What Do I Need

[postbacpremed87]

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I am a top 5-10% student at a solid DO school. What USMLE score do I need to match into a good Rads program that will enable me to match into a neurorads fellowship? Am I okay without research? If not, not then I do have a potential oncology project lined up -- do not have any rads opportunities.

 

[deleted564680]

1. What do you mean by good? Rads is mostly even except the top and bottom 10%. Top 25 places are mostly non-DO anyway even if you're 260+.
2. You can get a neurorads fellowship from any radiology residency.
3. Research helps, but it's not a huge deal. Most of where you will interview will be based on letters of rec and board scores.
4. To answer your question, you are going to be safe to get a solid residency with 240+ (the average score for matched candidates) and if you want to get some "top" places that take DOs (UPMC, Yale, CCF) then you need to be 255+ probably.
5. This year lots of people matched with like 220s and such. Rads had a lot of unfilled spots as well.
6. There are a TON of threads on this site and auntminnie that show what programs take DOs and some unofficial rankings of such places

 

[shark2000]

Neurorad fellowship is one of the easiest to get.

 

[meister]

They are all easy except IR nowadays.

 

[shark2000]

Competitiveness of fellowships:

IR>mammo>>MSK>>Neuro=body>Nucs>Chest

Fellowships are one year except for some of Neuro programs. You definitely want to do your fellowship in the location that you want to eventually settle. It is hard to find IR and probably mammo fellowships in the locations that you want to end up unless you stay at your residency program. MSK is easier. Neuro and body are open doors for everyone. Nucs and chest go unfilled most of the time.

 

[minnesota1001]

Competitiveness of fellowships:

IR>mammo>>MSK>>Neuro=body>Nucs>Chest

Fellowships are one year except for some of Neuro programs. You definitely want to do your fellowship in the location that you want to eventually settle. It is hard to find IR and probably mammo fellowships in the locations that you want to end up unless you stay at your residency program. MSK is easier. Neuro and body are open doors for everyone. Nucs and chest go unfilled most of the time.

Why are certain fellowships more competitive than others?
Has the relative competitiveness been fairly stable over the years or does it tend to fluctuate a lot?

 

[shark2000]

Why are certain fellowships more competitive than others?
Has the relative competitiveness been fairly stable over the years or does it tend to fluctuate a lot?

Three reasons that are not exclusive and effect each other.

1- Job market is the main reason. IR and mammo where the least competitive fellowships just 10 years ago.

2- Number of fellowship spots per applicant: It indirectly effects the job market. Neuro has more spots.

3- The added value of the fellowship: If the fellowship adds a lot of value, it means that you have a skill that most general radiologists don't have. This indirectly results in better job market).

Most general radiologists feel comfortable reading 90% of Neuro studies and 95% of body, Nucs and chest studies. However, most don't feel comfortable doing high end IR procedures. MSK is somehow in between. Most radiologists don't want to do mammo.

10 years ago the competitiveness was: MRI fellowship>MSK>>Neuro>Body=IR> Nucs=chest
Right now is IR>mammo>>MSK>>Neuro=body>Nucs>chest. MRI fellowships have been phased out and are not sought after.

 

[RisingSun]

Neuro is not a particularly hard fellowship to get, though top spots are competitive. I agree that 240s is a solid score that should get you considered at most places for residency. The rest is up to the other aspects of your app (and you in person).

FWIW, I matched into neuro this cycle and it was marginally more competitive than in years past.

 

[FluffyRabbit]

Three reasons that are not exclusive and effect each other.

1- Job market is the main reason. IR and mammo where the least competitive fellowships just 10 years ago.

2- Number of fellowship spots per applicant: It indirectly effects the job market. Neuro has more spots.

3- The added value of the fellowship: If the fellowship adds a lot of value, it means that you have a skill that most general radiologists don't have. This indirectly results in better job market).

Most general radiologists feel comfortable reading 90% of Neuro studies and 95% of body, Nucs and chest studies. However, most don't feel comfortable doing high end IR procedures. MSK is somehow in between. Most radiologists don't want to do mammo.

10 years ago the competitiveness was: MRI fellowship>MSK>>Neuro>Body=IR> Nucs=chest
Right now is IR>mammo>>MSK>>Neuro=body>Nucs>chest. MRI fellowships have been phased out and are not sought after.

Could you please comment on how the job market for various subspecialties may vary (if at all) in academics where radiologists tend to read their own subspecialty area almost exclusively?

 

[shark2000]

Could you please comment on how the job market for various subspecialties may vary (if at all) in academics where radiologists tend to read their own subspecialty area almost exclusively?

Private practice marketability: nightshift work> IR=mammo >> MSK > other fields >>>chest ( close to zero marketability)

Academics marketablitiy: Chest >> everything else. Neuro is a little better than MSK, IR and mammo. However it is very little and can be easily different in different geographic locations and in different years.

Chest (Cardio-thoracic) has been very very marketable for academics in the last few years. The future may be different. Once all of those academic spots fill with young cardiothoracic attendings, there may not be a lot of demand left. Having said that, the supply of Cardio-thoracic radiologists is so low that its good market probably will last at least a few years more. Also with the new guidelines for low dose CT chest screening for lung cancer, the demand in academics will go up.

 

[greg1184]

Three reasons that are not exclusive and effect each other.

1- Job market is the main reason. IR and mammo where the least competitive fellowships just 10 years ago.

2- Number of fellowship spots per applicant: It indirectly effects the job market. Neuro has more spots.

3- The added value of the fellowship: If the fellowship adds a lot of value, it means that you have a skill that most general radiologists don't have. This indirectly results in better job market).

Most general radiologists feel comfortable reading 90% of Neuro studies and 95% of body, Nucs and chest studies. However, most don't feel comfortable doing high end IR procedures. MSK is somehow in between. Most radiologists don't want to do mammo.

10 years ago the competitiveness was: MRI fellowship>MSK>>Neuro>Body=IR> Nucs=chest
Right now is IR>mammo>>MSK>>Neuro=body>Nucs>chest. MRI fellowships have been phased out and are not sought after.

Where does Peds rank?

 

[shark2000]

Where does Peds rank?

Better than chest and probably similar to Nucs. Slightly less than body.

Things are different in different locations and in different years.

The market right now is better than 3 years ago.

When the market is good, the fellowship does not matter. When it becomes very tight, the fellowship matters a lot.

If interested in working night shifts, Neuro is probably the best.