What COMLEX score is needed for Residency??

[Doc_Thks_JC]

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What COMLEX score is needed to be competitive for each residency? What is a competitive score to get into FP, Peds, IM, OB, Neurology, Radiology, etc.....? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

 

[DrQuinn]

Need a more specific question.

Are you looking for MD or DO residencies?

You'll just need a pulse to get most DO residencies.

And, obvioulsy, the more competitive the specialty, ortho/optho/radio, the higher your board scores should be.

Q, DO

 

[DO2007(ER)]

QuinnNSU:

I always enjoy reading your post, as I am very interested in EM. One thing I just don't understand. I truly want to do a DO EM residency God willing everything goes as planned! I always read you saying how easy DO residencies are to get into. I was under the impression that EM residencies DO or MD are very competitive. Has it been your experience that this is not the case. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks and have a great day!! 🙂

 

[Doc_Thks_JC]

I was wondering what COMLEX score is needed for an allopathic (MD) residency in:
FP
IM
Peds
OB
Surgery
ER
Radiology
Any info is greatly appreciated!!!

 

[DrQuinn]

DO EM residencies are soooooooooooooooo not competitive, especially when compared with their MD counterparts. You can be a far below average student and still match into a DO EM residency.

The DO EM residencies *generally* are less attractive. They are in smaller DO hospitals with ED visits about 1/3-1/4 of what some of the MD EM hospitals have. Granted, the DO places will ship you out for trauma to bigger hospitals... but in general, the acuity and the volume in the ED is much less than what you need it to be to learn GOOD Emergency Medicine.

I am sure there are several DO EM residencies that do not fit this mold (I rotated at Albert Einstein Medical Center, in Philly, PA, which is a dually accredited DO/MD institution... they are an exception to this rule). Just be careful, and ask yourself why do you want to do a DO EM residency.

Q, DO

 

[DrQuinn]

Originally posted by Doc_Thks_JC
I was wondering what COMLEX score is needed for an allopathic (MD) residency in:
FP
IM
Peds
OB
Surgery
ER
Radiology
Any info is greatly appreciated!!!

FP - Pulse of any sort
IM - Sinus Rhythm
Peds - Systolic BP of >60
OB - average
Surgery - ?
ER - average -> excellent
Radiology - IQ of 200

Q, DO

 

[Doc_Thks_JC]

Hey Quinn,
Thanks for your reply, but I never was good with the Brain. Can you please give estimates on what scores or percentile that would be? I would appreciate it.
Thanks

 

[DrQuinn]

No such estimates.

If FP, IM, Peds, GS, EM, Radio is your dream residency, does it matter what board score you get? Do your best and apply. Apply to lots if you need to. My estimate for board scores is about as reliable as one you would make up yourself.

Q, DO

 

[Idiopathic]

The general idea is: surgery and all specialties, rads, ortho, derm are all ridiculously competitive and you have to do as well as humanly possible...if we said you needed a 225 would you try to get just a 225? You should try to blow away Step I...If you have already taken it and are lower than you would like, you have to distinguish yourself in some way (research, publishing, do a great rotation).

And, if you want FP, IM, Peds, etc. you simply have to be in the top 100% of your class with a passing board score.

 

[DrQuinn]

Originally posted by Idiopathic

And, if you want FP, IM, Peds, etc. you simply have to be in the top 100% of your class with a passing board score.

hahaha

 

[im2003]

I am a DO doing a DO EM residency. Yes, DO Emergency Medicine residencies are easier to get than MD residencies. It is kind of like how DO schools are easier to get into than MD schools. The MD programs we rotate through don't seem to think any less of us. Maybe the extra years DO's have to do for EM residency is what makes it work out in the end. Maybe not. All I know is that I liked teaching and wanted to stay in the DO world and hopefully improve the quality of the programs by being an attending afterward.

 

[DrQuinn]

Originally posted by im2003
I am a DO doing a DO EM residency. Yes, DO Emergency Medicine residencies are easier to get than MD residencies. It is kind of like how DO schools are easier to get into than MD schools. The MD programs we rotate through don't seem to think any less of us. Maybe the extra years DO's have to do for EM residency is what makes it work out in the end. Maybe not. All I know is that I liked teaching and wanted to stay in the DO world and hopefully improve the quality of the programs by being an attending afterward.

I agree with you. Most (if not the VAST majority) of MD programs will not discriminate against DOs. Its becasue the discrimination is mainly a pre-med or "good old boy" old school MD mentality. This is rapidly disappearing and is lost in most of the free world.

However, many of the DO EM programs are established at hospitals with a very low ED census (we're talking 10-15k a year), which is, in most PD"s opinion, laughable and and HORRIBLE environment to work at. Granted, most of the plaecs will ship you off to a big city for trauma, but trauma is 5% of EM, you need to see a moderate-high volume of high acuity patients to become proficient.

Mt. Sinai is an exception. The pathology is good and the volume of it and the other hospitals are good. It should be a jewel compared to the other DO programs.

I just didn't want to go there so I would be your fellow intern, IM2003. 🙂
J/K

Q, DO

 

[im2003]

I am not at Mt. Sinai, although I did enjoy it as a student. All of the FL internships (DO world) are pretty poor relatively so I left FL.

FYI, the ACOEP requires a minimum 20,000 visits at your base institution so the programs get shut down if they have two consecutive years below that. However, that is still pretty horrible and your point is exactly right.

My base hospital is about 35k with three months outside per year at higher volume centers. Honestly, I wouldn't want my center to drop below 30k. There is great pathology so far and we have our own lectures as well as attending those by a local MD program.

I wanted to return to Florida after but with USF producing 6 per year and UMiami (Jackson) starting a program with 12 residents per year, the market will undoubtedly worsen.