Step 2 important for fellowship?

[crinkle]

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Hello everyone,

I was wondering if anyone knew how important Step II scores are for applications to the more competitive pediatric fellowship programs (e.g. heme-onc, allergy/immunology, cards)? I have a good step 1 score well above average, but a step 2 score that is around the mean score.

thanks for the help!

 

[Tom345]

It doesnt matter. also peds fellowships are easy to get into. no one wants to do them. Just try to get a decent step 3 score and you will be fine.

 

[FunnyLookingKid]

Originally posted by crinkle
Hello everyone,

I was wondering if anyone knew how important Step II scores are for applications to the more competitive pediatric fellowship programs (e.g. heme-onc, allergy/immunology, cards)? I have a good step 1 score well above average, but a step 2 score that is around the mean score.

thanks for the help!

It's really not that important.
I sat on our fellowship ad com for a year and a half.
Had we reviewed your application ( with 10 attendings and 2 fellows on teh committee ) probably nobody would have even mentioned your low step 2 score.
Perhaps somebody would have brought it up, if there were other red flags , where some or more of us didn't want to interview you ( like a bad LOR )
It's a pretty small component of your overall application.

While fellowships are easy to get, the best fellowships ( like CHOP, Stanford, etc ) are still competative and fellowships like Cards, peds ER etc are more competative.

again, anybody can get a fellowship, but in many fields the job market narrows considerably after you finish, so please make sure you apply to the top programs !
It makes a huge difference whether you did your fellowship at a top program for many reasons
1. if you are required to produce research to sit for your specialty boards, many larger programs have better research
2. bigger, better quaternary programs offer a much better education.
I did neonatal-perinatal. I trained at the biggest program in USA.
We saw it all, since it's the biggest NICU in America.
I meet people that trained at smaller programs that have never even done an ECMO run, let alone managed a case almost every night on call, like we did. Some places transfer out all of their pre-op congenital hearts. That was amazing to think that some fellows did their entire training without managing complex congenital heart disease. Just amazing!
It makes a big difference where you train

 

[bella_dottoressa]

no one wants to do them

Why not? Is the job market poor after finishing? I know nothing about peds fellowships, obviously 🙂) ) but I'd really like to learn more.

 

[Kalel]

Originally posted by bella_dottoressa
Why not? Is the job market poor after finishing? I know nothing about peds fellowships, obviously 🙂) ) but I'd really like to learn more.

I spoke with a pediatrician about this a while ago. I think that it's mainly because of the mind-set of students who go into pediatrics. They are usually people who aren't interested in making a lot of money, people who love kids and therefore want some of their own soon, and people who don't like grueling hours and want to have a life outside of medicine. I realize that these are generalizations, but that was this guy's impression. All of these factors leads to a specialty where few are interested in pursuing additional training after residency. My understanding is that the job market is excellent for most peds subspecialties too (most specialty offices in most areas seem to have long waiting lists for patients to be seen).

 

[Homunculus]

Originally posted by Kalel
I spoke with a pediatrician about this a while ago. I think that it's mainly because of the mind-set of students who go into pediatrics. They are usually people who aren't interested in making a lot of money, people who love kids and therefore want some of their own soon, and people who don't like grueling hours and want to have a life outside of medicine. I realize that these are generalizations, but that was this guy's impression. All of these factors leads to a specialty where few are interested in pursuing additional training after residency. My understanding is that the job market is excellent for most peds subspecialties too (most specialty offices in most areas seem to have long waiting lists for patients to be seen).

i agree completely.

one of the main reasons i went into peds is i don't like adults. they bore me and i have a hard time feeling compassion for people with self destructive behaviors. i personally can't practice good medicine without having some kind of compassion for my patients. the vast majority of kids are innocent in their conditions. so i chose peds. however, i still like hardcore medicine and procedures the majority of people that go into peds simply aren't interested in this type of stuff, which makes it all the better for people like myself who want opportunities for fellowships in critical care, cardiology, etc. it's like the "big fish in a small pond" thing-- someone really into procedures in peds will get noticed much more than your average IM resident.

 

[jdog]

Somebody once told Geroge Bush Sr. that "it's the economy stupid."

Let me tell you that for getting peds fellowships.

"It's where you did your residency, stupid."

and

"It's who writes your letters, stupid."

If you got into a good residency and performed well, no one is going to give a rat's ass what you step 2 score is. It is freaking meaningless.

 

[edmadison]

'nother reason peds fellowship aren't competitive is that considering their duration (3 years) salary is not significantly increased. Of course there are exceptions, most notably cards, which is probably why cards is more competitve.

Ed