i am a fourth year medical student interested in ortho, but I did not pursue ortho because of my step one score (204/83). I decided to be realistice with myself and instead applied for a less appealing field, general sugery. after speaking with an ortho chairman, he told me that was a mistake and that I should have pursued my passion. I decided to take step 2 early and received a 233/96. the ortho chairman told me that my step 2 score was good and that step 2 is a better predictor of an applicants success, and that I have a shot. because it was simply too late to apply for ortho this year, i decided to follow through on my general surgery application. I interviewed at 20 places, of which I was only happy with a few. I am now struggling with the decision of whether or not to submit my match list. I was hoping someone could give me some advice on whether or not I should pursue ortho. I have a year of dedicated ortho research set up for next year if i want it. the attending told me that he could not pay me, but he would write me a letter of recommendation and call on my behalf to a program to which he is connected. although i will not say which program, i am fortunate it is one of the lesser competive programs out there. I am worried that a year of research will not be enough to get me the interviews I need to be successful. with only a few days till i need to submit my match, can anyone advise me on whether or not i have a realistic shot? my parents would like me to do a year of general surgery and then try to switch. i have been told that many applicants try this and are unsuccessfully. i am also worried that not being a ms4 next year when i reapply will further hurts my chances. by the way, I am a b student with a few a's here and there. I really appreciate any help with this difficult decision.
That's a really tough decision you have in front of you. It seems like you realize that it may be an uphill battle (maybe a losing one). Your step one definitely isn't helping, but you have a solid step 2. A year of research and the personal connections gained will certainly be of benefit to your application but they are not a guarantee of interviews. I don't know your situation but, consider where your potential mentor's connections are. If he is a graduate of a big name program and a big name fellowship, it may not matter how much he recommends you to their residency/program director. It MAY get you an interview, but it would be unlikely that you would shine so bright that you would be ranked higher than the multitude of 250+ steps/AOA/promised donation to school/etc... applicants. If you choose to follow your passion, you might be better served by applying primarily to community programs, with a few less prestigious university programs.
It is very much a personal decision whether or not you are willing to work unpaid (although, paid research positions are available) for the chance to follow your dream. You can always double apply GS/Ortho next year. It may just delay the inevitable by one year, but at least you gave it a shot??? Although, to play devil's advocate, delaying GS match this year probably won't help your GS chances in the match next year, as a year off may be a red flag to programs... Good luck with your decision.
I don't know if the uncertainty you are experiencing is the anxiety related to the match process itself, or maybe ortho was youre true calling... Who knows? Most of us won't know for sure until we are out in practice. In any case, its very much a personal decision. Matching in g-surg with the intention of dropping out is a BAD idea. Research is a better alternative... and if you can get a paid position at a well-known lab, even better. A year of research could be a great thing... I've met a few people who did it and it really helped their application. Do your away rotations now... then gets some publications next year... you'll definitely have a shot. Again, even with a lower step i score, a lot of people still manage to match. After all, surgery is a competitive field too... and you still managed to secure many interviews.
