Do USMLE scores matter for EM fellowships?

[catchmoresun]

Hi all. Current MS4 about to take CK. I know very well USMLEs are much more important for residency apps (albeit my app is already submitted) but I'm wondering how long USMLE scores follow you and if they play any role whatsoever in EM fellowship match. I'm particularly possibly interested in crit care down the line and given crit care from EM is a relatively new/competitive process, are USMLE scores considered/could potentially hurt me if low? Thanks in advance!

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[DrGasPasser]

Every CCM fellowship is different, but a common theme is your USMLE scores will first be used to make sure that you meet the institution’s “threshold.” That threshold will very from program to program but expect it to increase across the board over the next 2-5 years as CCM becomes more competitive with the influx of applicants. Your scores will absolutely be used again as programs narrow down the list of applicants to the most competitive, although the interview and letters from renowned clinician-scientists often take precedence over average scores at that point.

 

[Birdstrike]

Hi all. Current MS4 about to take CK. I know very well USMLEs are much more important for residency apps (albeit my app is already submitted) but I'm wondering how long USMLE scores follow you and if they play any role whatsoever in EM fellowship match. I'm particularly possibly interested in crit care down the line and given crit care from EM is a relatively new/competitive process, are USMLE scores considered/could potentially hurt me if low? Thanks in advance!

If they ask for the scores, then they matter. How much they matter is a different story and likely varies from program to program. What I do know for sure, is it never hurts to have good scores.

 

[deleted547339]

Your in-service scores and LORs will likely matter much more.

 

[catchmoresun]

Thank you everyone!

 

[TheComebacKid]

Can't speak to CCM, but for EMS there were a few programs that requested my scores.

I scored fairly average on Step 1/2. Nearly failed Step 3.

Nobody seemed to care.

 

[RainbowOtterz]

I applied and interviewed at 7 tox programs this cycle. Only 1 asked for my scores.

 

[southerndoc]

Can't speak to CCM, but for EMS there were a few programs that requested my scores.

I scored fairly average on Step 1/2. Nearly failed Step 3.

Nobody seemed to care.

Given the pass rate for EMS boards (63% this year), one would think they would be most likely to screen USMLE scores. I took it this year under the practice pathway and thought it was harder than my ConCert exam. Thankfully I passed!

 

[DrGasPasser]

Given the pass rate for EMS boards (63% this year), one would think they would be most likely to screen USMLE scores. I took it this year under the practice pathway and thought it was harder than my ConCert exam. Thankfully I passed!

Congratulations on the EMS Boards. That exam is known to be a bear.

While I can’t personally speak to the IM-CCM fellowships, I understand that this year’s applicant pool size was between 1.5-2 applicants per spot making it among the most competitive IM subspecialties according to the CCM thread in that subform. That level of competition generally means that anything and everything will be used to evaluate candidates.

I can speak to the anesthesia-CCM pathway and dug up my SFMatch CAS application for reference. All three step scores, both 2 and 3 digit scores, are in the center of the first page right below a picture and very basic demographic information. It is literally the first thing programs see. A few programs later asked for my in-service exams (ABEM Board Certification and ConCert for me since I was out of training for a while), but this was variable and often after I was invited to interview. People are free to read into that what they may...