Question for Ophtho_MudPhud

[DOnut]

I know i posted a similar question before....forgive me. Since you are the resident Ophthalmologist on this board, I have to ask you.

A neurosurgery resident from our school gave an informal lecture to the surgery club yesterday and he basically said not to set our goals too high as far as trying to obtain the best surgical or surgical subspecialty residencies as a DO.

His reason was because he had outstanding scores USMLE Step1 and 2 and awesome LOR but was not even given an interview at some of the better programs.

My question is, since you are a Mud_Phud, and you are training at one of the best programs in the country, would Iowa give serious consideration to a DO who has outstanding board scores, kick a$$ letters of recommendation and published research. I realize that all of the applicants to Iowa will have these qualifications, but out of curiosity what do you think.

Thanks


PS- I get sick of reading these questions too, but your answers do help us focus our efforts.

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[Andrew_Doan]

Originally posted by DOnut
I know i posted a similar question before....forgive me. Since you are the resident Ophthalmologist on this board, I have to ask you.

A neurosurgery resident from our school gave an informal lecture to the surgery club yesterday and he basically said not to set our goals too high as far as trying to obtain the best surgical or surgical subspecialty residencies as a DO.

His reason was because he had outstanding scores USMLE Step1 and 2 and awesome LOR but was not even given an interview at some of the better programs.

My question is, since you are a Mud_Phud, and you are training at one of the best programs in the country, would Iowa give serious consideration to a DO who has outstanding board scores, kick a$$ letters of recommendation and published research. I realize that all of the applicants to Iowa will have these qualifications, but out of curiosity what do you think.

Thanks


PS- I get sick of reading these questions too, but your answers do help us focus our efforts.

This is my opinion only. I think that if you're a DO with awesome credentials and ophthalmology experience, then you'll be a strong applicant. If you have strong research experience, then you'll be competitive at the big research schools. Many of the bigger name programs want people to have strong research experiences. For example, read what Wilmer states about their applicants:


The resident selection process at The Wilmer Eye Institute of The Johns Hopkins Hospital is relatively straightforward. All applications are initially screened by members of the Residency Selection Committee, who look for students with the potential to become leaders in the field. While no absolute selection criteria exists, applicants given interviews usually have most of the following credentials:


1. Outstanding college and medical school academic records.
2. Board scores above the 90th percentile.
3. Evidence of academic potential as indicated by authorship (especially first-authored) of at least one scientific article (ideally, concerning an ophthalmologic subject) in a peer-reviewed journal.
4. Evidence of commitment to ophthalmology as indicated by involvement (research, electives, etc.) in the ophthalmology department at their medical school.
5. For foreign medical graduates, at least the 90th percentile on the ECFMG examinations.


http://www.wilmer.jhu.edu/training/ophth_residency/Process.htm

 

[DOnut]

Thanks for the reply