Residency selection criteria

[Mr. Plow]

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Hello all,

I am a MS3 who has sparked quite an interest in Pathology after studying for Step 1, crazy enough, and am interested in how different selection criteria are weighed, in general, by path residency programs. The criteria I had in mind are: step 1 score, grades for 1st two years, 3rd year grades, letters of rec., personal statement, research.. please add or delete per your discretion. Thanks!

 

[GreatPumpkin]

Here is how I would say they stack up

1. Grades and USMLE and spending time in the department (this may be the biggest thing, every student that has rotated through path that wanted to come to our program has matched with us)
2. Research or previous life experiences and interview
3. Letter of recs
4. Personal statement

 

[Mr. Plow]

Are grades from the basic science years and core clinical year(s) given the same weight? Intuitively, since most if not any school offers pathology as a *core* rotation, I would guess that the grades from the basic science years would be more useful for the programs since pathology is covered with emphasis. What's your take on it?

 

[Ludy]

According to a 1999 article in Academic Medicine ("Program Directors' Responses to a Survey on Variables Used to Select Residents in a Time of Change"), path PDs rank criteria in this order:
published med school research
class rank
grades in path elective
med school academic awards
membership in AOA
number of honors grades
med school reputation
grades in required clerkships
Step 2 score (by 0.01 above Step 1 score)
Step 1 score
grades in other senior electives
grades in preclinical courses (WAY below the next one up)

so I would say preclinical grades, despite seeming to have more of a reflection on your path skills than clerkship grades, are pretty unimportant. Keep in mind, this was based on the responses of only 60 PDs who replied out of 153 path PDS who received the survey.

 

[rirriri]

ludy,

thanks for that, but also keep in mind that the info you presented is from 1999 ; prior to the advent of the computerized application process. The system is now much more streamlined to filter through applicants, so i wonder how much that may have changed since then.

how many applicants actually have any publications? the average MS3 or MS4 is usually pretty bogged down with rotations and exams to ever have time to do research, correct?

i'm asking because i am an IMG and I am not entirely familiar with the agenda you guys pursue in your 3rd and 4th years.

things like A0A don't even have a part in my application.

Great Pumpkin's list looks pretty spot on to me (as expected!)....that's what i have read in various sources.

cheers!!

 

[Ludy]

I agree, it is somewhat outdated. And it also only looks at academic factors, so things like electives at that program, LORs and personal statements weren't considered. According to the PD at my school, his top two factors are med school reputation and having done a rotation at our program. Then USMLE and grades, while personal statements and LORs aren't really that important, unless there's something particularly unusual about them (good or bad 😉 ). As for research, I'm not sure how many path applicants actually have published articles... I haven't, but I don't think it's uncommon, particularly with the overrepresentation of MD/PhDs in path. Most people who have published and aren't MD/PhDs would have done a project in the summer after their first year, or published something small like a case report during the third or fourth years.

 

[Doctor B.]

Don't forget the most important thing that programs consider: yourself. While all the things listed above are important, having a good personality as well as being responsible and easy to work with are very important as well. Many interviewers and residents will judge you on your personality because that is what they will initially encounter, especially if you rotate there. I can tell you from experience that we've had several more than qualified candidates who we ruled out right away because we didn't think we'd be able to work well with them in the future.

 

[Arctic Char]

sorry for knocking the dust off this thread . . . but i was just curious since most schools these days are on pass/fail/honors systems, when people say grades are important are they talking about simply the number of honors they have?

 

[yaah]

See Ludy's post above. I wish Ludy would come back, was always so helpful. I don't think step I is as unimportant as listed in that list though.

Grades are mostly important I would say if you fail a class. As long as you pass they probably can't hurt you, especially because so many schools are pass/fail now (at least for years 1-2). And yes, honors grades help, but don't worry too much about it provided the rest of your application is solid.

 

[Arctic Char]

roger👍

 

[raspberry009]

According to a 1999 article in Academic Medicine ("Program Directors' Responses to a Survey on Variables Used to Select Residents in a Time of Change"), path PDs rank criteria in this order:
published med school research
class rank
grades in path elective
med school academic awards
membership in AOA
number of honors grades
med school reputation
grades in required clerkships
Step 2 score (by 0.01 above Step 1 score)
Step 1 score
grades in other senior electives
grades in preclinical courses (WAY below the next one up)

so I would say preclinical grades, despite seeming to have more of a reflection on your path skills than clerkship grades, are pretty unimportant. Keep in mind, this was based on the responses of only 60 PDs who replied out of 153 path PDS who received the survey.

I must be an exception to this list. My only really strong point was my step 1 and 2 scores. Everything else was "eh." I got invitations to every school that I applied to. From my experience, everyone has their own list. Each PD has their own priority list, which they have to if you think about it. They want you to fit into their program if you match there. For example, a heavy research oriented program will tend to prefer MD/PhDs or someone with research experience. Programs who have little research resources will look at you funny when you tell them that your interested in a postdoc year, ect. (This is the most obvious example that I can think of.) If your a family oriented person, there are family oriented programs, ect.

 

[djmd]

I must be an exception to this list. My only really strong point was my step 1 and 2 scores. Everything else was "eh." I got invitations to every school that I applied to. From my experience, everyone has their own list. Each PD has their own priority list, which they have to if you think about it. They want you to fit into their program if you match there. For example, a heavy research oriented program will tend to prefer MD/PhDs or someone with research experience. Programs who have little research resources will look at you funny when you tell them that your interested in a postdoc year, ect. (This is the most obvious example that I can think of.) If your a family oriented person, there are family oriented programs, ect.

I think the step 1 & 2 scores are a useful quick numerical reference and are used get a Q&D sense of an applicant.. They may have become more important in pathology as the number of applicants went up..

 

[docbiohazard]

Not to split hairs, but the 2007 data is available at:
http://www.nrmp.org/data/chartingoutcomes2007.pdf

BH