Any benefits to getting a super high ITE percentile >95?

[makethemostofit]

Heard it was just a pass/fail thing but was just curious.

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[SirGecko]

You make your program director happy because they can brag about their residency scores? Street cred?

 

[Raryn]

Specialty dependent.

In IM, it's not supposed to mean anything other than be a marker of whether you're on track to pass your boards or not. Some programs do set a minimum threshold for moonlighting privileges (so if you're below it, you should be studying, not moonlighting). Sometimes a PD may mention it in your fellowship LOR if you're particularly high. But it isn't expected and doesn't truly matter.

In other fields - definitely general surgery and ob/gyn, probably some others - the ITE is explicitly shared with fellowship programs and used as another factor for determining who matches where. Here, a higher percentile is of course, better.

 

[makethemostofit]

is street cred a thing? lol - i.e. does it impact your reputation?

 

[NotAProgDirector]

Since it's shared with you and program leadership only, I doubt it will help with your street cred. If you share it with your colleagues, it's possible it may affect your street cred but perhaps not in the direction you were hoping / expecting.

 

[CajunMedic]

I'm EM, so for us, if we get above a certain percentile: anywhere from 55-75th, we can moonlight with stipulations. Above that, it's basically bragging rights

 

[Gnarvin]

In my opinion and experience, it helps open doors for fellowship interviews for competitive specialties.

 

[MedicineZ0Z]

I'm EM, so for us, if we get above a certain percentile: anywhere from 55-75th, we can moonlight with stipulations. Above that, it's basically bragging rights

You guys go around comparing ITE scores?

 

[Wordead]

In some surgical fields it affects attendings perceptions of you and how much you'll be allowed to do, how much berating you get, leeway when mistakes get made, etc.

 

[sunshinefl]

At the IM program at my core site, it’s used in giving PTO preference priority.

 

[Smurfette]

Specialty dependent.

In IM, it's not supposed to mean anything other than be a marker of whether you're on track to pass your boards or not. Some programs do set a minimum threshold for moonlighting privileges (so if you're below it, you should be studying, not moonlighting). Sometimes a PD may mention it in your fellowship LOR if you're particularly high. But it isn't expected and doesn't truly matter.

In other fields - definitely general surgery and ob/gyn, probably some others - the ITE is explicitly shared with fellowship programs and used as another factor for determining who matches where. Here, a higher percentile is of course, better.

Given that one of my GS residency classmates failed her ABSITE 3 times and matched into peds surg, and I had other classmates who failed it more than once and got competitive fellowships, the importance of the ITE is definitely less than that of faculty connections, research and other factors. My program emphasized it's (ITE) correlation with passing the boards, not with regard to fellowship placement.

 

[Raryn]

Given that one of my GS residency classmates failed her ABSITE 3 times and matched into peds surg, and I had other classmates who failed it more than once and got competitive fellowships, the importance of the ITE is definitely less than that of faculty connections, research and other factors. My program emphasized it's (ITE) correlation with passing the boards, not with regard to fellowship placement.

You would obviously know better than I would, but the friends I had who went into GS were far more stressed regarding their ITEs than those I had who went into IM. Obviously it is not the sole factor for determining success, but it is a factor shared with programs, so doing better certainly won't hurt. One friend actually went to a program where I swear I recall him telling me scores for all their residents were publicly posted somewhere, though I have no idea if that's even legal.

Same for ob/gyn. The programs request the scores, though connections and research are much more important.

 

[KnuxNole]

Depends on the program. If you score low on it, some programs mandate the resident be placed in a remediation program, and/or not allow the resident to moonlight or run for chief(if you care about that sorta thing). If too many people score low on a certain subject/section didactics and rotations may be adjusted.

 

[LucidSplash]

Given that one of my GS residency classmates failed her ABSITE 3 times and matched into peds surg, and I had other classmates who failed it more than once and got competitive fellowships, the importance of the ITE is definitely less than that of faculty connections, research and other factors. My program emphasized it's (ITE) correlation with passing the boards, not with regard to fellowship placement.

Absolutely program dependent, especially if trying to match to a competitive fellowship from a lesser known program.

And some general surgery programs use it as a cudgel. I know of a couple residents who were otherwise good clinically who had to repeat a year after poor ABSITE scores a couple years in a row.

 

[B1GM0N3Y86]

It won't matter much except don't let it be an excuse to not stay up2date with journal reading in your field as well as reading weekly on things your encountering during the week.

But good job on the ITE, if you keep it up, you'll rock the boards.

 

[anonperson]

Heard it was just a pass/fail thing but was just curious.

Specialty dependent.

In my specialty (OBGYN), they used our ITE scores for fellowship applications.
Attendings we worked with would find out the scores unofficially. I know I got a bit more leeway for scoring better versus people who didn't regarding certain things like scheduling etc.

 

[clausewitz2]

In my specialty, the top three scorers in a given program on the ITE each year are eligible to participate in a nationwide quiz competition (think Quiz Bowl or University Challenge), with the top ten teams moving forward to go head to head on a stage at our specialty's biggest annual conference). I was on the team for our program two out of four years but we never made it to the live competition. This was fine with me, as I devoted essentially zero time to studying for this and the programs that did tend to advance were usually the same programs year after year (and not necessarily ones with a great reputation), suggesting a concerted effort at training/studying.

So it was fun, I guess, and bragging rights are always great, but also it was the kind of exam where during the break between morning and afternoon sessions I would have a beer with lunch. Mostly cool for a day off, essentially.

 

[DarkHorizon]

In ortho, it’s used to assess yearly progress but not used in fellowship admissions. Scoring high in my program was a flex as we had a small program and most knew each other’s scores.

 

[gutonc]

In ortho, it’s used to assess yearly progress but not used in fellowship admissions. Scoring high in my program was a flex as we had a small program and most knew each other’s scores.

Well sure, but you’re Ortho. What you had for breakfast is a flex.

 

[FutureInternist]

Well sure, but you’re Ortho. What you had for breakfast is a flex.

Not to mention the bicep curl needed to bring said breakfast towards mouth .

I don’t really have a drive to study when nothing is on the line, much less sit there for X hours, and hence failed all 3 of mine (IM).
Freaked out all the attendings, and PD, specially when I was doing well in rounds etc.
Told them not to worry, passed the ABIM, and then later sent them my scoresheet just to (nicely) rub it in.

 

[FutureInternist]

Absolutely program dependent, especially if trying to match to a competitive fellowship from a lesser known program.

And some general surgery programs use it as a cudgel. I know of a couple residents who were otherwise good clinically who had to repeat a year after poor ABSITE scores a couple years in a row.

The surgery program where I did IM would intentionally match 2 more interns than their 2nd year class size and then hold back the bottom 2 scorers, then sometimes, still not advance them the 2nd time round... F surgery!!!!

 

[Raryn]

The surgery program where I did IM would intentionally match 2 more interns than their 2nd year class size and then hold back the bottom 2 scorers, then sometimes, still not advance them the 2nd time round... F surgery!!!!

I thought this kind of pyramidal structure was banned decades ago. Unless two of them were prelims and they'd just advance the prelims rather than the "categoricals" if there was a score discrepancy.

 

[FutureInternist]

I thought this kind of pyramidal structure was banned decades ago. Unless two of them were prelims and they'd just advance the prelims rather than the "categoricals" if there was a score discrepancy.

That may be it (since it was only 10 years ago).
Sucks either way but I guess w/ prelim you are already aware that you may not advance.