Would not doing well in surgery ruin my chances of an anesthesia residency?

[DocKat]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hey everyone,

I just finished surgery, the first rotation of my second year and am pretty sure that I failed the shelf. I really lacked motivation to study during the beginning of third year and due to the long hours of surgery, I just didn't study enough for the shelf. My school has a policy in which the highest grade you can get in surgery is a pass if you retake the shelf. I feel a little devasted since I've always been intersted in anesthesia an am afraid that anesthesia programs may look heavily upon my surgery grade since both fields are heavily OR dependent (is this stupid mentality?) I am an average student with an above avg step 1 score (240s). I was just wondering if my chances at anesthesia are completely ruined if I don't do well in surgery. Thanks so much.

 

[cockblockandrun]

Hey everyone,

I just finished surgery, the first rotation of my second year and am pretty sure that I failed the shelf. I really lacked motivation to study during the beginning of third year and due to the long hours of surgery, I just didn't study enough for the shelf. My school has a policy in which the highest grade you can get in surgery is a pass if you retake the shelf. I feel a little devasted since I've always been intersted in anesthesia an am afraid that anesthesia programs may look heavily upon my surgery grade since both fields are heavily OR dependent (is this stupid mentality?) I am an average student with an above avg step 1 score (240s). I was just wondering if my chances at anesthesia are completely ruined if I don't do well in surgery. Thanks so much.

I love posts those innocent and unsuspecting posts along the lines of "is a 250 on Step 1 competitive enough for anesthesia" or my personal favorite "I did poorly on Step 2 with a 225" or the above mentioned post.
There are medical students, residents, fellows, attendings, etc. etc. who don't need anyone to decipher Step scores. If you don't realize that you have splendid Step scores, then maybe you are truly an idiot.

 

[climbingdocs]

No, your chances are still good, but lets hope you didn't fail the shelf.

 

[CalCoug]

I love posts those innocent and unsuspecting posts along the lines of "is a 250 on Step 1 competitive enough for anesthesia" or my personal favorite "I did poorly on Step 2 with a 225" or the above mentioned post.
There are medical students, residents, fellows, attendings, etc. etc. who don't need anyone to decipher Step scores. If you don't realize that you have splendid Step scores, then maybe you are truly an idiot.

The was a good opportunity to practice the softer approach to answering student questions on this forum. Swing and a miss. To the OP, the surgery shelf blows. Wait until you actually get your score and then go from there.

 

[pillowhead]

The was a good opportunity to practice the softer approach to answering student questions on this forum. Swing and a miss. To the OP, the surgery shelf blows. Wait until you actually get your score and then go from there.

Surgery was my first M3 rotation and I only made a 70 on the shelf. Swore I had failed it. Still pulled an A in the rotation. Subsequent shelf exams were all well above 85, most above 90. Now a PGY2 in anesthesia.

Don't sweat it. You probably didn't do that bad. And if you did, you'll survive. It's definitely not something that will keep you out of all anesthesia programs or really even most of them.

 

[amyl]

the order of importance of determining interviews is: board scores, class rank................................everything else. please, don't sweat the small stuff.

 

[usnavdoc]

the order of importance of determining interviews is: board scores, class rank................................everything else. please, don't sweat the small stuff.

True, but at the time of ERAS applications M3 Core rotations make up a high percent of your GPA thus determining class rank. Where I went your clinical grades heavily outweighed your preclinical grades in determining GPA/Class rank.

 

[EternalMD]

Hey everyone,

I just finished surgery, the first rotation of my second year and am pretty sure that I failed the shelf. I really lacked motivation to study during the beginning of third year and due to the long hours of surgery, I just didn't study enough for the shelf. My school has a policy in which the highest grade you can get in surgery is a pass if you retake the shelf. I feel a little devasted since I've always been intersted in anesthesia an am afraid that anesthesia programs may look heavily upon my surgery grade since both fields are heavily OR dependent (is this stupid mentality?) I am an average student with an above avg step 1 score (240s). I was just wondering if my chances at anesthesia are completely ruined if I don't do well in surgery. Thanks so much.

The short answer is NO - your changes are not ruined by not doing well in surgery. You have to keep in mind that most 3rd years take the shelf thinking they failed it because its not what they expected at all. Noone cares in the test the proper length to cut a suture, which approach is better for procedure X, etc. Most of your colleagues probably also felt the same "i think i failed it". Its a bit early for you to start thinking the sky is falling (btw, you said you finished surgery as first rotation in SECOND year???). If you happen to get stuck with a Pass at the end of all this, its not the end of the world. Many people still match and with your >240 step 1 score, you're better off than most applying to anesthesia.

 

[DocKat]

Thanks everyone for your support!!! I am feeling a lot better now. I am enjoying my new rotation a lot better and am starting to study for the shelf earlier. In retrospect, it was completely my fault...I just didn't study enough for the surgery shelf and now I know better. Third year def. took a lot of adjustment and now I think I am ready...thanks again 😳)