Thanks for all the replies everyone. The dilemma that faces the DO students applying to MD programs is this: The DO match comes out a month or so before the MD one. If one's chances of matching at a DO program are better than at an MD program, then the inherent risk of ranking DO programs and then matching at one precludes one from obtaining a spot at an MD one. In other words, you can't apply to both if you know that wou might very well match at a DO program. Thus: you either apply to only DO, or only MD. If anyone has a different viewpoint on this problem please let me know. If there are DO students who are experiencing this dilemma please chime in. Thanks
Hey guys,
I'm also a third year DO student in the same dilemma. Top 2% of my class. COMLEX 98th%/USMLE Step I 250, but NO PUBS, no research, but heavy experience in ortho as a surgeon's assistant prior to med school. I'm looking for a program, osteopathic or allopathic, that provides a balance of didactics and a substantial operative case load. I would not mind matching osteopathic, as long as I come out of there a competent orthopod. Does anyone know which osteopathic programs are considered top notch?
Thanks.
Your scores, academics and prior surgical experience will be a definite advantage for you. I would not limit yourself to DO programs only, although I am sure you could get good training at all of them. If you add some Allo programs, you could have a choice at where you might want to live.
On another note, I would do some/ any ortho research in order to have some common ground with the PhD's that you will interview with.
My final $0.02, any school that you get into will be top notch. Reputation is nice but finding a place where you fit in and will be happy for 5 years will be the best.
HJ,
Thanks for the advice. I'm trying to land a rotation @ Penn and Jeff, but like you said, the fact that I don't have any research or pubs, really puts me at a disadvantage. And the fact of the matter is, that I don't really know how to get hooked up with some ortho research. I don't have any contacts, and there is nothing activelly going on at school in that field. I just feel like I might be wasting a couple of rotation spots at these academic institution, where I'm not going to get a look due to my lack of research. Maybe I should try instead for a rotation in an institution where the focus wont be so much in the research I've done in the past(which is zero), but what I might be able to produce in the future. Do you know of any institutions like this, or am I just in LA LA land?
You can do a case report...just ask some of the orthopods at your instituition if they have any that need to be written up. As far as academics vs. community programs, it's up to you. You can get great training at either type and you can do academic orthopaedics from either (simply because there are always positions available and the salary is much lower in academics). There are tons of orthopaedic opportunities in private practice. The real decision is "where do you fit in".
My advice is to pick one region of the country where you want to live and research those programs. You probably will not have to apply to more than 30. Try to mix academic and community programs so you can compare the two.
