Question about Boards

[deleted771945]

Hello all. I have a question on my future board exams (I am an OMS-0).

Why do many DO students take the USMLE? I am interested in moderately competitive (DR, Anesthesiology) and low competitive specialties (FM, Path). Should I be planning to take it too?

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[pigsinacloth]

Yes always take USMLE unless you have reason to believe you might fail. It's an easy screening tool for residency programs so most people take it so they don't get filtered out by not having a score.

 

[deleted771945]

Yes always take USMLE unless you have reason to believe you might fail. It's an easy screening tool for residency programs so most people take it so they don't get filtered out by not having a score.

Do historically AOA residencies utilize and/or prefer USMLE scores as well?

 

[Goro]

Hello all. I have a question on my future board exams (I am an OMS-0).

Why do many DO students take the USMLE? I am interested in moderately competitive (DR, Anesthesiology) and low competitive specialties (FM, Path). Should I be planning to take it too?

Because tons of PDs are either not familiar with COMLEX, or do not trust it.

 

[DOVinciRobot]

Do historically AOA residencies utilize and/or prefer USMLE scores as well?

Yes.

Take USMLE.

 

[deleted771945]

Because tons of PDs are either not familiar with COMLEX, or do not trust it.

Got it. And that includes PDs at former AOA programs?

 

[Goro]

Got it. And that includes PDs at former AOA programs?

DO PDs,? No

 

[DOVinciRobot]

DO PDs,? No

Not anymore. I know of more than a few surgery and surgical subspecialty programs that view not having Step as a red flag now, because so many applicants do have both.

Unless someone wants FM, community IM, or community peds they should plan on taking Step.

 

[deleted771945]

Not anymore. I know of more than a few surgery and surgical subspecialty programs that view not having Step as a red flag now, because so many applicants do have both.

Unless someone wants FM, community IM, or community peds they should plan on taking Step.

Damn. Well, more work for us I guess.

 

[Neopolymath]

Damn. Well, more work for us I guess.

It's not more work at all. That's a red herring your faculty and the NBOME uses because they are actively attempting to obfuscate or passively ignorant.

 

[Cornfed101]

Damn. Well, more work for us I guess.

Mostly just more money, you study for step and cram OMM for a few days between the exams for COMLEX

 

[Ho0v-man]

Do historically AOA residencies utilize and/or prefer USMLE scores as well?

If you want to match outside of primary care, you need USMLE. Even if you were relying on former AOA programs not caring, there’s only a handful of former rads and anesthesia programs anyway. So you’d be putting all your eggs in an absurdly small basket.

 

[DOVinciRobot]

If you want to match outside of primary care, you need USMLE. Even if you were relying on former AOA programs not caring, there’s only a handful of former rads and anesthesia programs anyway. So you’d be putting all your eggs in an absurdly small basket.

And from my understanding, the previous AOA Rads and Gas programs aren’t super desirable to begin with

 

[hopefull!!]

Mostly just more money, you study for step and cram OMM for a few days between the exams for COMLEX

is this truly how students do it? I dont know much about board exams but do students stack these big exams together? Is it to avoid extra studying or whats the benefit

 

[deleted771945]

is this truly how students do it? I dont know much about board exams but do students stack these big exams together? Is it to avoid extra studying or whats the benefit

Also wondering this. Seems kind of risky.

 

[Neopolymath]

It is less risky than doing it the other way. Maybe someone who has more time can rehash it in detail for you.

 

[MDMechEngr]

No risk from what has been discuss on this board ad nauseam . If you fail Step1 you do not have to report it as a DO. Someone reported on here that they match a uni program after failing step 1. they only reported LEVEL 1 to places that accepts both. I guess now DOs would take Step2. They just raised the pass score for step 2 by 5 points so that will sink more people, but as a DO, it is not a death sentence like the MDs.

 

[deleted771945]

If you fail Step1 you do not have to report it as a DO.

Oh wow. Yeah that definitely makes more sense now.

 

[DOVinciRobot]

Also wondering this. Seems kind of risky.

is this truly how students do it? I dont know much about board exams but do students stack these big exams together? Is it to avoid extra studying or whats the benefit

Not risky. It’s literally how DO students have been taking these tests since the beginning… studying for USMLE is studying for COMLEX

 

[Kardio]

is this truly how students do it? I dont know much about board exams but do students stack these big exams together? Is it to avoid extra studying or whats the benefit

Also wondering this. Seems kind of risky.

Save for OMM and some medicolegal pick your favorite italicized Latin words that are unique to COMLEX, the material they test on is not significantly different in nature. They are different in their style of delivering questions, answer choice selection, and relative distribution of questions. People study for Step 1 because it helps you develop the foundational knowledge needed to pass both of the exams (frankly, a more profound foundational knowledge than is needed to pass COMLEX) and eventually perform well on the wards.

tldr: huge overlap + nonoverlapping areas are not very difficult to learn + exceptional performance in areas of overlap compensates for weakness in nonoverlapping areas