ENT MEETING RECAP

[Klein...@aol.com]

For Those of you planning on applying to an ENT Residency read on (but most of this you've probably heard before):

 

Research:  Looks better if the research is in the ENT field and you had an intricate role in the process.  If you want to go into academic medicine, it helps to take time off and do 1-2 years of research in the feild.

 

Step 1:  According to the numbers from 2007 Match, if you have above a 220 on the boards, 80% matched - if you had above a 230, 85% matched.  If you had below a 220, it dropped to less than 50% matched.  Of 305 US applicants, 56 did not match.  If you don't match and take a year off to do research and then reapply, it will be much harder for you to match, but not impossible.

 

Step 2:  If you do awesome on Step 1, hold off your Step 2 until later in your fourth year.  If you do alright on Step 1 but fantastic on Step 2, if will help you. 

 

Grades:  1st-2nd year matter but 3rd year matters more.

 

AOA:  Does get taken into account.

 

Letters:  You want a letter from Dr. Davidson (head of the Dept) and possibly another ENT faculty member, and definitely from the director of whatever program you do an away rotation at.

 

ENT Rotations 4th Year:  Do a month at G'town first, in July or August;  Do 1-2 away rotations by October.  Get away applications in ASAP (Feb-March).  After an away rotation, find out their interview policy and whether you will have to come back to interview.  Be the first one there and the last one to leave.  Read up on the cases the night before.  Take initiative and do what needs to be done before being asked. 

 

Applications:  Get them in EARLY!  Before September!  Make your personal statement unique (they know you want to go into ENT, they know you love the anatomy, etc - find a way to stand out in a good way).  Do not leave blanks.  Write something.  If you were not involved in extracurricular's during med school, make sure you mention something you did in undergrad, so they know you do more than study all the time. 

 

Interviews:  You application gets you an interview, its up to you to make sure they rank you.  Ask questions while on your interview, find out how happy residents are.  If really want to interview at a program and havn't heard from them by mid-Nov, call them up and talk to the clerkship director.  It might also be helpful for our Clerkship director to contact their clerkship director.

 

Forth Year:  Be nice to everyone, not just the attending's.  The residents give feedback to the directors and it could hurt you if they think you're not good at working as a team and only look out for yourself.  They want to know you can work with your peers just as well as authority figures.  If you make the residents and your peers look good, they will do the same and everyone will win. 

 

Avoid otomatch.com - and DO NOT believe what you read - People LIE just to freak you out!

 

Bottom line, you have to know your strengths and weaknesses and how to play the game.  Talk to people during your third year and find out what programs you could realistically get into and what you need to do to strengthen your application.  Also, don't be afraid of the Mid-west.  They have lost of good programs. 

 

The Match is no longer an early match. 

---

Need a new ride? Check out the largest site for U.S. used car listings at AOL Autos.