Pediatrics Competitiveness

[chronicangina]

Hi! I’m a 3rd year going on 4th year applying pediatrics, and it’s been hard to get someone to tell me which programs i would be competitive for, was hoping to get some advice here. A ballpark estimate would be just fine!

Stats:
Mid tier school
Masters degree
5/7 Honors: peds, Ob, surg, IM, Neuro
One research poster before med school, as well as thesis for my masters
4-6 work experiences pre med school
6 volunteer experiences during school, 1 long term at an underserved clinic since starting med school
URM Male
Step1 p, haven’t taken step 2 yet
2 leadership positions at med school clubs
Current mentor for 2 students

Any insight would be great, thank you!

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[GoSpursGo]

Hard to say without step 2. Honestly I’m not sure how much the volunteer experiences matter without specifics

 

[calvinhobbes]

Not competitive at all. You will 100% match into any program you want (especially bc you are URM), as long as you pass Step 2. Pediatrics is the second least competitive speciality (with EM being the least competitive these days as no one wants to do EM anymore, just look at match statistics), and peds is a bit more competitive than FM even tho FM graduates make more money than peds.

TL;DR: You’ll be fine 👍

 

[oldbearprofessor]

Hi! I’m a 3rd year going on 4th year applying pediatrics, and it’s been hard to get someone to tell me which programs i would be competitive for, was hoping to get some advice here. A ballpark estimate would be just fine!

Stats:
Mid tier school
Masters degree
5/7 Honors: peds, Ob, surg, IM, Neuro
One research poster before med school, as well as thesis for my masters
4-6 work experiences pre med school
6 volunteer experiences during school, 1 long term at an underserved clinic since starting med school
URM Male
Step1 p, haven’t taken step 2 yet
2 leadership positions at med school clubs
Current mentor for 2 students

Any insight would be great, thank you!

Although pediatrics generally is not competitive, a small number of the top programs are quite competitive. Also, programs generally in the upper tier pay a lot of attention to letters of rec, less so to the volunteer activities although they are considered. An average step 2 score with all of the above would make you competitive anywhere, a bit marginal for the top couple ranked programs (you might not want those anyway). A low passing step 2 might make you less competitive for the top programs, but competitive elsewhere. A high step (80%ile or above) with good letters and the top programs will want you!

 

[pinkowl250]

Lots of good advice above. I concur that with a solid step 2 you would be competitive at most places, as pediatrics is generally not competitive unless you are shooting for top programs. I am a fourth year who just matched and would also add that most program directors seemed to emphasize fit during the interview process. I was lucky enough to match into my top choice, even though I didn't have stellar metrics. Showing genuine interest in the program and interviewing well goes a long way.

 

[djsbaseball2014]

@chronicangina Take this from a URM, male who just applied this past cycle, you will be more than fine. I had an Avg Step 1, and below avg Step 2 and matched at my #1 program which is T10 peds program. Do not stress, peds is definitely more holistic than some other specialties. Feel free to reach out for specifics, more than happy to share my journey