On Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 8:47 AM the following question arrived:
There is a growing trend of programs in CA and across the country requiring applicants to have taken the USMLE Step 2 and have their scores reported before they will be considered for ranking. Does Stanford currently (for the 2012 PGY1 or 2013 Advanced Anesthesiology residency) require Step 2 scores prior to ranking an applicant?
Answer
Thanks for your question and I am pleased you are aware of the new 2012 pgy1 categorical positions now available at Stanford Anesthesia. We do not require the step 2 score prior to submitting our rank list. When we review applications in october, we do find that applicants that scored poorly on step 1 are more likely to have taken step 2, probably to get their score up and strengthen their overall application. On the other hand, we often see applicants that have high step 1 scores wait on taking step 2 so that result is not available to us during the interview season.
We know there is a lot more to being a good doctor than high test scores so during the review of applications we emphasize the applicant’s overall medical school performance as well as recommendation letters and the interview.
BTW there isn’t a requirement for the timing of step 3 with the exception of needing to pass it prior to starting the PGY2 anesthesia residency year. The earlier you take it will mean the earlier you can get the paperwork going for your CA medical license. We generally recommend you start the licensing process around Oct. of your internship.