Potentially misleading USMLE/COMLEX info on SDN?

[DrWBD]

I was browsing through the SDN site and came across this page:<a href="http://www.studentdoctor.net/do/comlex.html" target="_blank">The COMLEX, NBOME, and USMLE FAQ</a>
Does anyone else find the "information" on this page to be a bit misleading?

Why do some D.O. students take the USMLE?

Some students feel that they need to take the USMLE in order to get accepted into an ACGME* (allopathic) residency. There is a perception that ACGME residency programs discriminate against students that take only the COMLEX. Of course this is a misguided idea; if a residency program discriminates based on which test you take, don't you think they might also discriminate against which degree you have, or which medical school you attended?••

Is it really so unreasonable to believe that in a competitive ACGME residency program, a residency director might have a hard time justifying granting an interview to a DO whom he couldn't compare objectively with another MD candidate? Please comment..

-wanna_be_DO

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[AthensfromCols]

We had a guest speaker a couple weeks ago who said he took the COMLEX years ago and applied to some very competitive allopathic residencies. He was, of course, asked to take the USMLE by the allopathic institutions and he refused. He told them he had demonstrated his skill on the COMLEX and if that wasn't good enough for them, he didn't want to practice at their hosptial anyway. He was offered every allopathic residency he applied for without taking the USMLE. There have been extensive studies conducted in the past few years that shows the COMLEX to be equivalent to the USMLE. If the allopaths don't know this, inform them.

Good luck!

 

[dcdo]

FYI, I was doing a rotation through UCI,and my attending happened to be on the residency admissions committee. The first thing he asked me when I told him I was interested in the medicine program was if I had taken the USMLE(I did). He then informed me that I would need to also take USMLE step 2.

take it for what it's worth.

 

[OT_Still]

You're not the only one:

The program director I interview with asked:
Question 1: "How are you doing?"
Question 2: "Did you take the USMLE ?"

Many program directors care about having taken the USMLE if you are applying for an ACGME residency. You may find some who don't, but don't bank on it.

 

[Leotigers]

Originally posted by dcdo:
•FYI, I was doing a rotation through UCI,and my attending happened to be on the residency admissions committee. The first thing he asked me when I told him I was interested in the medicine program was if I had taken the USMLE(I did). He then informed me that I would need to also take USMLE step 2.

take it for what it's worth.•••

My classmate matched at UC Irvine in Internal Medicine without taking Step 2 of the USMLE. She did take Step 1 though. I also had several clssmates who matched into ACGME IM Residencies with only COMLEX scores. While they might ask if you took it, this doesn't mean they won't take you without it. Best of luck in the match this year.

 

[pags]

My advice, take the USMLE. You will never, ever, ever, have a better time in your career than RIGHT NOW to take such a board exam. Don't be like many DO's that I've known say, "Damn, I wish I took the USMLE." Yea it's $400 and another day taking an exam, but you'll have the rest of your life to pay it off and recover from the extra trauma. Most students are not exactly sure where they are headed careerwise, and if it ends up at a competitive program where program directors look at your application with a magnifying glass, some will notice and some will have a problem comparing COMLEX to USMLE. This, no doubt, puts you at a disadvantage. Taking the USMLE can open more doors for you on the interview trail.