residency committees and grades

[Pinner Doc]

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I'm on peds, and it's what I've always wanted to do... but I feel like in terms of evals, our peds department is really tough.

I've heard from so many people that the single most important thing that residency committees look at is the grade you got in your 3rd year rotation in your chosen specialty.

Now... if everything is so subjective, how can this be? Do they really put so much weight on the honors vs. pass, or do they look closely at the comments you got on that rotation as well?

Obviously a medical student is going to try very hard in the rotation he/she is interested in, but it really seems like there is absolutely no way to guarantee you will do exceptionally well (honors), no matter how hard you try. Not to mention all the people who can't decide what to go into until the last second...

Can anyone clarify?

 

[chintu]

I think you can still get a decent residency even if you don't get honors as long as your evals are pretty good. You can kick your butt on sub-I or an away rotation at the place you're interested in and land the residency of your choice especially since u r interested in peds and not ortho or plastics.

 

[Bertelman]

I think the grades you got on your rotation for the chosen specialty may be one of the LEAST important factors, especially for Peds (compared to, say, surgery). Subjective on so many levels. The residents you worked with. The patients you carried. The attendings. Your MS3 colleagues. Maybe it was your first rotation. On and On. What matters-
1) Step1
2) average of clinical grades
3) basic science grades
4) evaluations (all of theme)
5) interview prowess

At my school, our OB dept. is notorious for giving cookie-cutter, 3-sentence evals on every single student. They literally have a form that includes pre-made statements. No room for improv. Plenty from our school still match OB.

Point is, don't worry about it. Make sure there are no glaring comments on on your evaluations, red flags, etc. Move on, improve, study harder, whatever it takes. It's only November. You may not choose Peds after all.

 

[Pinner Doc]

gracias for the advice.

but what really made me comment was seeing the new scrubs quote 👍

 

[Bertelman]

gracias for the advice.

but what really made me comment was seeing the new scrubs quote 👍

I've been waiting 6 months for the new season. Tonight paid off, though. Too many laughs.

 

[Dr JPH]

I've heard from so many people that the single most important thing that residency committees look at is the grade you got in your 3rd year rotation in your chosen specialty.

I think that certainly plays a large role. If you do your clerkship at a potential residency choice its expected that you are going to work your butt off during that month to get a good grade and maybe even a LOR.

If you come out of that clerkship with a subpar grade or negative comment on your eval, then that can hurt.

But I dont think an average grade means much of anything because PDs and residents realize that everyone grades differently...they do it themselves.

What IS important? What can you NOT fake?

- LOR
- Word of mouth from residents
- Board scores

Im applying for Surgery. My school has Pass, High Pass, Honors for our clerkships. My Surgery grade was a Pass where most others were HP or H. Doesnt seem to be an issue that I have encountered. But I do keep getting nods over what people have said in LORs.

 

[oldbearprofessor]

I'm on peds, and it's what I've always wanted to do... but I feel like in terms of evals, our peds department is really tough.

I've heard from so many people that the single most important thing that residency committees look at is the grade you got in your 3rd year rotation in your chosen specialty.

Now... if everything is so subjective, how can this be? Do they really put so much weight on the honors vs. pass, or do they look closely at the comments you got on that rotation as well?

Obviously a medical student is going to try very hard in the rotation he/she is interested in, but it really seems like there is absolutely no way to guarantee you will do exceptionally well (honors), no matter how hard you try. Not to mention all the people who can't decide what to go into until the last second...

Can anyone clarify?

It is certainly not necessary to get honors in one's core pedi rotation to match into a good residency in pedi or become a specialist such as a neonatologist (I got a P in pedi....). In any case, I think pedi program directors (of which I am not one!) put a lot of emphasis on the evaluations and remember it's all your pedi evaluations that matter, not necessarily just the core ones. Do a couple electives, impress the folks there and you'll be fine.

Pedi is great - congratulations on your choice and don't worry about the core grade unless it's an "F" - which I rather doubt....

Regards

OBP

 

[Medis4me]

Hey all, after reading all of your posts, I wanted to ask the same question about my own situation, but for radiology.

During third year, I honored or high passed every one of my required rotations and did not have any negative comments. My board scores are pretty good as well. I just recently decided to pursue radiology while taking a radiology elective in July. The grading system is very objective (as it is based on exams), and unforunately, I barely scored the mean on the exams. I havent received my final grade yet, but I know it will only be a pass, based on my exam grades, and I don't know what my eval will look like (since it will probably be based somewhat on my exam performance). Will this affect me in getting a radiology residency? Please let me know if you have any advice - thanks!

 

[PeepshowJohnny]

The impression I've got is when they say how important clinical grades, it's not just trhe clinical grade of the subject you're interested in. It's a sum picture.

For example, at our orientation we had the surgery program director flat out stated he didn't care how well you much dexterity you displayed on your rotation. He said with enough training and practice he could turn anyone into a decent to good surgeon. The things that mattered to him were hard work and mental toughness. If you had those, you were okay.

Residency programs see you as clay they can shape you into what they want. So a high medicine and psych score isn't going to make a peds residency director say "He shouldn't be in Peds, he should do medicine or pscyh" they'll see someone who can work hard in different fields.

 

[Tired]

Now... if everything is so subjective, how can this be? Do they really put so much weight on the honors vs. pass, or do they look closely at the comments you got on that rotation as well?

Obviously a medical student is going to try very hard in the rotation he/she is interested in, but it really seems like there is absolutely no way to guarantee you will do exceptionally well (honors), no matter how hard you try. Not to mention all the people who can't decide what to go into until the last second...

Can anyone clarify?

Not to be rude, but are you suggesting that no one at your school's Peds program gets honors? The whole point of 3rd year clerkships is to see if you can stand out in the field that you are interested in. If you can't manage to honor a Peds rotation that all the Surgery, Medicine, and Psych-oriented students only pass, what in the world would you have to complain about?

 

[fakin' the funk]

The whole point of 3rd year clerkships is to see if you can stand out in the field that you are interested in. If you can't manage to honor a Peds rotation that all the Surgery, Medicine, and Psych-oriented students only pass, what in the world would you have to complain about?

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