Pre-clinical grades and ENT

[Juis]

Hey guys,

I'm a second year, interested in ENT, and recently learned that I failed a class a couple weeks ago. I've always heard and read things like "you're going to be fine, just do well on Step 1 and third year" and "it won't matter for residency unless you want derm/ortho/plastics/ENT". The only problem is I really do want to go into ENT, and I'm worried about whether or not I still have a shot at ENT for residency.

The rest of my pre-clinical grades are good, and I've always scored pretty high on exams except for this class where I bombed the final due to stress and lack of sleep from family issues and stuff. So, I'm wondering how important are pre-clinical grades to matching into ENT? I've seen the NRMP survey and all the stats saying that they are pretty low on the list of things that a program would consider, but every time I talk to an ENT attending, they always ask about my pre-clinical grades, so I'm kind of worried.

I've also got a research year lined up after my Step 1 and before third year starts. If I'm really doomed, I would like to know before I make further commitments into the specialty. Otherwise, do you guys have any advice on things I can work on to make myself a better applicant later on?

Thanks,
J

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[OtoHNS]

Well, it's not great, but failing 1 preclinical class probably won't sabotage an otherwise strong application. I'm presuming you will need to retake the class to graduate, so work extra hard to get a good grade the second time around.

 

[Leforte]

You're not "doomed". We are all aware that things happen in life that can influence a grade. What is more important is a pattern of good performance.

Do well on Step I, do well in your 3rd year and get in some ENT research.

It will likely come up in your Dean's letter and be prepared to discuss it in your interviews.

 

[FutrrENT]

Hey guys,

I'm a second year, interested in ENT, and recently learned that I failed a class a couple weeks ago. I've always heard and read things like "you're going to be fine, just do well on Step 1 and third year" and "it won't matter for residency unless you want derm/ortho/plastics/ENT". The only problem is I really do want to go into ENT, and I'm worried about whether or not I still have a shot at ENT for residency.

The rest of my pre-clinical grades are good, and I've always scored pretty high on exams except for this class where I bombed the final due to stress and lack of sleep from family issues and stuff. So, I'm wondering how important are pre-clinical grades to matching into ENT? I've seen the NRMP survey and all the stats saying that they are pretty low on the list of things that a program would consider, but every time I talk to an ENT attending, they always ask about my pre-clinical grades, so I'm kind of worried.

I've also got a research year lined up after my Step 1 and before third year starts. If I'm really doomed, I would like to know before I take the plunge with 1 year of ENT research. Otherwise, do you guys have any advice on things I can work on to make myself a better applicant later on?

Thanks,
J

Can I be brutally honest here?

As a second year medical student, you don’t know diddly about any of the medical specialties. Unless your mommy or your daddy is an ENT and let you follow them around for a month straight, you know very little about the field. Trust me. I knew very little about ENT until getting through a year or two of the residency.

As a second year medical student, you have absolutely no business worrying about what one class is going to do to your chances of getting into an ENT residency because, quite simply, you may get half way through your third year and decide that you love pediatrics. More importantly, your concern at this point in time isn’t the failing grade and its repercussions on your residency prospects. Rather, your real concern is the fact that you completed a class without learning from it enough to become a physician. Your first task in medical school is to become a physician, period, and not to become an ENT. If you’re failing a class (for whatever reasons, about which nobody will care), you’ve got bigger fish to fry than worrying about what kind of physician you’ll become.

See my point?

 

[Juis]

Thanks. I appreciate the honesty and actually prefer people being brutally honest with me so I don't get any unrealistic expectations.

Passing the class is absolutely on the top of my priority list. I'm not sure yet whether my school's committee will want me to retake an exam or remediate the course over the summer before Step 1. But, I know what I did wrong though and I'm ready to retake or redo the class and pass it.

You're right that I don't know much about what it's like as a second year medical student. At this point, I just know that I would like to go into a surgical or procedural intensive specialty. I just thought I'd ask because ENT is one of the top specialties that I am considering and I have already invested a lot into making connections and doing research in the field.

I was worrying because I thought it would be really unfortunate if this one accidental failure in a pre-clinical course would put me out of the running for an ENT match later on, if I decide to continue pursuing this path. I also was worrying because if pre-clinical grades had such an impact, I would consider changing my research plans. I'm obviously interested in academia and becoming a surgeon-scientist later on, and any advice about that would be great as well.

 

[ThePursuit]

Hmm, I think the previous poster may have been exagerrating to make a point. Obviously you should focus on becoming as competent an individual as possible. However, thinking about your areas of interest and learning more about those areas (like ENT) is essential. You need to know what is expected of you to match into that profession. Notice that the advice to "not think about ENT" came from someone who also stated they hardly knew anything about the specialty until they were well into their residency. NOT a place someone would want to be. Thanks, but I would rather be aware of my competitiveness and then get as complete an understanding of the specialty before I commit the rest of my working life to it.

If his/her point was to do your absolute best since you may change your mind in the future, then I agree. If their point was that you shouldn't really take every opportunity to prepare for the upcoming reality that you will need to make a life-long career choice very soon - I think that's just ridiculous.

The last thing you want is to have killer grades, be at the end of third year and with you had spent a little more time learning about medical specialties because you have no idea what you want to do.

 

[OtoHNS]

I knew I wanted to do ENT by my M2 year...

Just keep an open mind 3rd year in case you discover something else you like better.