Questions from an OMSIII

[lolnotacop]

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I am a third year D.O. student that is ~95% certain that I want to go into psychiatry. I came to this decision within the last couple of days and have tried to read up on what the path for me looks like going forward. I come asking for advice from you all.

Before I ask my questions I figure I should give some context to my situation. I currently go to school in the Southeast, with ties to both New York (upstate) and Ohio. I would prefer not going further West than Texas. Otherwise, I'm cool with snow or sunshine. 🙂

My stats:
Step 1: 24x
COMLEX 1: 71x
Step 2/COMLEX 2: Pending
Preclinical: Top 10%
Clinical: Honors

I would prefer to go to the best program I possibly can, but am obviously aware of D.O. bias.

My questions are:

Away rotations yey or nay? I figure the answer is to this is yes.

How many? Planning on 1-2, but really don't know where yet.

What should my app look like come ERAS time (# of apps)? Anything I should keep in mind?

I have tried to figure out which "top programs" (according to doximity) are D.O. friendly "top programs", mostly based off of the list of current residents listed on their website. While this is helpful, I want to make sure I am not limiting myself while at the same time making sure not to over-reach.

I appreciate any help! Thank you in advance!

 

[NickNaylor]

My thoughts, for whatever it's worth:

1) In general, I don't see away rotations as necessary unless you are really hoping to match at a particular program or in a particular, difficult to get into area. Your "numbers" are fine, so barring any other huge red flags, you should be a competitive applicant at most places.

2) See above.

3) Check out the NRMP match data and draw your own conclusions: http://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Charting-Outcomes-in-the-Match-2018-Seniors.pdf. Again, assuming no red flags and depending on what kind of programs you're going to be applying to, you would probably be fine to apply to 15-20 programs. Your goal would be to interview at 8-12, perhaps even less. Again, this advice is difficult to generalize because so much is dependent on your goals and personal circumstances.

4) The idea of "top programs" is anathema to me. The "top program" for you is the program that has expertise in areas that you're interested in, is in an area that you want to be in, and offers high-quality training. My "top programs" and your "top programs" would likely be completely different. I'm not convinced that there is an objective list of "top programs" and think the whole construct is silly. That's not to say that all programs are equivalent because they aren't. But my argument is that most programs will be "good enough" and will prepare you sufficiently to be an independently practicing psychiatrist. Choosing among them will depend on personal factors.

 

[Old&InTheWay]

I would apply to more than 15-20. You have great stats, but as a DO you will be starting at a disadvantage and you should aim to interview at at least 10, but maybe up to 15 places. Check out the Applicant Info tab on this spreadsheet: OFFICIAL 2018-2019 PSYCHIATRY RESIDENCY APPLICATION SPREADSHEET. It varies a lot, but there are DOs with stats similar to yours who got 7 invites from 60 applications. If I were in your shoes, I would apply to 30-50 places, with a really wide variety of competitiveness. As for DO friendliness, I think the strategy you mention is probably your best bet; I wouldn't apply anywhere that doesn't have at least a few DOs as current residents.

 

[BiscoDisco]

I am a third year D.O. student that is ~95% certain that I want to go into psychiatry. I came to this decision within the last couple of days and have tried to read up on what the path for me looks like going forward. I come asking for advice from you all.

Before I ask my questions I figure I should give some context to my situation. I currently go to school in the Southeast, with ties to both New York (upstate) and Ohio. I would prefer not going further West than Texas. Otherwise, I'm cool with snow or sunshine. 🙂

My stats:
Step 1: 24x
COMLEX 1: 71x
Step 2/COMLEX 2: Pending
Preclinical: Top 10%
Clinical: Honors

I would prefer to go to the best program I possibly can, but am obviously aware of D.O. bias.

My questions are:

Away rotations yey or nay? I figure the answer is to this is yes.

How many? Planning on 1-2, but really don't know where yet.

What should my app look like come ERAS time (# of apps)? Anything I should keep in mind?

I have tried to figure out which "top programs" (according to doximity) are D.O. friendly "top programs", mostly based off of the list of current residents listed on their website. While this is helpful, I want to make sure I am not limiting myself while at the same time making sure not to over-reach.

I appreciate any help! Thank you in advance!

I had your stats. Applied to 85, got 19 interviews, went on 14. Zero top 20 invites. Apply wisely and you'll be okay. Matched a very solid mid tier uni program.

 

[lolnotacop]

I had your stats. Applied to 85, got 19 interviews, went on 14. Zero top 20 invites. Apply wisely and you'll be okay. Matched a very solid mid tier uni program.

Did you end up doing away rotations?

 

[TexasPhysician]

I had your stats. Applied to 85, got 19 interviews, went on 14. Zero top 20 invites. Apply wisely and you'll be okay. Matched a very solid mid tier uni program.

This. Everything is getting more competitive as more med schools pop up and class sizes expand. DO’s regardless of scores will have a more difficult time. Typical top 20 programs are a reach. An away rotation may get you an interview, but unless you have published a lot or have top 5% EC’s (started a successful charity or something) you would still have a difficult time being ranked high enough to match.

Semi-unrelated note, but some applicants are truly shocking. I’ve seen applicants publish 20+ articles in 4 years of med school.

 

[BiscoDisco]

Did you end up doing away rotations?

Yes. Because I went to a DO school, and we generally have (and/or are perceived to have) weaker clinical training I wanted to do an away at a big University program early on so I could have that eval and get a letter of recommendation.

On one interview in particular I was bluntly asked about my clinical training experience and told that DOs often have a harder time acclimating because so many of us have piss poor third year experiences.

 

[Lunzio]

Absolutely do away rotations as a DO. I'd recommend 2 personally. My application was fairly similar to yours and I applied mainly to the NE (hometown) from out of region. I threw down 55 or so applications, with 20+ invites; maybe from one or two "reach" programs (CHA notably).

Come Match day, I absolutely felt the DO bias full and plenty. It may be just happenstance, but each of the programs I ranked above my #5 only matched MDs and seemingly will continue to do so (2018 season).

As already stated, apply wisely/broadly and you will be just fine! Please feel free to PM me.

 

[Mass Effect]

Only do aways if you perform better in person than on paper. Some applicants are turned down for interviews after doing an away when their scores could have gotten them one. I personally had horrible scores. I did aways and matched at my #1 because I perform better than I test. The opposite can be true too.

 

[Stagg737]

I currently go to school in the Southeast, with ties to both New York (upstate) and Ohio.

Not relevant to you now, but make sure you have a personal statement specifically for the programs in regions where you have connections. It doesn't have to be a completely separate statement, just add a short paragraph about your ties to the region and why you would fit well there. Geography matters, and having ties to an area will help.