What's required for AOA

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varies from school to school but the one constant is that only a certain percentage of each class can be admited.
 
aurel1662000 said:
Just wondering what it takes to get AOA membership???
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The fact that you're asking this question is a good start. 🙄
 
Well, first you have to attend an osteopathic medical school to even be considered a member of the AOA. Then, generally, after you graduate you become an AOA member for life. I don't see why people think it's that hard. 😎
 
I think you are talking about two different AOA's.
 
Well, first you have to attend an osteopathic medical school to even be considered a member of the AOA. Then, generally, after you graduate you become an AOA member for life. I don't see why people think it's that hard.
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Well if I am correct I would assume the OP means Alpha Omega Alpha and Luck is referring (I think jokingly) to the American Osteopath Assoc. I dont know much about the Osteopath thing except I assume it is their version of the AMA.

As far as AOA basically it varies school to school as another poster mentioned. That being said really strong grades and a real good board score will help. As mentioned previously it varies ask someone in your school who is a 3rd or 4th yr.
 
emmm, not worthless!! It goes a long way in gettin you into any residencies. If you're gonna do family medicine in wisconsin then dont worry bout it.
Though very very challenging to get it.
I've heard that in our school its top 5% of class. Which for us pretty much means gettin 100s on more or less all of your tests. (for junior AOA)
Senior AOA is more complicated I think, I dont really know.
 
yes, 3rd year clerkship grades count for the majority of your rank towards senior AOA. at my school rank is based: 2/3 on clinical grades, 1/3 on basic sciences... but all schools have a different system

geromine said:
emmm, not worthless!! It goes a long way in gettin you into any residencies. If you're gonna do family medicine in wisconsin then dont worry bout it.
Though very very challenging to get it.
I've heard that in our school its top 5% of class. Which for us pretty much means gettin 100s on more or less all of your tests. (for junior AOA)
Senior AOA is more complicated I think, I dont really know.
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Being a Gunner.. and get straight A's (or honors) in the first 2 year's basic sciences.. get very good evals during 3rd years.. and make sure you are being very very competetive.. i.e. backstabing other gunners before they do so... hmmm.. that should grant you the AOA membership for sure..
ha ha.. (j/k)...
 
DendriticCell said:
Being a Gunner.. and get straight A's (or honors) in the first 2 year's basic sciences.. get very good evals during 3rd years.. and make sure you are being very very competetive.. i.e. backstabing other gunners before they do so... hmmm.. that should grant you the AOA membership for sure..
ha ha.. (j/k)...
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...don't forget promising your firstborn to the Dean and winning a Nobel Prize during an audition clerkship :laugh:
 
i am jsut wondering.. does getting into AOA equal getting to good specialities or good step 1 score, or does it make you a good doctor w/ good knowledge?? if not, then how come a lot of incoming M1 are so ambitious abut it?? make me feel like all these pre-med mentalities, cut-throat atmosphere in undergrad again... what happen to really wanna care for ppl and patient these b.s answers in the interview...
 
AOA can definitely help with getting into the more competitive specialties (but isn't required for any, AFAIK) and there may be some correlation between AOA and high Step I scores (at the very least in those schools where Step I is one of the factors for getting AOA).

Getting AOA certainly doesn't mean that you'll be a good doctor though, depending on admission criteria, it may indicate a good fund of knowledge.

I don't know why so many of the M1s that you know are gunning for AOA so early; I didn't even hear about it until M3 year when we (the class at large) were invited to apply.
 
AOA, and marks don't matter so much. who you know and whether they can write you an outstanding letter of reference is much more important.
 
My school doesn't even have AOA. I remember reading in Iserson that AOA is important.
 
don't get anything wonrg on any test ever and particpate in every community service, student governments, politcally correct organization you can get into. be president that is or at least vice president.
 
I was just wondering why there is always an element of hostility on the part of some responders regarding making AOA. Why do some people always assume that a person's success has to come at the expense of others or that an accomplishment is meaningless. Success is often being a part of a "club" and in medicine it seems that tradition plays an important part in being accepted into the field. Otherwise why have AOA at all. As the father of recent medical student now a resident I can tell you that he was a member of AOA because he did his work and was very involved in medical school affairs and not because he was a "gunner" or ruthlessly unconcerned about his classmates. Whether it matters more than his board scores or other factors who can say and frankly who cares. More to the point, it certainly didn't hurt his getting into a surgical residency at his first choice hospital. Why put down students who are motivated and hard working- seems awfully anti-intellectual to me.
 
shelly46 said:
I was just wondering why there is always an element of hostility on the part of some responders regarding making AOA. Why do some people always assume that a person's success has to come at the expense of others or that an accomplishment is meaningless. Success is often being a part of a "club" and in medicine it seems that tradition plays an important part in being accepted into the field. Otherwise why have AOA at all. As the father of recent medical student now a resident I can tell you that he was a member of AOA because he did his work and was very involved in medical school affairs and not because he was a "gunner" or ruthlessly unconcerned about his classmates. Whether it matters more than his board scores or other factors who can say and frankly who cares. More to the point, it certainly didn't hurt his getting into a surgical residency at his first choice hospital. Why put down students who are motivated and hard working- seems awfully anti-intellectual to me.
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Well said. At my school, it is usually the true gunners who try to make others think that success is not important, so that they themselves could be more successful than others. 😀
 
i heard you HAVE to be AOA to get into super competitive residencies like plastics, derm and radiology. is that ture? i actually heard this from a plastics residency lady...the lady who picks up the phone.
 
First, AOA is not a requirement for any specialty. I read that only half of derm residents were AOA at their school.

AOA is a fine accomplishment, and at my school it is based on more than just grades. It also has to do with the "pursuit of knowledge," i.e., being involved in research, and how much you contribute to your school, i.e., running the free health clinic, serving on committees, etc. You are selected by other AOA members and faculty members, so the award is a testament to how these people perceive your accomplishments and contribution to the medical school. However, since there are so many variables, and only 15-20% of the class is selected for membership, it can be expected that there will be several fine indivduals that will not be elected.

Bottom line, if elected, be very proud of the manner in which you are perceived by your fellow students and faculty. If not, do not feel discouraged not inadequate, because AOA is only one out of SEVERAL factors that will contribute to your residency application.
 
7/8 people in the ortho residency here at USC was AOA at their school. It def does matter if you want a competative residency (I wouldn't believe that 1/2 of derm people are AOA. I would guess it's 95-99% of them are AOA)
 
can anyone estimate how many b's or c's (high pass , pass) one could get and still be in the top 5% 10% ect of their class?

How many people make all A's in med school? 1 in 100? 4 in 100?
 
hey this might be interesting, this is from the by laws of our AOA chapter:

a. Election shall be limited to those candidates whose scholastic qualifications place them in the upper twenty-five percent of their class. The total number elected, however, shall not exceed one-sixth of the total number in that class expected to graduate.

b. Not more than one-quarter of the quota (25 percent) may be elected in the spring of the year prior to the final year of the medical course. Of the remaining 75 percent, at least 65 percent may be elected in the fall of the final year. A chapter may choose to reserve 5 to 10 percent of the places for another election in the spring of the final year in order to recognize those students whose academic skills and personal characteristics will have benefitted from a longer period of development and observation.
 
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