VSAS Anesthesiology thread

[agent_purple]

Was hoping we can get the community together more (or at least the anesthesia hopeful lurkers) to talk about rotations here. Certain places, opportunities, acceptance/rejections. Also maybe where you had a good experience.

Still waiting on a lot of mine to come through, but starting to feel like I wont hear back. I've received two, one has a residency while one does not. Hoping to get some experience and a good LOR's nonetheless.

I'm wondering when its time to lock down my schedule though, can I assume that if I don't hear back from programs in the next few weeks that its a silent no? I've heard of some people never hearing replies even well into 4th year

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[atAltitude]

Thanks for starting this thread. There are still several programs that do not open until May. Also, the delay is often due to the program waiting to see if they fill spots with there own students first, so it could still go either way. There is a possibility of not hearing back until right before the rotation begins from what I've heard. I have only received a couple of rejections and one offer (I applied very early). I'm trying to be patient and wait before sending out another batch of applications. If I don't hear anything by mid to late May I will send out a few more.

 

[azygos the grey]

......................

 

[Chip N Sawbones]

rejected from Michigan and Kentucky. step 1 is only 211 tho and my school is ridiculously slow at getting grades out, so I only have 3-4 actual clinical grades on my transcript. still waiting to hear back from a couple as well as applying to a few that arent open yet

Try Vermont and Tennessee. I got accepted for aways at those schools last summer with a 201 Step I. I had a great rotation in Vermont. It was a really good program, they let me do a lot, and I got two LORs from the faculty. They gave me an interview and paid for the hotels for their interviewees, which was nice. In the end I didn't get accepted there, but I have enough red flags that I wasn't entirely surprised to not match. Tennessee was also a good program. I had a good rotation, but when I met with the director to let him know I really wanted to do residency there it was pretty obvious from his reaction to hearing my Step I score that it wasn't going to happen. They didn't even give me a courtesy interview, which was a disappointment since Knoxville was a great town in a beautiful area. Even though I didn't match I still recommend doing aways at those schools, since you are likely to have better luck than me.

 

[azygos the grey]

Try Vermont and Tennessee. I got accepted for aways at those schools last summer with a 201 Step I. I had a great rotation in Vermont. It was a really good program, they let me do a lot, and I got two LORs from the faculty. They gave me an interview and paid for the hotels for their interviewees, which was nice. In the end I didn't get accepted there, but I have enough red flags that I wasn't entirely surprised to not match. Tennessee was also a good program. I had a good rotation, but when I met with the director to let him know I really wanted to do residency there it was pretty obvious from his reaction to hearing my Step I score that it wasn't going to happen. They didn't even give me a courtesy interview, which was a disappointment since Knoxville was a great town in a beautiful area. Even though I didn't match I still recommend doing aways at those schools, since you are likely to have better luck than me.

Vermont doesnt let DO's rotate there lol. Ill take a look at Tennessee. Thanks man

 

[Dr.Jekyll75]

Hey guys im new to the gas game so tolerate and answer what maybe stupid questions. Ive been told by a few 4th years that away rotations are not need if you have a letter from your base hospital for anesthesia, is this correct? second question, is there an emra like website for anesthesia? where we can look up stats, % of img/Do and all the extra info that you would have to dig around for on the main website of the residency program?

 

[AdmiralChz]

Hey guys im new to the gas game so tolerate and answer what maybe stupid questions. Ive been told by a few 4th years that away rotations are not need if you have a letter from your base hospital for anesthesia, is this correct? second question, is there an emra like website for anesthesia? where we can look up stats, % of img/Do and all the extra info that you would have to dig around for on the main website of the residency program?

Honestly this has been answered so much over the past few months it’s sort of obnoxious. Use the search function, please!

 

[Mehd School]

Vermont doesnt let DO's rotate there lol. Ill take a look at Tennessee. Thanks man

Considering they have multiple DO's on their roster, including a classmate of mine this year, that doesn't make a ton of sense.

 

[azygos the grey]

Considering they have multiple DO's on their roster, including a classmate of mine this year, that doesn't make a ton of sense.

You can apply for a rotation with the department directly "without sponsorship from UVM", but I'm not sure if its worth the effort and time to do so

 

[agent_purple]

Try Vermont and Tennessee. I got accepted for aways at those schools last summer with a 201 Step I. I had a great rotation in Vermont. It was a really good program, they let me do a lot, and I got two LORs from the faculty. They gave me an interview and paid for the hotels for their interviewees, which was nice. In the end I didn't get accepted there, but I have enough red flags that I wasn't entirely surprised to not match. Tennessee was also a good program. I had a good rotation, but when I met with the director to let him know I really wanted to do residency there it was pretty obvious from his reaction to hearing my Step I score that it wasn't going to happen. They didn't even give me a courtesy interview, which was a disappointment since Knoxville was a great town in a beautiful area. Even though I didn't match I still recommend doing aways at those schools, since you are likely to have better luck than me.

Did you end up matching into an Anesthesia program though with your score?

 

[Chip N Sawbones]

Did you end up matching into an Anesthesia program though with your score?

No, I did not match. I still liked those away rotations, and I feel fairly sure that I would have matched to one of them if it wasn't for failing Step I and getting failed on surgery. My plan now is to take EMT classes and go back to remodeling houses. I could try to match into family medicine next cycle but I just can't see myself doing primary care. Anesthesiology was much more competitive this year than it was the last two, and I don't see it getting less competitive any time in the near future.

 

[Dr.Jekyll75]

No, I did not match. I still liked those away rotations, and I feel fairly sure that I would have matched to one of them if it wasn't for failing Step I and getting failed on surgery. My plan now is to take EMT classes and go back to remodeling houses. I could try to match into family medicine next cycle but I just can't see myself doing primary care. Anesthesiology was much more competitive this year than it was the last two, and I don't see it getting less competitive any time in the near future.

Well talk about a life change . Id rather be a pcp than an emt any day. Nothing against you, but i just find it hard to see someone who went through med school to go back to low paying jobs when they could just get 200K+ doing family

 

[Chip N Sawbones]

I can make enough money remodeling houses that it won't be too much of a problem. I'm in the process of buying a nice foreclosure that should net me a 100k profit after six months of work fixing the plumbing and deck, painting the exterior trim, interior and roof, and putting in new carpets, countertops and a new bathroom. I have fairly simple tastes in cars and toys, and if I want a nice house I can always find one on sale and fix it up. Being an EMT in Alaska can lead to some pretty interesting jobs, such as playing doctor for the oilfield workers on the North Slope. It isn't ideal, but it's better than taking another year to try to keep doing medicine, maybe matching in FM, and then following a career I don't really want and that I don't think I'd be all that good at.

 

[Dr.Jekyll75]

I can make enough money remodeling houses that it won't be too much of a problem. I'm in the process of buying a nice foreclosure that should net me a 100k profit after six months of work fixing the plumbing and deck, painting the exterior trim, interior and roof, and putting in new carpets, countertops and a new bathroom. I have fairly simple tastes in cars and toys, and if I want a nice house I can always find one on sale and fix it up. Being an EMT in Alaska can lead to some pretty interesting jobs, such as playing doctor for the oilfield workers on the North Slope. It isn't ideal, but it's better than taking another year to try to keep doing medicine, maybe matching in FM, and then following a career I don't really want and that I don't think I'd be all that good at.

id say def give it a try this cycle . apply both. are you a AMG? IMG ?

 

[spacegun]

I can make enough money remodeling houses that it won't be too much of a problem. I'm in the process of buying a nice foreclosure that should net me a 100k profit after six months of work fixing the plumbing and deck, painting the exterior trim, interior and roof, and putting in new carpets, countertops and a new bathroom. I have fairly simple tastes in cars and toys, and if I want a nice house I can always find one on sale and fix it up. Being an EMT in Alaska can lead to some pretty interesting jobs, such as playing doctor for the oilfield workers on the North Slope. It isn't ideal, but it's better than taking another year to try to keep doing medicine, maybe matching in FM, and then following a career I don't really want and that I don't think I'd be all that good at.

If you really want anesthesiology, you could try for a prelim year, then apply to advanced programs.

Or why not do FM, then try to transfer into anesthesiology after a year? Or even doing an entire FM residency, then trying to apply to anesthesiology? After doing a residency in FM, your application should be really strong and you should be able to get into anesthesiology.

 

[atAltitude]

I also didn’t pass Step 1 first time. I’m officially scared now. Mind me asking how you did on Step 2?

No, I did not match. I still liked those away rotations, and I feel fairly sure that I would have matched to one of them if it wasn't for failing Step I and getting failed on surgery. My plan now is to take EMT classes and go back to remodeling houses. I could try to match into family medicine next cycle but I just can't see myself doing primary care. Anesthesiology was much more competitive this year than it was the last two, and I don't see it getting less competitive any time in the near future.

 

[azygos the grey]

No, I did not match. I still liked those away rotations, and I feel fairly sure that I would have matched to one of them if it wasn't for failing Step I and getting failed on surgery. My plan now is to take EMT classes and go back to remodeling houses. I could try to match into family medicine next cycle but I just can't see myself doing primary care. Anesthesiology was much more competitive this year than it was the last two, and I don't see it getting less competitive any time in the near future.

You don't even want to do IM? I'm not a fan of primary care either, but hospitalist work isnt bad, you can always flip houses on the 26 weeks you have off during the year, plus a six figure salary.

 

[Chip N Sawbones]

I'll try to answer everyone's questions. I'm a U.S. MD, and I went to a good private school, or at least an expensive one. I'm a nontrad student who went back to college for a year of the prereq classes. They went well, but throughout the first two years of med school I barely passed everything. The material all made sense, but I couldn't memorize it fast enough. I think all my life I've been bad at straight memorization, but I was always easily able to compensate for it until med school started. I failed Step I by a point and got a 201 on the retake. That probably would have been all right except that when I took surgery I passed each part of the rotation, including the shelf exam, but the grade was averaged out in such a way that I failed the rotation. I thought that was ridiculous, and the surgeon I worked with the most was absolutely livid that my school would do this, especially because he knew I really was working hard and helping the team out a lot, but what could I do? I retook the surgery rotation at a different site, didn't do anything different and this time I passed with no problems. Between taking extra time for Step I and getting failed in surgery, I was left with no time in third year for electives, away rotations or a sub-i before interview season. I knew that would never work, so I delayed graduating by a year. I got a 228 on Step 2. A big improvement, but still not all that great.

Oddly enough, I did great on my anesthesiology rotations. I liked the work, and the residents loved that I set up their rooms for them each morning and generally tried to be as helpful as I could throughout the day. I had some excellent away rotations and got plenty of LORs. Of course, none of that mattered when interview season came around. With all those red flags on my application I ended up with three interviews, two of which were from places I'd worked at and may have been courtesy interviews. I didn't match and didn't even get a phone call in SOAP. I can't say I was surprised to go unmatched. Programs had their choice of plenty of Caribbean students with better Step scores than me to choose from.

It is true that I could try to do a prelim year, FM or IM, but I'm not confident in my odds of success. I applied to quite a few medicine and surgery prelim years and never got an interview from them. I don't much like IM and I seriously doubt I'd be any good at it. I had a good FM rotation and might be able to match into that, but I just can't get myself excited about the possibility of doing well patient exams and treating the flu for the next twenty years. FM residency followed by anesthesiology residency, for a total of 6-7 years? No thanks. Medical school has been nothing but failure, disappointment and heartache. I didn't get to celebrate Match Day with my class, I didn't get to celebrate Match Day when I should have matched, I've got a useless diploma and in a few weeks I won't be celebrating graduation. I've had enough. I can be happier making slightly less money doing something else.

 

[MirrorTodd]

**** that dude, now's the time to double down. You sure as **** didn't do all that hard work for nothing. And match day? That's one ****ing day and it's not even the whole day. **** match day. It's doesn't mean **** one month out. I sure as hell didn't miss my match day (although I technically matched earlier (army)), still man, you didn't miss anything with that. Your plan is to do EMT and pretend to be a doctor in Alaska? Guess what dude, that's gonna be all family medicine ****. So go fam med, and go be a real doctor up in Alaska to those oil guys, I'm sure they need it. I STRONGLY encourage you not to give up on this. Call every doctor you know who you worked with, call that surgeon up and see if he can do anything for you. You can do a prelim year somewhere. Your story pisses me the **** off cause you got so much potential and a string of bad luck shouldn't make you call it quits.

 

[MirrorTodd]

Oh and **** VSAS...another money suck to screw over students...just like that horse**** "clinical skills" exam for step/level 2.

 

[vector2]

Do IM then critical care with or without pulm. ICU is in high demand, it's relatively easy to match into, plus in a high acuity center it is in many ways like slow-burn anesthesiology (airway, vent, invasive lines, pressors, fluid management). Work 26 weeks a year, have time for your other interests, and actually get a job where you can pay off your debt. Is IM residency gonna suck? Absolutely, but anesthesia residency isn't all bubblegum and sunshine either.

 

[Psai]

I'll try to answer everyone's questions. I'm a U.S. MD, and I went to a good private school, or at least an expensive one. I'm a nontrad student who went back to college for a year of the prereq classes. They went well, but throughout the first two years of med school I barely passed everything. The material all made sense, but I couldn't memorize it fast enough. I think all my life I've been bad at straight memorization, but I was always easily able to compensate for it until med school started. I failed Step I by a point and got a 201 on the retake. That probably would have been all right except that when I took surgery I passed each part of the rotation, including the shelf exam, but the grade was averaged out in such a way that I failed the rotation. I thought that was ridiculous, and the surgeon I worked with the most was absolutely livid that my school would do this, especially because he knew I really was working hard and helping the team out a lot, but what could I do? I retook the surgery rotation at a different site, didn't do anything different and this time I passed with no problems. Between taking extra time for Step I and getting failed in surgery, I was left with no time in third year for electives, away rotations or a sub-i before interview season. I knew that would never work, so I delayed graduating by a year. I got a 228 on Step 2. A big improvement, but still not all that great.

Oddly enough, I did great on my anesthesiology rotations. I liked the work, and the residents loved that I set up their rooms for them each morning and generally tried to be as helpful as I could throughout the day. I had some excellent away rotations and got plenty of LORs. Of course, none of that mattered when interview season came around. With all those red flags on my application I ended up with three interviews, two of which were from places I'd worked at and may have been courtesy interviews. I didn't match and didn't even get a phone call in SOAP. I can't say I was surprised to go unmatched. Programs had their choice of plenty of Caribbean students with better Step scores than me to choose from.

It is true that I could try to do a prelim year, FM or IM, but I'm not confident in my odds of success. I applied to quite a few medicine and surgery prelim years and never got an interview from them. I don't much like IM and I seriously doubt I'd be any good at it. I had a good FM rotation and might be able to match into that, but I just can't get myself excited about the possibility of doing well patient exams and treating the flu for the next twenty years. FM residency followed by anesthesiology residency, for a total of 6-7 years? No thanks. Medical school has been nothing but failure, disappointment and heartache. I didn't get to celebrate Match Day with my class, I didn't get to celebrate Match Day when I should have matched, I've got a useless diploma and in a few weeks I won't be celebrating graduation. I've had enough. I can be happier making slightly less money doing something else.

That is some ****. Our students roll in right before we tube the patient expecting to be lead through everything and then go home right after.

It's a shame that all you need is a pulse and nursing degree to get into crna school to get a "doctorate" and practice anesthesia but a physician is unable to enter their desired field.

 

[spacegun]

I'll try to answer everyone's questions. I'm a U.S. MD, and I went to a good private school, or at least an expensive one. I'm a nontrad student who went back to college for a year of the prereq classes. They went well, but throughout the first two years of med school I barely passed everything. The material all made sense, but I couldn't memorize it fast enough. I think all my life I've been bad at straight memorization, but I was always easily able to compensate for it until med school started. I failed Step I by a point and got a 201 on the retake. That probably would have been all right except that when I took surgery I passed each part of the rotation, including the shelf exam, but the grade was averaged out in such a way that I failed the rotation. I thought that was ridiculous, and the surgeon I worked with the most was absolutely livid that my school would do this, especially because he knew I really was working hard and helping the team out a lot, but what could I do? I retook the surgery rotation at a different site, didn't do anything different and this time I passed with no problems. Between taking extra time for Step I and getting failed in surgery, I was left with no time in third year for electives, away rotations or a sub-i before interview season. I knew that would never work, so I delayed graduating by a year. I got a 228 on Step 2. A big improvement, but still not all that great.

Oddly enough, I did great on my anesthesiology rotations. I liked the work, and the residents loved that I set up their rooms for them each morning and generally tried to be as helpful as I could throughout the day. I had some excellent away rotations and got plenty of LORs. Of course, none of that mattered when interview season came around. With all those red flags on my application I ended up with three interviews, two of which were from places I'd worked at and may have been courtesy interviews. I didn't match and didn't even get a phone call in SOAP. I can't say I was surprised to go unmatched. Programs had their choice of plenty of Caribbean students with better Step scores than me to choose from.

It is true that I could try to do a prelim year, FM or IM, but I'm not confident in my odds of success. I applied to quite a few medicine and surgery prelim years and never got an interview from them. I don't much like IM and I seriously doubt I'd be any good at it. I had a good FM rotation and might be able to match into that, but I just can't get myself excited about the possibility of doing well patient exams and treating the flu for the next twenty years. FM residency followed by anesthesiology residency, for a total of 6-7 years? No thanks. Medical school has been nothing but failure, disappointment and heartache. I didn't get to celebrate Match Day with my class, I didn't get to celebrate Match Day when I should have matched, I've got a useless diploma and in a few weeks I won't be celebrating graduation. I've had enough. I can be happier making slightly less money doing something else.

Bro this is a great time to DM @TempleChairman who did a Q&A saying Temple doesn't care as much about things like Step scores but puts a big emphasis on life experiences. At least you got nothing to lose and could get some helpful insight from an anesthesiology chair.

 

[gshocke]

I'll try to answer everyone's questions. I'm a U.S. MD, and I went to a good private school, or at least an expensive one. I'm a nontrad student who went back to college for a year of the prereq classes. They went well, but throughout the first two years of med school I barely passed everything. The material all made sense, but I couldn't memorize it fast enough. I think all my life I've been bad at straight memorization, but I was always easily able to compensate for it until med school started. I failed Step I by a point and got a 201 on the retake. That probably would have been all right except that when I took surgery I passed each part of the rotation, including the shelf exam, but the grade was averaged out in such a way that I failed the rotation. I thought that was ridiculous, and the surgeon I worked with the most was absolutely livid that my school would do this, especially because he knew I really was working hard and helping the team out a lot, but what could I do? I retook the surgery rotation at a different site, didn't do anything different and this time I passed with no problems. Between taking extra time for Step I and getting failed in surgery, I was left with no time in third year for electives, away rotations or a sub-i before interview season. I knew that would never work, so I delayed graduating by a year. I got a 228 on Step 2. A big improvement, but still not all that great.

Oddly enough, I did great on my anesthesiology rotations. I liked the work, and the residents loved that I set up their rooms for them each morning and generally tried to be as helpful as I could throughout the day. I had some excellent away rotations and got plenty of LORs. Of course, none of that mattered when interview season came around. With all those red flags on my application I ended up with three interviews, two of which were from places I'd worked at and may have been courtesy interviews. I didn't match and didn't even get a phone call in SOAP. I can't say I was surprised to go unmatched. Programs had their choice of plenty of Caribbean students with better Step scores than me to choose from.

It is true that I could try to do a prelim year, FM or IM, but I'm not confident in my odds of success. I applied to quite a few medicine and surgery prelim years and never got an interview from them. I don't much like IM and I seriously doubt I'd be any good at it. I had a good FM rotation and might be able to match into that, but I just can't get myself excited about the possibility of doing well patient exams and treating the flu for the next twenty years. FM residency followed by anesthesiology residency, for a total of 6-7 years? No thanks. Medical school has been nothing but failure, disappointment and heartache. I didn't get to celebrate Match Day with my class, I didn't get to celebrate Match Day when I should have matched, I've got a useless diploma and in a few weeks I won't be celebrating graduation. I've had enough. I can be happier making slightly less money doing something else.

Please don’t take this the wrong way but I think many can learn from your story. Honestly, you should not have applied to only Anesthesia. No advisor, mentor, Dean, etc should have co-signed to that. I understand you don’t like primary care, but with a failed step 1... that is your only realistic option. What did your advisors say? Did you consult with any mentors?
This is one of the main reasons why people don’t match.
One of my mentors always told me to “you can be whatever you want in life.......within reason”.

And I don’t want anyone to @ me to tell me a story about I’m wrong b/c their sister’s boyfriend’s uncle’s friend failed step 1 and matched into a super competitive specialty like Derm or something. I don’t wanna hear it....

 

[spacegun]

Please don’t take this the wrong way but I think many can learn from your story. Honestly, you should not have applied to only Anesthesia. No advisor, mentor, Dean, etc should have co-signed to that. I understand you don’t like primary care, but with a failed step 1... that is your only realistic option. What did your advisors say? Did you consult with any mentors?
This is one of the main reasons why people don’t match.
One of my mentors always told me to “you can be whatever you want in life.......within reason”.

And I don’t want anyone to @ me to tell me a story about I’m wrong b/c their sister’s boyfriend’s uncle’s friend failed step 1 and matched into a super competitive specialty like Derm or something. I don’t wanna hear it....

Nothing necessarily wrong with standardized tests, but it's a shame how much of a huge emphasis is put on step 1. Step 1 has become a make or break test that will decide which specialties people can even apply to or not apply to.

 

[AdmiralChz]

Finally have a moment to comment here. Look, @Chip N Sawbones I know this has been an extremely frustrating and demoralizing experience. You were owed better advice on the path forward by your school, your stats simply don’t compute with an acute care-based specialty as others have said. I imagine your school at least strongly warned you (mine did about my chances for surgical sub when I didn’t match, and my stats were higher), but you proceeded anyway.

That’s in the past, though. Hearing your plan of becoming an EMT greatly angers me - this is a technician role where one only needs a high school equivalent and a 4-6 credit class. You might be able to find a state that would honor your MD as a bridge to paramedic but it’s highly doubtful without at least completion of an internship - the two fields don’t complement each other well.

I know very well about the world of being an EMT - I was one for close to 10 years before finishing my MD. You mention making a “little” less - I’m not familiar with Alaskan salaries but in the contiguous US you’ll be lucky to crack $50K, basics typically start more in the $30K range. You’ll make more than that as a resident, and you’ll stand to at least quadruple that in primary care plus work MUCH more favorable hours.

Time to suck up your pride and seriously consider FM. Work like heck to prove the haters who didn’t want you in acute care wrong! It’s a really fun field where you can make a big impact in your community and you are absolutely still using your degree. Otherwise you’ll be hard pressed to pay off those loans. I think it will be difficult to just about zero chance to enter anesthesia, to be blunt, but it’s not exactly impossible. I wouldn’t go through they process again.

A word about Step 1 - it’s often the only data point that properly quantifies the performance differences between applicants. Failures during rotations and USMLEs places one at very high risk of failing subspecialty boards, which would reflect poorly on said program. Not a perfect system by any means, but it’s the game that has to be played.

 

[beachbum353353]

Bro this is a great time to DM @TempleChairman who did a Q&A saying Temple doesn't care as much about things like Step scores but puts a big emphasis on life experiences. At least you got nothing to lose and could get some helpful insight from an anesthesiology chair.

I would second this. I was in a similar situation, feel free to pm me, but the gist of it is that by scrounging and getting a medicine spot it makes you available for the advanced/restricted and categorical spots. If you can log one year of anything, you can get some form of liscensure which will open up doors, especially if you have a big student loan nugget to pay off.

 

[littleme]

so.... going back to anesthesiology vsas applications...I already got 3 replies saying that the spots are filled.
Is this normal? should I start freaking out?

 

[MightBeACylon439]

so.... going back to anesthesiology vsas applications...I already got 3 replies saying that the spots are filled.
Is this normal? should I start freaking out?

If you freaked out how would that help?

 

[SolidWater]

Am I missing something? Chip N Sawbones, you didn't go for a prelim and try again (SOAP)? Maybe more underlying issues for why you didn't match. Perhaps time for some self reflection.

 

[SolidWater]

so.... going back to anesthesiology vsas applications...I already got 3 replies saying that the spots are filled.
Is this normal? should I start freaking out?

No, apply to many, apply early.

Applicants never seem to get it: there are lots of variables. What school are you at, what are your step scores? Does home institution have an anesth dept?

 

[littleme]

If you freaked out how would that help?

How are you helping?

 

[littleme]

No, apply to many, apply early.

Applicants never seem to get it: there are lots of variables. What school are you at, what are your step scores? Does home institution have an anesth dept?

Oh I see. Well, we don't have an anesthesiology program but we do have a rotation in anesthesiology.
My scores are pretty good for for anesthesiology. No red marks so far.
I think it is disappointing because for some reason, I thought it would be fairly easy to get an away rotation.
Anyway, thank you, I will apply to many more.

 

[SolidWater]

Oh I see. Well, we don't have an anesthesiology program but we do have a rotation in anesthesiology.
My scores are pretty good for for anesthesiology. No red marks so far.
I think it is disappointing because for some reason, I thought it would be fairly easy to get an away rotation.
Anyway, thank you, I will apply to many more.

It can't really hurt to email programs too...

 

[APA 32]

so.... going back to anesthesiology vsas applications...I already got 3 replies saying that the spots are filled.
Is this normal? should I start freaking out?

I got two offers from programs and one hasn't replied yet

 

[littleme]

I got two offers from programs and one hasn't replied yet

Oh nice! Do you mind saying which programs? Or when you applied?

 

[APA 32]

Oh nice! Do you mind saying which programs? Or when you applied?

Applied to Tennessee and Medical College of GA . I applied in mid April

 

[gshocke]

Anyone apply to aways that are not on Vsas? Hear back yet?

 

[littleme]

Anyone apply to aways that are not on Vsas? Hear back yet?

I applied to Mayo Jacksonville. waiting on a response

 

[Dr.Jekyll75]

From what I’ve read so far , only do rotation in reach locations. If you have a letter already and you have decent stats, elective rotations are required


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[MightBeACylon439]

How are you helping?

Ohhhh aren't you a saucy one!

 

[Chip N Sawbones]

Sorry I couldn't get back to everyone yesterday in time to not hijack this thread again.

That is some ****. Our students roll in right before we tube the patient expecting to be lead through everything and then go home right after.

A common theme throughout my rotations was that the interns and junior residents thought I was the best medical student ever. I never minded doing work that other students probably considered scut. The way I saw it, if I had to be there I might as well help out as best I could, since the residents were still working harder than I was. On rotations like IM where the attendings were just there for rounding, the attendings thought I was the worst medical student ever, because I could never get their pimp questions right. The end result was that I'd get bad grades. A few other older students that I talked to had the same complaint.

Bro this is a great time to DM @TempleChairman who did a Q&A saying Temple doesn't care as much about things like Step scores but puts a big emphasis on life experiences. At least you got nothing to lose and could get some helpful insight from an anesthesiology chair.

I applied to Temple, mainly because of the chairman's thread. They didn't give me an interview invite, and I can't say I blame them. Great life experiences aren't enough to make up for all the problems I had in med school.

Please don’t take this the wrong way but I think many can learn from your story. Honestly, you should not have applied to only Anesthesia. No advisor, mentor, Dean, etc should have co-signed to that. I understand you don’t like primary care, but with a failed step 1... that is your only realistic option. What did your advisors say? Did you consult with any mentors?

The dean of my school said he wasn't too worried about me matching in anesthesiology. He specifically told me not to apply to a backup specialty unless I was interested in it. Frankly, my school does a terrible job of supporting it's students in things like advising. We were never assigned advisors or mentors, just told to go out and find them on our own. There are a lot of stories from my class about students not getting credit for rotations they completed or having to reschedule rotations because Academic Affairs screwed up their paperwork. The downsides of going to school in the most Third Worldly part of the U.S...

Finally have a moment to comment here. Look, @Chip N Sawbones I know this has been an extremely frustrating and demoralizing experience. You were owed better advice on the path forward by your school, your stats simply don’t compute with an acute care-based specialty as others have said. I imagine your school at least strongly warned you (mine did about my chances for surgical sub when I didn’t match, and my stats were higher), but you proceeded anyway.

That’s in the past, though. Hearing your plan of becoming an EMT greatly angers me - this is a technician role where one only needs a high school equivalent and a 4-6 credit class. You might be able to find a state that would honor your MD as a bridge to paramedic but it’s highly doubtful without at least completion of an internship - the two fields don’t complement each other well.

I know very well about the world of being an EMT - I was one for close to 10 years before finishing my MD. You mention making a “little” less - I’m not familiar with Alaskan salaries but in the contiguous US you’ll be lucky to crack $50K, basics typically start more in the $30K range. You’ll make more than that as a resident, and you’ll stand to at least quadruple that in primary care plus work MUCH more favorable hours.

Time to suck up your pride and seriously consider FM. Work like heck to prove the haters who didn’t want you in acute care wrong! It’s a really fun field where you can make a big impact in your community and you are absolutely still using your degree. Otherwise you’ll be hard pressed to pay off those loans. I think it will be difficult to just about zero chance to enter anesthesia, to be blunt, but it’s not exactly impossible. I wouldn’t go through they process again.

A word about Step 1 - it’s often the only data point that properly quantifies the performance differences between applicants. Failures during rotations and USMLEs places one at very high risk of failing subspecialty boards, which would reflect poorly on said program. Not a perfect system by any means, but it’s the game that has to be played.

Like I said above, nobody in my school warned me that I might not match. I knew based mainly on what I read here on SDN that my chances of matching might be bad, but there was really only one way to find out. My plan was to do away rotations at schools where I'd have a decent chance of matching. It didn't work out. If it wasn't for my previous successes remodeling houses and my willingness to go back to that I would have applied to FM as a backup.

You might be right about EMT being a big step backwards. Today was the second day of ETT class (pre-EMT I level in Alaska) and the instructor spelled hemorrhage "hemerage" and I don't think he knew what COPD stood for until I explained what it was. It isn't pride that keeps me from wanting to do primary care-I've already had jobs as a logger, snow shoveler, rock thrower and carpet cleaner-so much as thinking that I won't much like it or be very good at it. After EMT I classes are done in a few weeks I'll reassess and see if I feel better about FM.

Am I missing something? Chip N Sawbones, you didn't go for a prelim and try again (SOAP)? Maybe more underlying issues for why you didn't match. Perhaps time for some self reflection.

Oh, I know why I didn't match. I applied to at least fifteen medicine and surgical prelim programs in the main match, and about 40 of my 50 SOAP applications went to prelim programs as well. None gave me an interview.

 

[docbsb2015]

Hey guys quick question. UT-Austin doesn't have a residency attached to it does it? Would it be silly to do a rotation there without a residency? For reference, I am a 3rd yr DO student in the midwest trying to get back to Texas (where family lives) if I can. Also applied to a few other Texas schools.

 

[agent_purple]

Id looove to go to Austin

 

[San Marzano]

Sorry I couldn't get back to everyone yesterday in time to not hijack this thread again.



A common theme throughout my rotations was that the interns and junior residents thought I was the best medical student ever. I never minded doing work that other students probably considered scut. The way I saw it, if I had to be there I might as well help out as best I could, since the residents were still working harder than I was. On rotations like IM where the attendings were just there for rounding, the attendings thought I was the worst medical student ever, because I could never get their pimp questions right. The end result was that I'd get bad grades. A few other older students that I talked to had the same complaint.



I applied to Temple, mainly because of the chairman's thread. They didn't give me an interview invite, and I can't say I blame them. Great life experiences aren't enough to make up for all the problems I had in med school.



The dean of my school said he wasn't too worried about me matching in anesthesiology. He specifically told me not to apply to a backup specialty unless I was interested in it. Frankly, my school does a terrible job of supporting it's students in things like advising. We were never assigned advisors or mentors, just told to go out and find them on our own. There are a lot of stories from my class about students not getting credit for rotations they completed or having to reschedule rotations because Academic Affairs screwed up their paperwork. The downsides of going to school in the most Third Worldly part of the U.S...



Like I said above, nobody in my school warned me that I might not match. I knew based mainly on what I read here on SDN that my chances of matching might be bad, but there was really only one way to find out. My plan was to do away rotations at schools where I'd have a decent chance of matching. It didn't work out. If it wasn't for my previous successes remodeling houses and my willingness to go back to that I would have applied to FM as a backup.

You might be right about EMT being a big step backwards. Today was the second day of ETT class (pre-EMT I level in Alaska) and the instructor spelled hemorrhage "hemerage" and I don't think he knew what COPD stood for until I explained what it was. It isn't pride that keeps me from wanting to do primary care-I've already had jobs as a logger, snow shoveler, rock thrower and carpet cleaner-so much as thinking that I won't much like it or be very good at it. After EMT I classes are done in a few weeks I'll reassess and see if I feel better about FM.



Oh, I know why I didn't match. I applied to at least fifteen medicine and surgical prelim programs in the main match, and about 40 of my 50 SOAP applications went to prelim programs as well. None gave me an interview.

It's blowing my mind to know that a US MD grad is currently enrolled in an EMT class right now. Your instructor probably didn't know how to spell hemorrhage or what COPD stood for because you don't diagnose anything as an EMT. You can't even get ACLS certified as an EMT as far as I know. I took the EMT class after my freshman year of college and it definitely caters to the lowest common denominator. With the knowledge base you have as a physician you would get so frustrated as an EMT with how many limitations there are on what you're actually capable of doing. In many cases you will be deferring basic care to other emergency personnel like paramedics who still won't have near the knowledge base or educational experience you currently have. Please keep us updated this is a very interesting situation to read about.

 

[azygos the grey]

Hey guys quick question. UT-Austin doesn't have a residency attached to it does it? Would it be silly to do a rotation there without a residency? For reference, I am a 3rd yr DO student in the midwest trying to get back to Texas (where family lives) if I can. Also applied to a few other Texas schools.

I think it's fine, it might open some doors in Texas. As you know, aways aren't necessary for anesthesia matches, but for us DO with no home programs, getting an academic letter would be beneficial, so I'd go for it if I was you.

 

[docbsb2015]

I think it's fine, it might open some doors in Texas. As you know, aways aren't necessary for anesthesia matches, but for us DO with no home programs, getting an academic letter would be beneficial, so I'd go for it if I was you.

Yeah I wasn't 100% sure but applied based on the fact that it would open some doors hopefully. Thanks for the reply.

 

[docbsb2015]

Whats up guys? Anyone hear anything recently or still pretty silent?

 

[APA 32]

Whats up guys? Anyone hear anything recently or still pretty silent?

got rejected from Medical College of GA last week

 

[docbsb2015]

got rejected from Medical College of GA last week

Damn. Sorry to hear. This whole process sucks.