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- Oct 28, 2017
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Hello everyone,
I apologize if this question has been addressed previously, though I have scoured through the net and even asked the PD of my Cardiology fellowship program this question:
I am a PGY-1 DO halfway through my intern year who will be applying for Cardiology fellowship when my time comes. I've taken both USMLE Step 1 & USMLE Step 2 CK, in addition to COMLEX 1/2, as this was a standard across my class to remain competitive for residency. However, now comes another dilemma of taking USMLE Step 3 in addition to COMLEX Level 3.
From my understanding, as DOs we were not even allowed to sit for USMLE Step 3 until as of recent, due to the fact that initially you had to have completed Step 2 CS in order to sit though CS has been postponed/discontinued since COVID -- allowing us to now sit for Step 3 if we desire.
My question is: As a DO, does the risk/stress/time constraints of having to incorporate both USMLE and COMLEX 3 outweigh the potential benefit in your competitiveness/opportunity to match in a competitive IM fellowship? An important caveat I'd mention is that I plan to apply straight out of residency, thus my applicant pool will have both scored numeric STEP 1 & STEP 2 scores, while applicants after my year will be applying with a P/F STEP 1 score which may increase the weight of STEP 3 scores in the overall selection of applicants for interviews.
I have heard mixed things, both from fellow residents and even leadership faculty. Some say the gain is minimal and to just focus on COMLEX 3 and research/connections, while others say that if you have the time and money to go forth and take both, to go ahead and do so to cover my bases.
Any help with this dilemma would be greatly appreciated as I plan to sit for COMLEX and, potentially, STEP 3 in August of 2023.
I apologize if this question has been addressed previously, though I have scoured through the net and even asked the PD of my Cardiology fellowship program this question:
I am a PGY-1 DO halfway through my intern year who will be applying for Cardiology fellowship when my time comes. I've taken both USMLE Step 1 & USMLE Step 2 CK, in addition to COMLEX 1/2, as this was a standard across my class to remain competitive for residency. However, now comes another dilemma of taking USMLE Step 3 in addition to COMLEX Level 3.
From my understanding, as DOs we were not even allowed to sit for USMLE Step 3 until as of recent, due to the fact that initially you had to have completed Step 2 CS in order to sit though CS has been postponed/discontinued since COVID -- allowing us to now sit for Step 3 if we desire.
My question is: As a DO, does the risk/stress/time constraints of having to incorporate both USMLE and COMLEX 3 outweigh the potential benefit in your competitiveness/opportunity to match in a competitive IM fellowship? An important caveat I'd mention is that I plan to apply straight out of residency, thus my applicant pool will have both scored numeric STEP 1 & STEP 2 scores, while applicants after my year will be applying with a P/F STEP 1 score which may increase the weight of STEP 3 scores in the overall selection of applicants for interviews.
I have heard mixed things, both from fellow residents and even leadership faculty. Some say the gain is minimal and to just focus on COMLEX 3 and research/connections, while others say that if you have the time and money to go forth and take both, to go ahead and do so to cover my bases.
Any help with this dilemma would be greatly appreciated as I plan to sit for COMLEX and, potentially, STEP 3 in August of 2023.
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