Step 1 score of .....will get you where?

[mountaindew2006]

Ok...so question. A friend of mine got a score of 197/80. What do i tell her

I know it's not the greatest score, her application (w/ the exception of first year) will be really good though.

Any suggestions? She wanted to do surgery. Should I push her towards IM instead now?? I told her atleast she didnt get a 183 or something....she's still in the 80th percentile right?

later

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[Harrie]

Getting a two-digit score of 80 does not mean she is in the 80th percentile. I don't know what the average was this year, but I think it is over 200, so that means that a 197 would be below the 50th percentile. That being said, you can still do surgery with average board scores. Get good letters, good clinical grades, and apply to a lot of programs. A little research wouldn't hurt either.

 

[VentdependenT]

Get a solid step II and it'll open more doors for her. If she really wants surgery then she shouldn't go for IM. She will be terribly miserable.

 

[DigableCat]

Should I push her towards IM instead now??

Not quite understanding this logic. She gets a 197 and you'd like to tell her to go into IM instead of surgery??????


Those two field are not very similar.

#1. SHE, and not YOU should decide what is it about surgery that she is drawn to. If it's the procedural aspect of it, there are plenty of other fields that she can apply for.
#2. An 197 is by no means a nail in the coffin. If she really wants to do surgery, there are plenty of other variables that fit into that equation. LOR, STEP 2 score, SUB-I performance, performance at away hospital. If everything was decided on board scores, then we wouldn't need interviews anyway.
#3. The best thing you can do as a friend to her is to be supportive yet realistic with her. Sure, she might not get into MGH for gen surg(I'm sure they are board score wh*res), but that's not to say there aren't other GOOD Gen Surg programs who are willing to take her if she shows good work ethic and determination.

At least that's what I would look for...but then again, I'm not on any gen surg residency committees...so take from this what you want.

 

[doc05]

her score is really crappy, but going from surgery to IM is just plain stupid. she needs to decide (1) what she wants to do, regardless of board score, (2) talk w/ the PD at her home program to realistically assess her chances.

but she can forget about ortho, gu, ent, and neurosurg at this point.

 

[Jamezuva]

I actually know of a person who got about that same score who is trying their darndest to get into ENT....whoooo...it's gonna be fun watching the match in Jan results and their response..

 

[mountaindew2006]

hey there

yah i know that i shouldnt just persuade her to do IM if her board scores arent high. however, from what i've read on SDN, surg residencies usu have higher board scores and i just dont want to set her up for upset....

in the end i know its her decision and its all about what shelikes. hwoever, i just dont want to see a really good friend become heart broken if something shes set her heart to doesnt actualize.

..

thanks ppl

 

[Jamezuva]

I agree with the others, IM is in no way appropriate. If she likes procedural stuff, encourage her to look at other specialties that have em but are less competitive. It's all about tough love

 

[fourthyearmed]

No way should she give up on surgery. There are plenty of surgery programs out there and she should be able to match somewhere. Sure she won't match at Hopkins but then she wouldn't match IM at Hopkins either! And it would be easier to match into FP or Psych than IM! Surgery and IM are totally different and require different personalities. Never push someone to do something they don't want. I would be miserable if I was pushed to do OB instead of Peds for instance! I think she still has plenty of chance of matching into a surgery program somewhere especially if she gets good evaluations.