SO wants Pathology

[coquito2]

We have questions regarding away rotations. Should he apply for an away at his legacy school? Is march-april the time to get in the visiting students applications in?
It is also his home-state and close to grandparents (we have 2 kids, my oldest is 2 and autistic). There is also another program he’s interested in at the same state (CA). He worked in a path lab for 3 years before going to medical school and is pretty sure he wants this.
We are a bilingual family and would love both our daughters to live where there are Hispanic communities close by.
He wants to see what program fits our family the best, however, he sometimes has problem planning ahead of time, leaving him more lacking than prepared (maybe it’s a guy thing? Lol)
what tips can I offer him at this point of his career?

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[NotAProgDirector]

I am confused. Per your post history, you got into medical school in the 18-19 cycle. So usually you would have applied last year, or perhaps this year if you had an LOA of some sort. But you're talking about your husband.

You mention a "legacy school". No idea what that refers to. If you're talking about an undergrad degree, that will be meaningless for residency - the people who run residency programs are often completely disconnected from any undergrad anything. So there is no "legacy".

If you're talking about his home program (i.e. at the medical school), then it wouldn;t be an away rotation. So that's not right.

Much will depend upon how competitive he is. Path isn't competitive as a field, but some top programs likely are. Away rotations are not usually needed.

More details would be helpful

 

[coquito2]

I am confused. Per your post history, you got into medical school in the 18-19 cycle. So usually you would have applied last year, or perhaps this year if you had an LOA of some sort. But you're talking about your husband.

You mention a "legacy school". No idea what that refers to. If you're talking about an undergrad degree, that will be meaningless for residency - the people who run residency programs are often completely disconnected from any undergrad anything. So there is no "legacy".

If you're talking about his home program (i.e. at the medical school), then it wouldn;t be an away rotation. So that's not right.

Much will depend upon how competitive he is. Path isn't competitive as a field, but some top programs likely are. Away rotations are not usually needed.

More details would be helpful

Hi! I myself got into MD school august 2019. For many medical reasons and others, I withdrew 2.5 years ago, 6 months after the birth of my firstborn. My SO did not. He took a couple LOAs for significant reasons. So, he’s a 2025 candidate now.
Legacy, as in he did his subgrad there. I’m actually not even sure if I’m using that term right? Ignore it if I did, please.

 

[SurfingDoctor]

There seem to be a lot of red flags in this story as it is presented…

 

[PathNeuroIMorFM]

Pathology is a wildly uncompetitive specialty for US MD applicants. Even the most elite pathology programs regularly take FMGs and DOs (presumably in large part because they can't recruit enough US MDs to fill their spots).

This is an antiqued perspective.

The mid and low tier are still accessible, but lots of top programs are only accessible to MDs, MD/PhDs, and an occasional MBBS or DO with significant research.

This year, preliminary match data suggests a 20% surge in MD applicants.

 

[coquito2]

There seem to be a lot of red flags in this story as it is presented…

Im not sure what red flag. I had a very difficult birth, I left school, he took LOA, then took a study semester for STEP that my school offers.

 

[coquito2]

This is an antiqued perspective.

The mid and low tier are still accessible, but lots of top programs are only accessible to MDs, MD/PhDs, and an occasional MBBS or DO with significant research.

This year, preliminary match data suggests a 20% surge in MD applicants.

Thank you for this insight!

 

[mrbreakfast]

Im not sure what red flag.

If I'm reading this correctly, your SO, who is now an M3(?), took two lengthy leave of absences over the past 4 years, including "a study semester for STEP," which is going to be probably interpreted as a LOA for failure to achieve academic progression milestones. Unfortunately these are going to hurt an application. Doesn't necessarily mean he can't match somewhere good, just things to consider.

Legacy, as in he did his subgrad there. I’m actually not even sure if I’m using that term right?

Generally speaking, residency programs don't care where you did your undergrad, or any graduate work, with the exception of medical school.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

Hi! I myself got into MD school august 2019. For many medical reasons and others, I withdrew 2.5 years ago, 6 months after the birth of my firstborn. My SO did not. He took a couple LOAs for significant reasons. So, he’s a 2025 candidate now.
Legacy, as in he did his subgrad there. I’m actually not even sure if I’m using that term right? Ignore it if I did, please.

Thanks for the details, that makes sense.

Agree with what's already been written here.

undergrad / subgrad is meaningless. There is no legacy for residency. His home program (if there is one) will know him best, and may give him a boost.

As mentioned, Path tends to be less competitive. So he'll likely get a spot somewhere. Whether it will be at the 2 programs you're targetting is anyone's guess, and depends on how competitive those programs are (and how competitive your husband is).

LOA for the complicated birth is unlikely to be a big issue. If he failed the USMLE creating the need for a study LOA, that will have an impact. If it was just for pre-emptive studying, less so -- but one would expect he would not need this for Step 2.

 

[SurfingDoctor]

When competing against others, you don’t want something to stick out that others won’t have.

Taking a LOA to study for the step is that thing you don’t want to be noticed for. It’s not impossible, but it creates doubt.

But I have no concept of Pathology competitiveness. In my own program, in my own field, that would be a red flag. Frankly, it’s every PDs dream to have trainees who aren’t first class passengers on the struggle bus.

 

[collegestud2013]

We have questions regarding away rotations. Should he apply for an away at his legacy school? Is march-april the time to get in the visiting students applications in?
It is also his home-state and close to grandparents (we have 2 kids, my oldest is 2 and autistic). There is also another program he’s interested in at the same state (CA). He worked in a path lab for 3 years before going to medical school and is pretty sure he wants this.
We are a bilingual family and would love both our daughters to live where there are Hispanic communities close by.
He wants to see what program fits our family the best, however, he sometimes has problem planning ahead of time, leaving him more lacking than prepared (maybe it’s a guy thing? Lol)
what tips can I offer him at this point of his career?

Path overall isn't competitive to Match into residency, but California residencies tend to be slightly more competitive just due to location alone. If the program in Pathology he's interested offers away rotations, he could certainly do one but it seems to be largely unnecessary overall for Path. Keep in mind that the risk of away rotations is that it can lower your chances if you for some reason up failing to impress the faculty.

I would be more worried about the job market in Path after residency, which has never been good and usually requires one to be geographically very flexible to find their first job. This is largely because Path has one of the lowest burnout rates among any specialty in medicine, and so there tends to be less turnover once someone finds an attending position (and hence less new positions open up).

 

[coquito2]

If I'm reading this correctly, your SO, who is now an M3(?), took two lengthy leave of absences over the past 4 years, including "a study semester for STEP," which is going to be probably interpreted as a LOA for failure to achieve academic progression milestones. Unfortunately these are going to hurt an application. Doesn't necessarily mean he can't match somewhere good, just things to consider.


Generally speaking, residency programs don't care where you did your undergrad, or any graduate work, with the exception of medical school.

Okay good to know.
Yes, he took that study semester. Its a tutoring thing he had to pay for through the school

 

[coquito2]

Path overall isn't competitive to Match into residency, but California residencies tend to be slightly more competitive just due to location alone. If the program in Pathology he's interested offers away rotations, he could certainly do one but it seems to be largely unnecessary overall for Path. Keep in mind that the risk of away rotations is that it can lower your chances if you for some reason up failing to impress the faculty.

I would be more worried about the job market in Path after residency, which has never been good and usually requires one to be geographically very flexible to find their first job. This is largely because Path has one of the lowest burnout rates among any specialty in medicine, and so there tends to be less turnover once someone finds an attending position (and hence less new positions open up).

thank you for the insight. We are able to displace geographically for any match, seeing as we’re more than 3,000 miles from any significant family members anyway

 

[LunaOri]

Although it is relatively easy to match into pathology, it isn’t a good field for anyone who struggles with academics or has a hard time passing exams. The board exam is a killer (think STEP x 10) and MOC requires frequent timed quizzes. To practice, you need to have mastered a s***-ton of material.