residency matching for md/phd's vs mds

[chef]

I've heard from many that md/phds match really well and even if u r coming from a non top tier md/phd program u will have no diffuculty matching at big names like harvard, hopkins, etc.

is this still true? Lemme give an example. A is a Md/phd from school X(top10). B is also from school X(top10) but is MD only. A has 220 step 1, mostly high passes, no AOA, limited extracurriculars. B is AOA, mostly honors, 245 step 1, and many volunteering/extracurricular stuff. Now, if both applied to the same competitive residency like ENT at Hopkins, which would be more likely to be selected?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[dl2dp2]

why in the world would a MD/PhD do an ENT residency?

 

[Gradient Echo]

Well I think MD/PhD has an edge in residency placement. Here at Hopkins 100% of MSTPers got their number 1 choice.

At WashU, they told us that 90% of MSTP grads matched into their #1 choice.

Those are the only 2 schools though that I know MSTP match data for. I have no idea about "lower tier" MSTP match rate statistics.

At any rate, its very hard to come up with a quantitative comparison of match chances for MD vs MD/PhD with different stats.

Taking a wild guess, I'd guess B would have a slight edge. I'm not sure that MD/PhD degree is enough to overcome a 25 point differential in USMLE step 1 scores.

 

[none]

You're better off with a PhD than someone without a PhD. That's all you can definitely know for sure.

 

[Rumit]

When you say "no EC's" for the person with the MD/PhD that's not quite right. Consider that they have 3-5 years of research. That's a hell of a lot more than most MD's have, and I'll bet it outweighs most of what they can do during limited time in the summers and first two years. Also, MD/PhD's are generally older, and possibly a little more mature and directed, and therefore more attractive to residency directors.

At least that's my take on it.

Good luck,

Adam

 

[Doctor&Geek]

I heard a story the other day about a surgical residency director, when making decisions about who to pick out, puts applicants into two piles: one without research experience, and one with research experience. Those that have research experience gain an edge because they have better "critical thinking skills" or something nebulous like that that cuts across all fields of biomedical research, from basic to clinical.

Two cent hearsay,

Jason