Question about LOR and what it takes to match!

[sid876]

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Hey everybody,

I'm a third year and have so far completed my Ped's rotation and am in the middle of OB/GYN. I have IM next and then have a block in the month of January till Feb 11 off. I was planning on scheduling a PM&R elective and taking CS then. The only problem (if it's a problem) is that the only hospitals where I can schedule electives don't have residency programs in PM&R. So the quesiton I had is, is that going to be an issue when I apply? I was thinking I need to get a letter of LOR during the PM&R elective and if I get it from a place without a residency it might not carry much weight but I'm hoping that's not the case?

Also I was wondering where I should get my other LOR's from. Does it matter? I was thinking of getting them from IM and the other core rotations.

Lastly I know that PM&R is slowly getting more and more competitive and being that I am an FMG ( I go to SGU) but I am a US citizen, I know that I have an uphill battle in getting a spot. I am not looking to match at the top programs in the country but would ideally like to match at places in cities such as NY, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, etc. I got a 222/95 on step 1 which is decent but not great. I'm the type of person who needs more time to study in order to do well on steps so would it be a bad idea if I were to schedule Step 2 in the middle of september. I know sept. 1st is the first day you can have you're applications in but if my step 2 is not in by then will it adversely affect me.

PM&R is definitely a field I want to go into and basically I want to know what I have to do in order to match.

Thank you kindly for your time in reading my post and suggesting what steps (no pun intended!), I should take in order to match by July 2012.

 

[fozzy40]

This definitely is a problem for students interested in our field. Comprehensive exposure of the field (residency or non-residency affiliated) in order for students to make an educated decision about PM&R is limited by the public, professional, and academic visibility.

Overall, I don't think that having a "non-residency" LOR is going to hurt you. A good letter is a good letter so make sure to perform well on your rotation. The advantage of having a LOR from a residency program is that the reader may have an idea what you saw on rotation because they know the department. The way I think you can get around this is to make sure that you set up your rotation so that you get a good mix of inpatient and outpatient PM&R and get attendings from both areas to write you letters. I have been involved in the interview process at the resident level and I am always more impressed by the student who has seen the full spectrum of PM&R versus an applicant who has only seen outpatient pain/MSK from a named institution. This is just my opinion and honestly the impression that your letter/application makes is dependent on the reader. In short, perform well and get at least 2 LORs (total) from both inpatient and outpatient attendings.

I am no expert on matching statistics of US born IMG candidates but I will give you my opinion. I tell all students not to sell them selves short when applying to programs. Sure, historically some residencies may have not taken IMGs in the past but "you can't score if you don't shoot." Plus, all the cities that you listed are competitive programs by shear geography. There are a lot of factors that go into increasing your chances of matching but my advice is to apply to broadly to any program/city that you would like to see.

 

[PMR 4 MSK]

Consider an away PM&R elective so that you have 2 LORs from PM&R. Not having a residency program at the facility won't be held against you - there are many med schools without PM&R programs.

Learn to interview well - much of PM&R hinges on that. Do mock interviews, especially with your attendings.

And change your status from"pre-dental"

 

[sid876]

Thanks a lot for the response. My schedule is set so that the only opportunity that I have for getting my LOR's in time before I have my application done in time for interviews is this upcoming January. I won't have an opportunity to do another PM&R elective until September at the very earliest. If I get a chance to do an elective then and get a good LOR can I send it out in time, before interview season.

Also what is the latest I can take step 2 ck? I was hoping I can take it as late as possible so I can do well on it.....If I take it some time in September and get my scores in October will that be too late?

Once again thanks a lot for the response.

 

[Ludicolo]

Also I was wondering where I should get my other LOR's from. Does it matter? I was thinking of getting them from IM and the other core rotations.

I’ll echo the above answers that a non-residency affiliated PM&R letter will be fine. Most good applicants will have at least 2 PM&R letters. The other LORs can come from anywhere – as long as the letter writer worked closely with you and can vouch for your work ethic and clinical skills.

Also what is the latest I can take step 2 ck? I was hoping I can take it as late as possible so I can do well on it.....If I take it some time in September and get my scores in October will that be too late?

September would be OK. Programs don’t require a step II score to apply, and if you don’t have one by September first then they simply won’t factor it in to the decision. Most programs though would prefer that you’ve received a score by your interview date.

 

[dc2md]

September would be OK. Programs don’t require a step II score to apply, and if you don’t have one by September first then they simply won’t factor it in to the decision. Most programs though would prefer that you’ve received a score by your interview date.

We definitely still consider step 2 CK scores when they come in...especially if the step 1 is just "okay". If the scores aren't in by the interview day, make sure to inform the program coordinator when they do. Of course your online file will be updated, and they'll get notice of this, but still inform them; unless it's a horrible score...then just lay low and hope they don't notice. 😉

 

[Ludicolo]

We definitely still consider step 2 CK scores when they come in...especially if the step 1 is just "okay". If the scores aren't in by the interview day, make sure to inform the program coordinator when they do. Of course your online file will be updated, and they'll get notice of this, but still inform them; unless it's a horrible score...then just lay low and hope they don't notice. 😉

Oh most definitely. While we don’t necessarily use a step 2 score to determine whether or not to offer an interview, it certainly will factor into ranking.