Prerequisites for Highly Competitive Residencies

[Stellar Clouds]

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Why is research so important to getting a competitive residency? I don't know a single practicing physician that conducts research. Of course, if one is planning on going into academic medicine its a different story.

You could say it's a way for a student to truly show that he or she is interested in the specialty, but in all reality it is just an easy way to filter out people. No research? No invite.

Some ortho programs ask their applicants to mail in a hand written copy of their personal statement. What's the point of that? Just another easy way to filter out people.

 

[Sheldor]

Oh, ok, well I guess I'm wrong then...

By all means, blow off step 2 until after you've submitted your apps. It doesn't matter and nobody will question why you have a solid step 1 score yet have not even taken step 2 even though you've already been a fourth year student for anywhere between 3-7 months before applications are due. You've been way to busy with the hell that is fourth year, and people will get that.

Step 1, a test of basic science memorization abilities that you will never use again, is really the only thing that matters in predicting the quality of future residents. Step 2, a test of clinical science reasoning, is the last thing anybody cares about. Also, step 2 is easy compared to step 1 and you don't have to study as much.

Ortho is a breeze to get into compared to derm. If you have less than a 250 step 1, no one will interview you in derm. There are so many ortho spots though that low step 1 scorers can still get a spot somewhere.

The importance of a solid step 2 isn't just inconvenient for high step 1 scorers, it's false, along with the unnerving idea that a strong step 2 can help make up for a weak step 1, which would make it harder to patronize your classmates and pigeonhole them into primary care.

Better?

This is what I did, and if worked fine, so yes. 🙂

Seriously, I took step 2 in February and it didn't come up once in my interviews. So while everyone agrees there is a shift in some specialties towards caring about step 2, in my experience YMMV.

 

[badasshairday]

pre-reqs

Most important two things:
1. sky high step 1 score
2. as many clinical Honors during 3rd year clerkships with a particular focus on Surgery/Medicine/Peds

Intermediate/low importance:
1. research (how much you should do varies in importance whether you want to match at an academic powerhouse or a strong clinical program that has less emphasis on research)
2. high Step 2 score


essentially zero importance:
1. first and second year grades (caveat, just make sure you don't fail anything).

That is it.

 

[GoSpursGo]

Oh, ok, well I guess I'm wrong then...

By all means, blow off step 2 until after you've submitted your apps. It doesn't matter and nobody will question why you have a solid step 1 score yet have not even taken step 2 even though you've already been a fourth year student for anywhere between 3-7 months before applications are due. You've been way to busy with the hell that is fourth year, and people will get that.

Step 1, a test of basic science memorization abilities that you will never use again, is really the only thing that matters in predicting the quality of future residents. Step 2, a test of clinical science reasoning, is the last thing anybody cares about. Also, step 2 is easy compared to step 1 and you don't have to study as much.

Ortho is a breeze to get into compared to derm. If you have less than a 250 step 1, no one will interview you in derm. There are so many ortho spots though that low step 1 scorers can still get a spot somewhere.

The importance of a solid step 2 isn't just inconvenient for high step 1 scorers, it's false, along with the unnerving idea that a strong step 2 can help make up for a weak step 1, which would make it harder to patronize your classmates and pigeonhole them into primary care.

Better?

I have numerous people who matched high on their list to nationally competitive ortho programs and other competitive specialties who didn't take step 2 until November.

Are there some programs and specialties out there that highly value step 2? Sure, and that's where talking to the 4th years and PD at your school comes in handy--in reality, the advice you get from them will be much more relevant to the question of what it takes to get into that specific specialty. But if I'm talking to a first year who has no idea what they're doing yet and just wants to make sure they're not closing any doors on some generic competitive specialty, step 2 is way, way below step 1, clinical grades, research, away rotations, and things like that--the aforementioned things are absolute musts, a solid step 2 certainly won't hurt but doesn't open doors like the other things do. Charting outcomes, for the most part, supports that view.

Why is research so important to getting a competitive residency? I don't know a single practicing physician that conducts research. Of course, if one is planning on going into academic medicine its a different story.

Basically, everyone going into these specialties have a high step score and good grades, so there has to be some way to differentiate between all of the rockstars. Just another hoop to jump through in the game.

 

[FSU2013]

This is what I did, and if worked fine, so yes. 🙂

Seriously, I took step 2 in February and it didn't come up once in my interviews. So while everyone agrees there is a shift in some specialties towards caring about step 2, in my experience YMMV.

I did the exact opposite and it worked out just fine. (btw, Sheldon - congrats on matching! PM me where you're heading!).

It's all a game. You have to figure out what to do based on your specialty, your app and your target program(s). I had a strong step 1 score but didn't know what I wanted to go into at the beginning of 4th year and did really well on all of my 3rd year shelfs. Since i had no idea what i wanted to go into and thought I would perform well, I wanted to take it so i could keep all of my options open. So I decided to take it early. I blew the top off it and I think it really helped solidify and complete my app. I had one PD say that he appreciated me taking it. A lot of people in my position wouldn't have taken it because it was a risk, but he said he respected me for not wanting to play the game.

My buddy matched ortho at a strong program that required step 2 to be considered. He knew this would be one of his top 3 programs prior to sending out apps, so he took it early.

One of my buddies who scored >260 on step 1 matched GS at an elite program without taking it. Another friend with >260 on step 1 took it early because he was going into EM and knew even an average step 2 score wouldn't hurt him and he wanted to be done with it and use his "step 2 study time" for vacation.

Moral of the story: there are benefits to taking it and not taking it. Neither is wrong so long as you didn't bomb step 1 or want to go to a program that requires it.

 

[JP2740]

On the topic of AOA. Does junior v.s. senior AOA matter

 

[GoSpursGo]

On the topic of AOA. Does junior v.s. senior AOA matter

As with senior AOA, junior is nice if you have it, not a glaring absence if you don't have it.

 

[FSU2013]

On the topic of AOA. Does junior v.s. senior AOA matter

My school only has one.