a D.O. or whatever. You will have multiple (I repeat MULTIPLE) programs vying for you. Pathology is not Derm. It is not Optho. In the grand scheme of things, it is not competitive whatsoever. Might you have some issues if your heart was set on MGH or Stanford? Maybe. But for any other good program, you will have absolutely no problem.

What specific area were you eyeing? Again, if you are a decent medical student with no fellony convictions (acquitals don't count!) you will not have a problem finding a good residency.

Now as to finding a job after residency...

 

[LADoc00]

Are you kidding? Seriously. I don't care what your step I score is or if you are a D.O. or whatever. You will have multiple (I repeat MULTIPLE) programs vying for you. Pathology is not Derm. It is not Optho. In the grand scheme of things, it is not competitive whatsoever. Might you have some issues if your heart was set on MGH or Stanford? Maybe. But for any other good program, you will have absolutely no problem.

What specific area were you eyeing? Again, if you are a decent medical student with no fellony convictions (acquitals don't count!) you will not have a problem finding a good residency.

Now as to finding a job after residency...

Since when was MGH competitive to get into?? I remember one Nancy Lee Harris telling me "Ladoc, you wont come here, I know that, but I want you leave with the impression that not ALL our residents are foriegners."

Hahahahaha.

True story.


AP slide consult to MGH: $150
MGH consult report fax'd back to me with no resident or fellow having seen it: $0.10
MGH translating service attending departmental conferences: Priceless.

 

[pathdawg]

Since when was MGH competitive to get into?? I remember one Nancy Lee Harris telling me "Ladoc, you wont come here, I know that, but I want you leave with the impression that not ALL our residents are foriegners."

Hahahahaha.

True story.


AP slide consult to MGH: $150
MGH consult report fax'd back to me with no resident or fellow having seen it: $0.10
MGH translating service attending departmental conferences: Priceless.

I was trying to come up with a "competitive" path residency NOS. Feel free to substitute any other place.

Did Nancy Harris really call you "LADoc"? If so, that woul be cool. I am going to want all of my interviewers to refer to me as "Pathdawg".

"So, tell me about your experience performing fna's, Pathdawg."
"Pathdawg, what is your salary requirement?"
"Would you like a tour of our lab, Pathdawg?"

Hmmmm...I think I like it.

 

[yaah]

I think on my interview day at MGH, there was a DO student with a step I score of less than 220.

The only required step I score at many places is passing. After that point, the rest of your application becomes more important. Step I scores are important if you do well, but if you don't do that well, they won't kill you. It's just that the rest of your application is more important. I suppose there are some programs that will reject someone for a low step I score, but I don't know what that number is.

I guess you could always try to take step II earlier than normal and try to do well.

 

[LADoc00]

I was trying to come up with a "competitive" path residency NOS. Feel free to substitute any other place.

Did Nancy Harris really call you "LADoc"? If so, that woul be cool. I am going to want all of my interviewers to refer to me as "Pathdawg".

Ill call you Pathdawg

 

[Path Mama]

I guess I have to put a damper on things to say that programs that get a lot of applications may screen applicants by just looking at the numbers to decide who gets an interview for what are usually limited interview days. So the top applicants who are offered a ton of interviews (and who accept them all to try and ensure the best spot for themselves) can end up clogging the system and boxing out those with average or below average stats.

Most path programs are small (4 or 5 residents a year), and I bet they end up only interviewing 40 to 50 applicants at best, usually only 1 or 2 applicants a day. You can imagine that with an interview season that may run from late October/early November to late January, the slots can fill up quickly.

I'm not saying you can't match in pathology, because you definitely can. Just make sure you send your application to a lot of programs early, and follow up with the program coordinators about whether interview dates are available if you haven't heard from them in a timely fashion.

Good luck!

 

[pathstudent]

LADOC probably was doing path when it was at its all time low for AMGs. In the mid to late 90s there were only 130-150 AMGs applying per year. That number has more than doubled at this point. So today, I think you'll see predominantly AMGs entering in the "big-name" programs in desirable cities such as MGH in Boston.

However, there are still a lot of excess spots. If you can get 6-7 interviews, I think you can count on a match, provided you are not a weird interview. You just have to be flexible and not dead set on one program in one city.

 

[LADoc00]

LADOC probably was doing path when it was at its all time low for AMGs. In the mid to late 90s there were only 130-150 AMGs applying per year. That number has more than doubled at this point. So today, I think you'll see predominantly AMGs entering in the "big-name" programs in desirable cities such as MGH in Boston.

However, there are still a lot of excess spots. If you can get 6-7 interviews, I think you can count on a match, provided you are not a weird interview. You just have to be flexible and not dead set on one program in one city.

I seem to remember someone at MGH, blanking on the name, saying "I see your board scores are....Native English Speaker...excellent, welcome to Boston"

This was an era (dunno if they still do it) where MGH had bizarre group interviews with like 5-6 applicants on a given day, and there was at least half of em that were straight out a lab Fobbies, probably had been 5-10 years literally since they had been in med school back in the homeland.

 

[Path Mama]

Oh, if there is one program out there that you are really hoping to join, maybe you could try and rotate on surg path for a month there. Do a really good job and impress them. I bet the program would be more likely to take a "known" like yourself over someone else that looks good on paper but only visits them on interview day.

 

[rirriri]

Oh, if there is one program out there that you are really hoping to join, maybe you could try and rotate on surg path for a month there. Do a really good job and impress them. I bet the program would be more likely to take a "known" like yourself over someone else that looks good on paper but only visits them on interview day.

good strategy....definitely

 

[Quixotic]

Is a 226 competitve enough to interview at the top-tier programs? Path is one of my top 3 choices and I would like to be able to land a residency in a location I want to live like CA, CO or UT. I have HP grades and research experience.

 

[pathstudent]

Is a 226 competitve enough to interview at the top-tier programs? Path is one of my top 3 choices and I would like to be able to land a residency in a location I want to live like CA, CO or UT. I have HP grades and research experience.

I knew people with 220s that matched into Ortho, so you'll have no problems. Apply to all programs in CA, CO and UT and you will match in one for sure. If you have your heart set on any one program (like UCSF), you may or may not land it, but that can be true even if you have a 250. A 226 will not hold you back. I don't know what the top tier programs are in those three states, but let's just say it is Univ of Colo, Univ of UT , Stanford and UCSF. If you get interviews at all 4, you will have a great chance and ending up at one of them.
.

 

[pathdawg]

Pick the prgram that you most want to go, and do a month rotation with them. If you are half-way decent (and half-way normal), they'll likely accept you.