So, does BS/MD look better when applying for residency, or is there no preference between the two?
@WayOutWestMom can give her opinionâŠbut Iâm going to say, it doesnât matter.
What matters are your Step scores, your shelf test scores, your LOR especially from rotations in the residency specialty you want, honors in medical school, and your interview.
Really, all a BS MD or BS DO does is give you a chance to be accepted to that medical school. And some places still require a certain MCAT cutoff, and donât accept everyone who applies.
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No path looks better than the other. Everyone starts out equal on the first day of MS1.
However, there are some residency PDs that tend to disfavor BA/MD/DOs and other younger than typical applicants because they are younger, tend to be less mature, can lack a good work ethic (because theyâve never held a full time, year round job before where they have to report to a supervisor and deal with customers and colleagues) and have less real world life experience (which makes it more difficult for them to relate well to their patients who will mostly be older than them.)
What matters most for residency (in no particular order): class rank, STEP/COMLEX scores, didactic grades, clinical grades, your MSPE (Medical School Professional Evaluation), specialty letters of evaluation from your clinical preceptors in your chosen specialty, specialty-specific research publications (for some specialties), audition rotation performance, and how well you fit in with/get along with the current residents and faculty members at potential residency program.
ETA:
@thumper1 is right a BA/MD/DO program doesnât GUARANTEE youâll be accepted to med school. All of them have some sort of minimum performance standards that accepted students need to achieve in order to progress to med school. You have to hit certain benchmarksâa certain MCAT scores, a GPA higher than X, no C grades, no honor code violations, Y hours of physician shadowing and volunteering, Z hours of community serviceâŠPLUS, every single program requires a in-person interview with a med school admission committee member or members at the end of your junior year/early senior year to determine if you have the right mindset/attitude to be a doctor.
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The only meaningful distinction is MD vs DO, and even then, there is mainly a benefit for going MD for a few selective/desirable specialties like Dermatology, certain surgical specialties, etc
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No, your undergrad doesnât matter for residency admissions, just like middle school doesnât matter for college admissions
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Prioritize working with patients over research. You are too young to become an EMT or CNA, so look for volunteer opportunities in a hospital, a hospice, senior care facility, public health clinic, doc office, etc.
IMO, one canât know they want to become a doctor until they have worked directly with patients, and have experienced the challenges that go along with that. Research wonât help you figure that out.
Meanwhile research your state laws regarding when you can become an EMT or CNA, even at an assistant level. Some states will let you start taking training classes when you are 15, so you are ready to go when you turn 16. In other states you might not be able to do those jobs until you are 18.
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And there are plenty of DOs working right alongside MDs in the same practice, at the same hospital, in the same area. And even in some selective specialties.
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