Many ortho questions, - please advise

[DOindahouse]

Hey all, ive got alot of questions and concerns just flowing thru my head and im hoping for some real good feedback. Ok so basically i want to be an ortho, real bad, i cant even decide on a back up plan cuz i just dont like anything.

anyways, Im a 3rd yr DO student at the SOcal school. My comlex was a 565/77 and my usmle was pitiful, i passed but thats all i did, one more question wrong and i woundnt have. Ive been told my comlex is pretty good, iknw its not the best tho.

Ok so question 1, are there any MD spots that will take comlex only for ortho, and if so which ones .

secondly, ofcourse i am planning on applyin to all the DO ortho spots. SO far ive set up places in Michigan in june, st louis in august, chicago and cleveland following. So that will be 4 ortho rotations out of my first 5 4th yr rotations. In july im gettin hitched so i cant do one then . DO u guys think thats enuf ortho rotations to do. I have some set up in november too but that would make it 5 and possible after interviews in some places.

ok also, comlex 2, when should i take it, right now, i would like to do in january, cuz august is gonna be so busy, im gonna be freshly married and possibly on an away rotation. Ive heard from a few of the ortho spots that comlex 2 is not needed for interviews. but i kow if idid take it, and i got higher it would be good. My fear is that if i took i t in augsut, i wouldnt do better thant comlex 1, i am a ****ty test taker, godforbid i fail it. any opinions.

i konw this is alot of stuff i just put out there, but please if someone has some sound advice, pleae holla at me, especially if u have been thru this get in touch, thanks

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[DOindahouse]

can anyone help please

 

[doc05]

the usmle is needed for the md ortho spots. you might want to try and get involved heavily in ortho research, because that always looks nice.

 

[doc05]

oh yeah, I forgot to mention that the PD or chair at your school might have some insight and you should set up an appointment.

 

[VentdependenT]

I wouldn't apply for MD ortho with what you have. Some people may say "Dude shoot for the stars" but its not going to happen. Not being a jerk, just trying to help you focus on what is attainable.

DO ortho you have a shot. Rotate at all those places and know your anatomy cold. I don't know what percentile your COMLEX I falls under, but be prepared to go up against folks that have at least 90th %ile.

I rotated at St. Vincents in Toledo and inquired about the DO ortho program. They said that the cut off was 90%ile and that if you didn't rotate there your chances of getting in would be much lower. Even if you get in they have a pyrimad scheme (very popular in the DO ortho community). So they take 10 guys for the intern year, and keep like 2-3 guys for the residency. That sparks up a lot of competition.

Ask the programs what you should do about your COMLEX situation. I would try and rock it (at least a 90%), that is your best shot. Giving them some excuse about how busy you will be will only infuriate them. Its your career and you need to decide how bad you want ortho. That being said, your personality will carry more weight than your board scores. There is plenty of hope for you.

 

[DOindahouse]

thanks for the reply, keep em coming

where is a good place to start lookin for ortho research. i went to western uni, and they dont have crap in term of connections or programs so i dont know where to look. Any leads


as for my comlex 2 situation i am so lost. ofcourse im gonna gun for 90percent but reality wise i doubt id be close. thats why im thinking to take it in january, just in case it goes lower than step 1,
i kickass in rounds and rotations, All A's but i just cant take a bloody test anymore. but theres nothing i want more than to be a human carpenter.

what are some good books for comlex 2

also lets say if i do eras, and i do IM as a backup, can i do that
meaning apply DO ortho and MD IM with just my comlex, or do i have to toss my crummy usmle in too

thanks

 

[jakstat33]

you need to do research at kerlan-jobe, here is the address:

6801 park terrance drive
los angeles, ca 90045

shoot for the stars! good luck man

 

[bustbones26]

Become goood friends witha resident!! If you can do this, its a good idea because residents are always doing some type of paper. If you agree to be their "dog" say, do chart reviews for them, get their coffee, etc etc, as dumb as all of that may sound, they will put your name on the paper when it gets published.

 

[DOindahouse]

been to orthogate, its good just not much DO info,
ill check on the research.

 

[bobbyseal]

Can I offer up another location that may be helpful to do research in ortho?

I hear Drs. Steadman and Hawkins are somewhat reputable orthopedic surgeons.

Steadman Hawkins Clinic in Vail, Co.
181 West Meadow Drive, Suite 400
Vail, CO 81657
Phone: (970) 476-1100
Fax: (970) 479-5835

 

[DOindahouse]

are these kobes doctors

my only problem with doing research is, i havent done any since undergrad, and all that was molecular bio stuff.
how do i just go up to someone and say, i wanna do ortho research with u

 

[ortho2003]

Not to be rude, but your chances for allo ortho are slim to none. Doing research with Jobe or Hawkins is also a long shot without any real research experience. These guys have some of the most competetive residents in the country applying for their fellowships. They get plenty of work out of them and the rest of their guys have extensive research backgrounds. Your best bet is to save the money and apply for DO ortho only. That will be tough enough of a match for you. Sorry for being so blunt, but don't waste the money on Step II and the NRMP.

 

[bobbyseal]

Somebody got the joke....

 

[DOindahouse]

i probaby wont be doing AMA, i know, just wondering, bottom line is i want to do ortho, aoa is fine, at the end of the day, its the same.

so where would be a good place to start research, coming from where i am.???

 

[VentdependenT]

Originally posted by bobbyseal
Somebody got the joke....

 

[DOindahouse]

did i not get the jjoke

 

[VentdependenT]

I'm afraid not. Don't sweat it. Anyhoots just go for the DO route. Contact them about what you can do to increase the strength of your app. Doubtful that most of those guys did much ortho research.

You can contact the ortho res in your area and tell them you would like to pitch in for a month of research as well. I'm sure they won't turn down free slave labor.




"Seacrest...out!"

 

[DOindahouse]

tell me the joke anyways,

 

[bobbyseal]

So, if you knew who Kerlan, Jobe, steadman, or Hawkins are, you'd probably realize that you have as much chance of doing research with them as a 3rd year student who's interested in CT surgery would have with Debakey.

Good luck with your apps, but I'd have to say that you've got a snowball's chance in hell of landing an allo ortho spot with a barely passing USMLE step I score. There are just too many allo students applying for those spots. I don't know about osteo stuff, though.

Then again, if you're a blonde, well endowed former cheerleader of the cowboys, I'm sure the ex-football star/ortho PD would love to have you running around the floor wearing scrubs 2 sizes too small.

 

[AP]

Hey Vent - Just curious as to what field you matched in at Rush.

 

[@70mphC2005--->]

why so interested in allopathic ortho program. 'do' ortho and 'allo' ortho are both ortho, so why should this really matter if ortho is what you love.

yes there is the rare case where someone with barely passing usmle scores gets into allo ortho and i'm sure you already know what that takes - ie powerful people pulling strings for you. that's all fine and dandy, but there is a caveat here - many programs look at the usmle score because they want to be certain that you are someone who can pass the ortho boards for residency. this test has a 25 percent fail rate among these top residents who are in one of the most competitive residencies. this test is scary for ortho residents, because they know they are up against people who were top in their class and scored 230's on the boards and 25 percent fail. i don't know for sure, but there may be a different test for 'do' orthos.

that being said, maybe you should give an allo ortho rotation a shot and see if this is something right for you. but i worry that, given your allo scores, you may have a difficult time if you were to be accepted into a allo program and may have a more comfortable time in a 'do' program as this is what you're already trained in and seem to be scoring better in.

 

[DOindahouse]

tru tru tru, ok forget the allo ortho, i already have, im focusing on DO ortho

ive already set up some rotations too, so im wondering howmany audition rotations are enuff or too many

at my school 4th yr is 10 4 week rotations
1 surgery 5 electives, 1 ER, 1 FP 2 Im

from mid june to mid october, 4/5 of my first rotations are ortho, andi can possibly schedule anothier in november, but i figured 4 should be enuf. DO ortho places seem to be random with their times when they interview. ALso all these places have said they DOnt need step 2 comlex for the interview, and thats why im thinking of taking it in january, plus along with the whole getitng married stuff too around then

anyways, is this enuf orthos,

also , lets just say i have some interest in IM, as a back up, could i apply DO ortho, and AMA IM with my comlex score?
and never put usmle on eras??

or whould i be better just to scramble

oh the agony

 

[bobbyseal]

I kind of think doing 4 or 5 ortho rotations is a bit ridiculous. You're going to need some other experience as a 4th year than just ortho. It might be a good idea to consider doing an ICU rotation or a gen surg rotation.

Radiology is important, too.

You might want to check with your registrar. I know at my school, they won't let you do more than 2 rotations of the same field.

Like college, you need to maintain somewhat of a broad education even as a 4th year.

 

[DOindahouse]

yeah but with my numbers, dont i wanna try to show my face where i can, at different possible residency places. ive done one gsurg and one radiology in 3rd yr. i really am not a fan of doing another g surg,
i just figured its better to be known at a place, hoping that it goes well there, before interviews,

i dont know...???

 

[@70mphC2005--->]

i think you can be safe with 4 rotations and still get a good medical school education as long as you don't take much vacation. you will be exhausted though, just to warn you. but if you are feeling lack of confidence in general, then more rotations may help to build your confidence and help you nail some of the later rotations.

about applying to im as a backup- if you are a younger student [ie, graduating at under age 27] you may want to consider giving everything you have to get into ortho this year and come up with a backup plan like research or a prelim year for the following year if you don't get in. if you are really dedicated to ortho, the i'd say riska year to do everything you can to get in without thinking about some other type of residency. if you don't get in and you match in a 1-year prelim program, you can still go into im residency the next year and you will not have wasted any time since you finnished your internship already...

 

[VentdependenT]

Originally posted by AP
Hey Vent - Just curious as to what field you matched in at Rush.

CA = Clinical Anesthesiology....I'm that tall guy on the other side of the curtain functioning as your patients medulla.

 

[jakstat33]

Originally posted by DOindahouse
are these kobes doctors

my only problem with doing research is, i havent done any since undergrad, and all that was molecular bio stuff.
how do i just go up to someone and say, i wanna do ortho research with u

bobby-- no doubt, Steadman Hawkins Clinic is off the heezy but DO INDAHOUSE lives in Cally so Kerlan Jobe is certainly a better fit, and he can save money for the fine italian suits he will no doubt need to go into work everyday...

as per doindahouse's concerns regarding lack of ortho research street cred... anybody (truly anybody) can do clinical research, and especially ortho clinical research... trust me man, it's the only way to get close to ortho docs on a consistent basis, day in and day out you'll be around the top docs at kerlan jobe which may give you an in somewhere in the continental US... believe in yourself, don't stress, and if you're still having doubts just know that if i can do it, anybody can!

out

 

[jakstat33]

Originally posted by DOindahouse
yeah but with my numbers, dont i wanna try to show my face where i can, at different possible residency places. ive done one gsurg and one radiology in 3rd yr. i really am not a fan of doing another g surg,
i just figured its better to be known at a place, hoping that it goes well there, before interviews,

i dont know...???

obviously, even with the variety of students from all walks of life with many experiences to boot on SDN, nobody has ever gone through what is ahead of you (reminds of the famous "blind leading the blind" painting, SOOOO... think about investing less time in searching for answers on here and more time bettering yourself and your chances... from your posts i can see that you are a creative, intelligent kid with good instincts... don't look too far ahead, take it a month at a time, block off each month on your schedule, and spend the month prior preparing for the month ahead... you'll be in an ortho residency before i am, so don't forget to help me in a few years...

peace out

 

[DOindahouse]

i got u bro

 

[InTypical]

Hey all, ive got alot of questions and concerns just flowing thru my head and im hoping for some real good feedback. Ok so basically i want to be an ortho, real bad, i cant even decide on a back up plan cuz i just dont like anything.

anyways, Im a 3rd yr DO student at the SOcal school. My comlex was a 565/77 and my usmle was pitiful, i passed but thats all i did, one more question wrong and i woundnt have. Ive been told my comlex is pretty good, iknw its not the best tho.

Ok so question 1, are there any MD spots that will take comlex only for ortho, and if so which ones .

secondly, ofcourse i am planning on applyin to all the DO ortho spots. SO far ive set up places in Michigan in june, st louis in august, chicago and cleveland following. So that will be 4 ortho rotations out of my first 5 4th yr rotations. In july im gettin hitched so i cant do one then . DO u guys think thats enuf ortho rotations to do. I have some set up in november too but that would make it 5 and possible after interviews in some places.

ok also, comlex 2, when should i take it, right now, i would like to do in january, cuz august is gonna be so busy, im gonna be freshly married and possibly on an away rotation. Ive heard from a few of the ortho spots that comlex 2 is not needed for interviews. but i kow if idid take it, and i got higher it would be good. My fear is that if i took i t in augsut, i wouldnt do better thant comlex 1, i am a ****ty test taker, godforbid i fail it. any opinions.

i konw this is alot of stuff i just put out there, but please if someone has some sound advice, pleae holla at me, especially if u have been thru this get in touch, thanks

So how did Ortho work out haha, yes, I know this thread is over 10 years old, but if there is any chance you are still on here, how did everything go for you?

 

[TheOther]

So how did Ortho work out haha, yes, I know this thread is over 10 years old, but if there is any chance you are still on here, how did everything go for you?

Looking at post history, looks like they ended up at Broward for ortho.

 

[VincentAdultman]

Your COMLEX is not good, whoever told you that lied. You're around an average COMLEX score trying to get into one of the most competitive specialties, therefore your score is far below average for ortho. You have to be realistic with yourself.

Also you have an awful USMLE and are considering applying to MD ortho. This tells me that you are delusional, and further affirms that you are not being realistic with yourself and your chances at ortho. The fact that someone on this forum got only 6 interviews with a 270+ should tell you that you are way out of your league bud.

I hope he heard you from thirteen years ago.