What should I do for next year's match? plz ad - hopefl

[ArchivalUser]

Hi All,
I hope this match season went well for you.
I applied widely but ended up with only 4 interviews. statistically speaking, the odds are not in my favor but miracles happen !!
I'm not being negative, rather, I want to be prepared for next year's match which is only 6 months away & I ran out of ideas.

My stats: 229,213,Pass,2011,US-Citizen, 1 months hands-on, 2 years clinical research i n a highly reputable hospital, 8+ papers & posters, will be a first author soon.

looks like research hadn't helped me a lot in the residency application but I hope it will pay off if & when I apply for fellowship.

Not really sure what else I'm supposed to do other than taking step 3.
as for getting my hands on more clinical experience, I shadow my PIs every once in a while & they let me get hands-on encounters & I mentioned that in my application but obviously it didn't do much.

thank you for your advise in advance !

[ArchivalUser]

From personal view, USCE helps a lot more than research. Although hands-on is a little better, OB is also very good.

I would suggest you to work on getting more USCE, considering your current position, maybe at your current institution using your connections. Even if they are purely OB, it still helps more than research

[ArchivalUser]

thank you for the reply.
As I mentioned, I've been doing exactly that whenever I get a chance but it seems to be overlooked by the PDs

[ArchivalUser]

I also want to enhance my CV and i have been doing externship and volunteer along with step 3 prep. What else can we do?

[ArchivalUser]

don't be too discouraged. I've now spoken w/ several candidates who have average stats (Your step I is pretty good, step II is a bit low, but doesn't put you out of the game) who have ended up with less than 5 Ivs. You have a shot w/ 4 Ivs- depends on where and how you interviewed. What specialty?

Too many variables to predict, but if you IV at a top university program where most AMGs want to go, you may not have a great chance as many AMGs will be ranked above you. If you IV at a community program or a new program that also IV's AMGs, many AMGs will match into their preferred spots, so though you will also be ranked after them, the less "desirable" programs may have to go lower on their lists to fill all spots. It's such a random process and luck plays such a big factor. It's kind of ridiculous that you expend so much effort to be where your are, but in the end it's luck that matters....where will all other applicants rank and match has a big impact on your future.

For the future, you have very little time. Try to find a position where you can gain USCE at a residency hospital. Doing stuff at clinics really is meaningless. I know it's hard to find, but a letter from a faculty at a teaching hospital that deals with residents will help more than a letter from a random clinic. Research won't help really unless you can publish multiple articles between now and the next cycle-not likely.

Step 3 and USCE. Rather than finding just w/e USCE, pick up experience to where you want to apply. Build your application for the specialty that you are applying to to show interest. Easier said than done. The process is extremely skewed against success of IMGS!

The answer was not to open up more medical schools (or at least not just do this)....the answer was to open up more residency positions. Opening up more med schools has just created a bottleneck that all of us (including US grads) are now in. It wont affect US grads due to preference given to them (as I guess it should be, it is America). Funny how this is the situation in a country that forecasts shortage of physicians! Politicians=no clue!

[ArchivalUser]

Get Step 3 Done.
Apply into Psych or IM

Easy.

[ArchivalUser]

@buckeye22

thank you so much for the elaborate response !
I appliedwill apply to IM only. my research in is GI & I always wanted GI for fellowship.

[ArchivalUser]

I think that might have put you out of the game for some residencies, a GI fellowship is impossible with your grades.

[ArchivalUser]

what 4 places did u get ur iv, since rank list are submitted now....

[ArchivalUser]

@ricandoctor
why do you think that GI is out of reach for me?
when it comes to fellowship, all that matters is your research, grades are not as important as research.
that's based on my friends' experience, my PIs advise & everyone else I know.
So, I'm not sure that I'll match, that's something I can't argue in. however ,when it comes to fellowship, I kinda have a good grasp on the process !
thanks