Like everyone else has said, I guess it depends on the program, but I copied/pasted two fellowships, one cardio and one child psych, where USLME step 3 is required. You can find a whole bunch more with the same requirements by Googling 'xxxxx fellowship'.
Which program did you apply for wanna_be_do? Did you hear good things back? The docs I work that didn't have USLME step 3s did the same thing you did, put COMLEX for USLME, but they weren't asked for an interview. Maybe they just plain sucked as applicants but...the programs specifically asked for USLME so it's a good bet that had something to do with it. As the links say, you can be a DO for those particular programs, they metion that's OK, but you need either "ECFMG Certification or USMLE Scores". I don't think they are accidently omitting COMLEX if they mention DOs. Right?
Look, I'm not trying to act like I know anything. I'm not a doctor, I'm not even in medical school yet, and wanna_be_do would seem to know about the process best because he/she has gone through it. But, I can read requirements posted online. They seem to be pretty straightforward, and I'm just trying to help a fellow student out 🙂
In order to limit confusion in this thread, let me first state that my comments are regarding
USMLE Step 3, NOT the other steps. I'm also limiting my comments to
fellowships, not residency.
There are many reasons why people get accepted or rejected from fellowships. Osteopathic fellowship applicants typically have a rougher time applying for competitive fellowship positions outside of the institution where they did residency, as most ACGME fellowship programs prefer US-trained MDs in their programs. There are exceptions, of course, but this tends to be the rule.
With that said, for your physician acquaintances to cite not taking USMLE Step 3 as the reason for their rejection seems dubious to me. Most DOs do not take USMLE Step 3.
If you look at the
NRMP Match Data for 2008 (Table 2: 'Fellowship Appointments'), you will see that there were 221 osteopathic graduates who matched for ACGME fellowships in total through The Match.
However, looking at
performance data for the USMLE in 2007 (Table 3: 2006-2007 Step 3 Administrations), only 21 DOs actually sat for the USMLE Step 3. They haven't yet put up the 2008 data but it's probably safe to assume that the numbers will not have changed dramatically.
So, if you assume all those Step 3 takers were doing it for fellowship (which is probably an erroneous assumption) then roughly 90% of DOs who successfully match into ACGME fellowships DO NOT take USMLE Step 3. As I mentioned, I did not take USMLE Step 3 and am currently a fellow.
I think your intentions are good but you should consider the consequences of your advice. Neither COMLEX Level 3 nor USMLE Step 3 are easy exams to prepare for and take. Besides having to take time off from work on test day, there is a significant cost burden to these exams in terms of both money and in time spent preparing for the tests. Step 3/Level 3 are generally regarded as necessary only for state licensing and don't carry much academic weight in my experience. Fellowship directors tend to not weigh Step 3 scores as heavily as letters of recommendation, research, your medical school, where you did residency, whether you were a chief, etc.
As group_theory pointed out, often there is no mention of COMLEX on fellowship applications just because the form/website was designed by someone not familiar with the COMLEX. As always, the best thing to do is to contact the program to ask whether or not USMLE Step 3 scores are absolutely required.
