what grades in 3rd year most important + board scores?

[Thewonderer]

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Another thread where people discuss about the frustration of clerkship eval: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=500016#post500016

As I said in that thread, I think it is tough when your dean told you all along that "clinical year grades are more important than your preclinical grades BY FAR, and it is during your core rotation year when you learn to become a REAL DOCTOR and know how to work well within a team (i.e. gunner attitude is not allowed), etc. etc. etc. etc."

Then when you go in, you find out that they (attendings, residents) sometimes don't give a crap about what they write on your evaluation and some of your gunner classmates are doing everything to suck up to the attendings+residents (they don't backstab your or anything but they shamelessly lie and proclaim that they want to go into neurology and surgery and ob-gyn and medicine and psychiatry AND whichever rotation they are on; or sometimes, they just lie about lectures+meetings so they can get 1 more hour of sleep than all the other people).

So in the end, when you apply for residency, how important are these 3rd year clinical grades when they can be so subjective? And which ones are the most important? Medicine? Surgery?

And how important are board scores and research compared to 3rd year required clerkship grades?

Thanks!

 

[tonem]

Your Dean was right about clinical grades being being more important than preclinical. Obviously you want to try and do as well as you possibly can. Clinical grades also come with comments that are generally cut and pasted right into the Dean's Letter. I agree that they are very subjective but all you can do is be enthusiastic, work hard, and hope that whoever writes the comments "gives a crap" as you put it. As far as which grades are most important, it depends on what you want to do with your life. Ie: If you want to be a surgeon, you better do very well in your surgery rotation. They generally won't be too impressed with that honors in psychiatry. Although it is a direct contradiction to the purpose of board scores per the NBME board scores are VERY important. It is the one standardized gauge with which program directors can compare all comers. The better your board scores the more opportunities will be open to you. Research is not necessary but it can help if you've done respectable (published) work in the area you want to go into. Hope that helps.