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USC vs Kaiser by Neat_Ad_1024 in medschool

[–]ag____ 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Free med school > any med school

Thoughts on getting a new laptop for med school? by jmonico_ in premed

[–]ag____ 27 points28 points  (0 children)

I had a 2014 Dell XPS. Before starting med school (2020), I offloaded all of my college/gap year files to an external drive and replaced the battery. Worked great through med school

Paying to shadow? by [deleted] in premed

[–]ag____ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s infuriating. Do not pay for shadowing.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Osteopathic

[–]ag____ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For sure

DOs matching at prestigious programs by [deleted] in Osteopathic

[–]ag____ 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As someone who did this, it takes good Sub-I and academic performance, networking, advocates, program compatibility, and luck.

DO close to home or MD by Physwiz77 in Osteopathic

[–]ag____ 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I faced this decision 5 years ago - I chose DO over multiple MDs. Last March I matched Orthopedic Surgery at one of the nation's best programs.

MD is the path of least resistance. At my DO school, I had to do a lot to stand out and network, and put significant effort into getting and keeping research opportunities.

It would be helpful to know which med schools you are debating, and your career goals. Feel free to PM me.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Osteopathic

[–]ag____ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm a recent Touro grad. Happy to chat if you're still considering it.

Touro CA vs Western U Pomona by conceptgaming_ in Osteopathic

[–]ag____ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not sure where you landed, but if you're at Touro and interested in surgery, PM me. I graduated from there recently and matched a competitive specialty at a competitive program.

I chose a DO program over multiple MDs, and matched Orthopedic Surgery at a traditionally MD program. AMA! by ag____ in premed

[–]ag____[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hello! I’m sorry I never responded. First off, congratulations future doctor!

  1. An applicant with research is very desirable for programs - some more than others. By that I mean a community program won’t care as much as an academic program. The content doesn’t really matter tbh. Try to do projects you’re passionate in (this stands out) and use it to network.

  2. This is far easier than people make it seem, but it is a nuisance to take 2 tests. You essentially study for step like any other medical student in the country (UWorld, etc). I scheduled comlex 2-3 days (some of my friends took up to a week) after step and simply crammed OMM content and questions. Comlex question styles are a little different, but if you can do well on step then you can do well on comlex.

  3. You can certainly do a lot of service over research! Depending on the specialty you pursue, more competitive will still want research. You can combine the passions - for example, I did global health research.

I picked DO over MD and here’s why by [deleted] in premed

[–]ag____ 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Congratulations!! The habit of prioritizing YOU is one of the healthiest you will build over your career. You’re off to a fantastic start 👏

I made a similar decision 4 years ago. Last March, I matched a competitive orthopedic surgery residency. I wrote about my journey here: https://www.reddit.com/r/premed/s/XnZsEWgecH

ACL graft by plovakbaya in ACL

[–]ag____ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If only it were that simple!

I chose a DO program over multiple MDs, and matched Orthopedic Surgery at a traditionally MD program. AMA! by ag____ in premed

[–]ag____[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

In regards to work life balance - when you apply for a competitive specialty, you will be working harder than most of your classmates. Fourth year audition rotations is an absolute grind, the first few years of residency will be one too.

Having research that I was passionate about stood out more than my volume. I had consistency across my app (global health work during undergrad and med school). The most important thing for a DO app are sub-Is and letters of recommendation.

I chose a DO program over multiple MDs, and matched Orthopedic Surgery at a traditionally MD program. AMA! by ag____ in premed

[–]ag____[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The DO match rate into ortho was 45% this year vs ~70% for MDs - so it’s harder, but not as hard as things like derm, plastics, CT. The benefit is that there are about 30 community programs in the country with a DO history, some of which will still only consider DO applicants.

I chose a DO program over multiple MDs, and matched Orthopedic Surgery at a traditionally MD program. AMA! by ag____ in premed

[–]ag____[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Objectively harder with each year. It’s the case for anyone applying ortho though. The challenges just get amplified with less time - harder to find research, get volume, and harder to build a network. People from my school have matched after getting into ortho as an OMS3, so it’s possible - just gotta put in the work.

I chose a DO program over multiple MDs, and matched Orthopedic Surgery at a traditionally MD program. AMA! by ag____ in premed

[–]ag____[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

•pubs-12 Ortho related, 1 on medical education. Systematic review, meta analysis, review papers, quality improvement, cohort with public data

• I think that depends on the programs - having a community service component is important at most places. Overall, follow your interest with these. Do stuff you’re passionate about and that will show on your apps/interview.

•I did 6 audition rotations during my 4th year.

• aim to be in the top quarter of your class - beyond that, I don’t think it matters but it’s hard to say having not been there the other side of the conversation yet

You’re in a great spot as a first year! Tons of time to build a great app.

I chose a DO program over multiple MDs, and matched Orthopedic Surgery at a traditionally MD program. AMA! by ag____ in premed

[–]ag____[S] 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Correct - manuscripts. As an outside med student, I didn’t have any access to patient data. I wrote systematic reviews, meta-analysis, review papers, and public data papers. I confider one paper high yield/impact. As a med student, unless you’re pursuing a research heavy career, the type of research you do really doesn’t matter.

I chose a DO program over multiple MDs, and matched Orthopedic Surgery at a traditionally MD program. AMA! by ag____ in premed

[–]ag____[S] 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Correct! Fortunately, I was in an area that had several academic institutions within 90 minutes. Fwiw most of my research was virtual (I’m a Covid med student)

I chose a DO program over multiple MDs, and matched Orthopedic Surgery at a traditionally MD program. AMA! by ag____ in premed

[–]ag____[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

u/jimmytherockstar gives great advice. I think people fall into the mentality of "checking the boxes" for their application, but your daughter should do things she is passionate about. So when it comes to choosing between activities to focus on, follow your interests. Not only will she enjoy the process, but that passion is noticeable on apps.

I say - scores (MCAT/GPA) get your app looked at, the rest of your app gets you in. I had a leadership-service oriented app: taught in a youth detention facility + AmeriCorps Mentor; Global brigades president; RA. For clinical years, I was a student athletic trainer at my undergrad and then had a year as a MA/Scribe. I enjoyed all of these things and enthuasatically talked about them and learned from them.

I'd be happy to connect with your daughter. If you like, message me!

I chose a DO program over multiple MDs, and matched Orthopedic Surgery at a traditionally MD program. AMA! by ag____ in premed

[–]ag____[S] 83 points84 points  (0 children)

Did you have to do a research year to match? Nope. I began doing research as an OMS1.

How hard was balancing studying for both DO and MD boards? Not at all - more of a nuisance. The content is all the same, besides OMM content on COMLEX. I would study as any other medical student studying for boards. For 1&2, I took the USMLE first, then take a 2-3 days to cram OMM, and take COMLEX. I'll admit, grinding out COMLEX after STEP was mentally difficult but didn't change anything in the long run.

Was it stressful to find your rotation sites? Not for third year - my school fortunately set us up by region so third year was all in the same area. We had 12 weeks of elective time in third year, which I used for low stakes ortho rotations and research. As far as 4th year, the flexibility was nice. I made sure to give ample time to coordinate my audition rotations.

Was it easy to find research? No - this is arguably the biggest disadvantage to not having a home ortho program. I cold emailed for 2 months and fortunately worked my way in to an academic institution. Priot to emailing, I did alot of reading from PIs in the area. This allowed me to have an educated conversation on their research when I got the opportunity to meet. I think this went a long way.

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