ERAS and USMLE score reporting

[ecf1975do]

hi there.. i am a 3rd yr DO student and was wondering if others can help me clarify my question.. I am interested in applying for anesthesia next year. I did very well on COMLEX 1 but not well on USMLE 1. I did pass but my score is nothing to brag about. I was wondering if I could withhold my score when applying. I have heard that I can only report my comlex score. WOuld the programs know that I took the USMLE if I withheld it? Has anyone been in this situation? WOuld you recommend me taking the USMLE step 2?
If i do very well on that can I only report that one? i am just confused. I dont want doors to be shut for me due to my decison to take the USMLE....

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[The White Coat Investor]

As I recall the ERAS application asks you when you took Step 1, when you took or plan to take Step 2, and when you took COMLEX. You would actually have to lie on that question to hide your score, always a bad thing to get caught doing (not to mention do.) The "withhold scores" option is really meant for Step 2. So say its Sept 1st and I'm putting in my ERAS app. I took Step 1 a year ago and I'm planning to take Step 2 in November. I would check the box that says withhold scores and that would mean that I could see my step 2 score and then decide if I wanted to release it or not. Keep in mind, that the discerning residency program may notice that you had indicated that you planned to take Step 2 in November and ask you about that.

So, in theory, you could never mention that you took the USMLE and programs would never know and probaby wouldn't ask you about it. If they saw your COMLEX score they probably wouldn't even notice. If you have a moral problem with that you might try rocking Step 2.

If anyone else understands the application process better than I do, feel free to correct me.

 

[gas-x]

my advice is to take USMLE Step 2 and ace the exam. I don't necessarily think the COMLEX is enough to get you in a great program. Times are more competitive now and you need to make sure you're on an even plane with all the other applicants. I had one program director tell me that it was a great idea to take the USMLE exam, even though i was a DO student. If you improve your Step II (USMLE) score, i would n't think you would have any problems getting in. many programs now won't really evaluate your application because you didn't take the USMLE.

 

[Histrionic]

I am in the same boat as you E. I scored above the mean on COMLEX and below on USMLE. I have only talked to a few medical students and residents about the issue, and the general consensus is to tell the truth about the USMLE. I am not sure how the residency directors can find out that you took the USMLE, but it will really suck if they have some covert method. I am just going to roll the dice and let my rotation grades and letters of rec speak for my performance. If they interview me then it must not matter. I know that the anest program at Riverside County Hospital in California is really big on doing a 4th year rotation. It is a DO program and the physicians that I have talked with say that if you do not rotate there, it does not matter what your scores are, they will toss your application. I am not sure if AMA programs have the same unwritten policy or not.

 

[sweetfynesse]

i agree with gas-x. i didn't do as great, or nearly as great as i wanted on step 1 (just under mean). but i studied my butt off for step 2, took it in july in order to have results prior to eras opening, and scored significantly better.

trust me, it has made a huge diffrence in the way PDs view my application. One PD even mentioned that my score on step 2 meant a hell of a lot more than step 1 because it showed that i got what i was supposed to out of my clinical years-where as step 1 only tests basic sciences anyway.

so, don't be down on yourself. just get out there and prove that you're an applicant worthy of being taken seriously. and don't get caught in the hype that you only need 2-3 weeks to study for step 2. when i studied, i decided that i would study at least two months because i'd rather take a test and feel like i'd studied too much, than to wish i had studied more. i am not saying you need that long but in the words of Eminem- "if you had one shot or one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted in one moment would you capture it or just let it slip?..."

best of wishes

 

[mjg]

Please, please, please - for your sake - do not lie about something as big as the USMLE. That's loading the gun..

I'm just a med student, but if I were a PD who found out.. and they will find out.. I'd burn your app and tell my friends.

I'm sorry I don't know much about the D.O. process, but I imagine you eventually must pass all 3 Steps for your license like an M.D.(correct me if wrong, I really don't know). I think everyone needs to pass Step 2 to graduate med school.. and, thus, to enter a program post-grad. And then you'd need Step 3 to graduate from residency. Once you took Step 3 in your intern year.. they'd see when you took Step 1.. realize you lied.. and who knows? It's definitely not worth the risk.. or the hit to your ethics.

Basically, lying is the worst thing to do. The best thing to do is what the above poster did - study your ass off, nail Step 2, and erase all questions. Anes is not a difficult match at all.. you should be fine with a good Step 2. And rotating at a hospital is definitely NOT a pre-requisite, even at the most prestigious university programs..

Good luck to everyone!! Match is almost here...

 

[Arch Guillotti]

I am in the exact same boat. 81% on COMLEX, and 25% (roughly) on USMLE (200). I am gonna report my scores and study my bizzutt off for Step 2. I plan on taking it sometime early in the fall (I think).