Pediatrics Residency Match 2021 advice

[medgrl13055]

Hey everyone! I need some advice regarding matching. I'm a current fourth year D.O student entering match cycle for 2021-2022 and hoping to match into peds. I didn't do great on level 1 COMLEX or step 1 I think I let my anxiety and poor mental health get the best of me and prevent me from properly studying for the exams last year. So, I'm worried about matching and was hoping someone would have some helpful advice for me!

- D.O student
- level 1 = 463
- step 1 = 206
- peds rotation = A
- no publications
- set to do 1 away rotation so far (my school doesn't have pediatric program)
scheduled to take level 2 and step 2 in a month and practice test scores and uworld seem to show me at a good trend to hopefully get 230 or higher on step 2.

questions:
1) do I have a shot at matching for peds?
2) what advice for program to apply to? I know ppl say apply broadly but what does that mean? searching on FREIDA for programs that are DO friendly and have lower step1 / level 1 score ranges and apply to those only? if I'm trying to stay in the southeast region, spread out and apply to programs in west too? What geographic region is less competitive for me to better apply in? I also know that statistically the point of diminishing return for my scores is to apply to about 21 programs because after that your chance of matching declines. So how can I apply broadly but still limit to 21-25 programs?

thanks everyone, I'd appreciate any and all help!

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[Ladholyman]

As far as I know Peds isn't that competitive.
If you are risk averse then spending the extra money to apply to more programs is not a bad idea.
My Steps were 203, 209 (pretty garbage) and I applied to every single program south of the Mason Dixon line. I wanted to go back to California for residency. Got 5 interviews in California but ultimately matched to my #9 - Mobile, AL.
Had a great time in Mobile and now I'm working in California, so funny how things work out.

 

[medgrl13055]

As far as I know Peds isn't that competitive.
If you are risk averse then spending the extra money to apply to more programs is not a bad idea.
My Steps were 203, 209 (pretty garbage) and I applied to every single program south of the Mason Dixon line. I wanted to go back to California for residency. Got 5 interviews in California but ultimately matched to my #9 - Mobile, AL.
Had a great time in Mobile and now I'm working in California, so funny how things work out.

Thank you for your response, that's reassuring to hear I'm not a total lost cause 😅. So originally I was gonna apply pretty much to most programs east of Texas but was unsure if applying to too many would lower my chances of matching then. Do you think it'd be ok to go ahead and apply broadly in that sense or "apply broadly" as in 20-25 programs max?

 

[SurfingDoctor]

Thank you for your response, that's reassuring to hear I'm not a total lost cause 😅. So originally I was gonna apply pretty much to most programs east of Texas but was unsure if applying to too many would lower my chances of matching then. Do you think it'd be ok to go ahead and apply broadly in that sense or "apply broadly" as in 20-25 programs max?

Well, its probably gonna be virtual again which mostly works in the applicants favor. Lots of sight-seeing applicants and you can easily apply to 20 without it being a burden. There are a number of programs east of Texas. West Coast is probably not likely unless it is a Kaiser program, but again, its virtual so there is no real downside to just applying and seeing what happens.

Just as more of a curiosity for my sake, how does one get an "A" in pediatrics without there being a pediatric program?

 

[medgrl13055]

Well, its probably gonna be virtual again which mostly works in the applicants favor. Lots of sight-seeing applicants and you can easily apply to 20 without it being a burden. There are a number of programs east of Texas. West Coast is probably not likely unless it is a Kaiser program, but again, its virtual so there is no real downside to just applying and seeing what happens.

Just as more of a curiosity for my sake, how does one get an "A" in pediatrics without there being a pediatric program?

Yes, AAMS just released their recommendation for doing virtual this cycle as well. Thanks for your response!

I should've clarified better on that -- I got an A in the pediatric core rotation for my third year but the school only has outpatient peds, no affiliated pediatric GME program.

 

[SurfingDoctor]

Yes, AAMS just released their recommendation for doing virtual this cycle as well. Thanks for your response!

I should've clarified better on that -- I got an A in the pediatric core rotation for my third year but the school only has outpatient peds, no affiliated pediatric GME program.

Okay, thanks for the response. I'm actually not sure it matters, cause as I made apparent, an A is an A and it can't be clarified in what context. Anyway... good luck.

 

[medgrl13055]

I would apply to a hell of a lot more than 25 if I were you

That was what I was planning on doing but I got a little worried when I heard about chances of getting interviews/matching starts to decrease after a certain amount of applications so applying to too many can start to lower your chances. I'm guessing that doesn't necessarily hold true and to go ahead and apply to way more?

 

[mvenus929]

That was what I was planning on doing but I got a little worried when I heard about chances of getting interviews/matching starts to decrease after a certain amount of applications so applying to too many can start to lower your chances. I'm guessing that doesn't necessarily hold true and to go ahead and apply to way more?

You get diminishing returns at some point. The people who apply to more and don't match didn't match because of their application and applied to more because of it. You don't lower your chances by applying to fewer programs.

But you should be strategic in which programs you apply to. You're not going to get into Boston, CHOP, Johns Hopkins (except maybe the one in Florida) with your scores, being a DO, and not having any research. Can you match somewhere? Yes. But applying to top programs isn't going to do you much good.

Make sure you have good letters--at least one should be peds, but they don't all have to be, so if you did well on another rotation and think that an attending can write you a great letter, ask them.

 

[BabyDoc86]

I had a similar step 1 score (but not a DO), and applied to 30 programs... which was way too many, but I had a good mix of interviews and was very happy with my residency program. I'd suggest 30 programs or so. Good luck!

 

[medgrl13055]

I think I got some strong recommendation letters (they all ended up being peds LoRs) and I wasn't ever too concerned with trying to get into a top ranked program. I just want a program where I'll feel comfortable at and I can become a great pediatrician at 😊. So, that makes it easier for me to not be choosy as well. Thanks everyone for the advice and the well wishes, I appreciate it all! I'm feeling a bit better going into fourth year and residency cycle now.

 

[Ladholyman]

Thank you for your response, that's reassuring to hear I'm not a total lost cause 😅. So originally I was gonna apply pretty much to most programs east of Texas but was unsure if applying to too many would lower my chances of matching then. Do you think it'd be ok to go ahead and apply broadly in that sense or "apply broadly" as in 20-25 programs max?

I would apply to at least 50, or very broadly. I'm very risk averse thought and I don't think diminishing returns really kicks in if everything is still virtual.

 

[Natremia]

That was what I was planning on doing but I got a little worried when I heard about chances of getting interviews/matching starts to decrease after a certain amount of applications so applying to too many can start to lower your chances. I'm guessing that doesn't necessarily hold true and to go ahead and apply to way more?

No offense to my colleagues above but if you’re a DO and apply to 30 with those stats you’ll be lucky to get 4-5 interviews

Thats just the reality. Maybe you’re comfortable with 5. I wasn’t so I applied to a bunch. YMMV

Good luck!

 

[medgrl13055]

No offense to my colleagues above but if you’re a DO and apply to 30 with those stats you’ll be lucky to get 4-5 interviews

Thats just the reality. Maybe you’re comfortable with 5. I wasn’t so I applied to a bunch. YMMV

Good luck!

From what I've heard from more people, I'm planning on applying to more than 30, possibly 80. May I ask how many you applied to? Thanks!

 

[calvinhobbes]

They key is getting interviews and getting them early. Interview slots fill early (pre-COVID). So if you decide to apply more later on, you may not even get any interviews because the slots fill up for the season, and interviews start usually around October and end sometime in Jan/Feb. And with virtual, I have no idea but it’s easier to over-apply which means you literally have nothing to lose. If you want, apply to every single one. Because if you decide to apply later, you may never even hear back bc those interview slots will fill up fast. So yeah, apply to many as possible, 100? Sure why not, if it increases your interview count, great, it means you have more to rank. The whole point is not having to go through SOAP which is horrible I hear.

Plenty of DOs in peds. Don’t worry. But virtual interviews are harder, but you have the luxury to apply to literally every single program. And since your stats are ok (no failures which is great), but not amazing, do yourself a favor and just apply to every single program. If you don’t hear back, then you don’t hear back, but at least you know you applied early and on day one and statistically, the more you apply to, the more chances you will get more invites.

Trust me. It’s what I advise to all students. You’ll be regretting it later on in December when you think “maybe I can add more programs to apply to” — it’s too late at that point. Apply early and to all bc you don’t have to travel anywhere, so you have nothing to lose!

Good luck and get your strong letters in and focus on step 2 now.

Also, don’t take this the wrong way, but just in case, so you can cancel them later and to avoid SOAP, apply to some FM programs too, so you have more to choose from. Match last year was rough and SOAP was rougher. Just do yourself a favor and apply to as many as possible and remember, rank everything, being matched is better than having no job and SOAP is no guarantee.

 

[calvinhobbes]

Also I was going to suggest, don’t listen to anyone as people may try to give you bad advice if they are competitive… just apply to many programs and if that means 90 programs, go for it!

 

[Ladholyman]

Also I was going to suggest, don’t listen to anyone as people may try to give you bad advice if they are competitive… just apply to many programs and if that means 90 programs, go for it!

I agree, I applied to over 80.
The extra money is worth it for the peace of mind.

 

[medgrl13055]

UPDATE: I did better on my step 2 (227) and level 2 (554) so I'm happy it showed improvement. As for number of programs to apply to, I was doing research and just based off of typical board score ranges and DO friendly from FREIDA website data, I've got 154 programs I could apply to... but wouldn't it be hurtful to apply to that many?

 

[mvenus929]

UPDATE: I did better on my step 2 (227) and level 2 (554) so I'm happy it showed improvement. As for number of programs to apply to, I was doing research and just based off of typical board score ranges and DO friendly from FREIDA website data, I've got 154 programs I could apply to... but wouldn't it be hurtful to apply to that many?

The only downside (unfortunately) to applying to more programs is the cost to do so. You don't lose opportunities by applying to more until you're inundated with interviews and can't attend them all, but that is a better scenario than not having enough interviews.

 

[GBurdell]

UPDATE: I did better on my step 2 (227) and level 2 (554) so I'm happy it showed improvement. As for number of programs to apply to, I was doing research and just based off of typical board score ranges and DO friendly from FREIDA website data, I've got 154 programs I could apply to... but wouldn't it be hurtful to apply to that many?

for what it’s worth, I was in a somewhat similar position. I barely passed step 1 and improved 40 points on Step 2. I applied to 40 programs, interviewed at 14, turned down 2-3 invites, matched at my #3. This was all in person precovid. Even then, there wasn’t much waitlist movement - programs invited the same number of people as they had interview spots and they filled up quickly.
ETA: the step 1 cutoffs in Freida are largely voodoo - I had multiple interviews at places where I clearly did not meet their cutoff.

I’m now interviewing virtual for fellowship, and they’re honestly fairly short/easy interviews and so pretty easy to schedule, even if you do end up going on more interviews than you realistically need to match. I will say if you can articulate a connection to a program that you’re actually interested in, it may be helpful. With it being virtual and it so easy to apply to more, I get the sense PDs have a pile of people with similar stats and it’s hard to tell if someone from across the country would really want to go there or they just clicked a box Bc it’s easy. I applied broadly for fellowship and my interview invites were largely in the same geographic areas as where I went to med school or residency.

 

[calvinhobbes]

UPDATE: I did better on my step 2 (227) and level 2 (554) so I'm happy it showed improvement. As for number of programs to apply to, I was doing research and just based off of typical board score ranges and DO friendly from FREIDA website data, I've got 154 programs I could apply to... but wouldn't it be hurtful to apply to that many?

Congrats! Apply to all and see what happens. You can add more programs later but the interview spots will be filled, so, just apply and good luck!

 

[medgrl13055]

Thank you all for your responses! I've been shortening my list of residency programs from 158 (which was basically all but the ones far out west coast since I'm on the east coast) to now about 130 is my plan of number of programs to apply to instead of just all available. Hoping this season goes well, appreciate your advice and words of encouragement as I enter this match cycle!

 

[medgrl13055]

I just wanted to come on here to say… I MATCHED!! 🥳 and at my #1 ranked program! Thank you everyone for the advice and words of encouragement 💛

 

[hopefuldoctor93]

If you don't mind me asking, how many did you end up applying to and how many interviews did you get?