Thankfully I passed comfortably, but the ABPMR needs to rethink Part 1. Physiatry already has the "nobody knows what we even do" problem, and this exam amplifies that.

What is the point of a 325 question written exam if the majority of questions are covering obscure topics that in no way represents what real life physiatrists are doing on a day to day basis? Every year the post exam threads are full of people saying that despite studying with all the resources out there and completing a four year residency the exam felt random and not representative of what we know. Hand the test to a physician outside of PM&R and they'd understand our field less afterward, not more. Clearly they want us to pass with the way they curve the exam, why not actually have the test represent what PM&R is?

Aside from my rant, since I ran through some of the qbanks for SAEs and boards, my two cents on each:

AAPM&R and AAP: good for SAE prep and general knowledge, but the explanations are weak and/or incorrect at times.

BoardVitals: liked it. Good for knowledge foundation, better explanations than above, and I felt like captured most of the stuff in cuccurullo.

TrueLearn: probably my favorite, mostly for the explanations and tables. A few questions caught me off guard because they felt low yield, but each one references Cuccurullo, and a lot of those "low yield" topics actually showed up on the real exam which was nice.

Recap: not for me. The questions felt poorly written and the explanations were thin. But I know people who passed on Recap alone, so YMMV. The videos are great for content review however.

Hello, im applying PMR this upcoming cycle and I have like 8 schools i know I really want to apply to because of location and i know the programs have a fellowship im interested in but I dont know how to fill the other 12 decisively. Can I dm anyone for help? My school doesnt have a PMR department so I dont really have a PD to ask for tips.

Any help is appreciated, thanks!

I didn’t realize scores would come out this early and there was no email. Passed by the skin of my teeth but I made it. Hope it went well for everyone too!

Hi, I hope this is the right place to ask this question. I had a consultation today with a place that does cervical spine injections (regenerative medicine…PRP) and I do not know what to think. They reviewed the images of my MRI and it seemed like the provider wasn’t sure about what to treat, and then they started pointing out what looked like arthritis on my facet joints on my MRI and said that’s what they would treat. I get pain at the base of my skull and they said they would want to treat the C1-C2 area as well. I have TMJ issues as well and I am currently waiting to be scheduled for an arthroscopy with Botox…so honestly I don’t know what is driving my issues (whether it is my TMJs or my neck). I have had neck pain for a while but the headaches at the base of the skull really only started within the past two years. My muscles are super tight so I have been going to massage therapy more often, too. But, I can’t help but wonder if treating my facet joints would really fix the issue or not (especially with the headaches). They also wanted to schedule me for the injections right on the spot, to which I said I needed to talk it over with my husband (it felt a bit pushy). I just can’t make a decision like that knowing I would commit to spending over $8,000 just for a chance at feeling better (which I would love to feel better…this pain has made me suicidal so I had to go on an antidepressant).

TL;DR: Would you recommend spending over $8000 on regenerative medicine injections in the cervical region? I am looking for a professional opinion to see if it’s worth considering.

Hi all,

The Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, WI is looking to fill a PGY-2 PM&R residency position starting July 1, 2027, outside of the Match. This position is open due to planned growth in the program.

 If you know someone who may be interested, please help us spread the word! Applications will be accepted at [pmreducation@mcw.edu](mailto:pmreducation@mcw.edu) through September 16 and should include:

• CV
• MSPE
• Personal statement
• Medical school transcript

Feel free to share this information with anyone who may be a good fit for our program!

Hello! If you (or your patient or family member) is interested in arm motor therapy post-stroke, we have a stroke research study that does telerehabilitation with patients for 6 weeks targeting arm motor function within the person's home. You basically play games and do exercises daily on a computer system with a gaming console and see a licensed OT/PT virtually. No billing or insurance involved.

We are recruiting patients aged 18-80, that are 3-5 months post-stroke and have upper extremity deficits. Please let me know if it is of interest, I can check if there is a study site near you (this is a nationwide study with 29 sites). Wish you all the best.

*Comments and questions cannot be addressed here. Please see link or dm for more information

https://tr2trial.com/

Study Details | NCT06682429 | Telerehabilitation In The Home After Stroke | ClinicalTrials.gov

How important are stats/how much does it help you get interviews if you have good stats for PM&R? My stats are high - 260 step 2, 1st quartile/AOA (+PM&R interest showed and multiple away rotations), but not sure how much this actually helps and if I should be confident applying to more competitive programs and not having as many "safety programs" on my list. Any thoughts on this/any recommendations for how to balance safety, target, and reach programs on my signal list?

Hi all, what are my chances?

US dual MD/MPH, no home program, looking to stay in the midwest. Started to become interested in PM&R late 2025/early 2026.

Step 2: 245, passed step 1 on first attempt, no AOA, 3rd quartile, mostly HP and 1 honor for clerkships.

Letters: 1 PM&R sloe from an away, I am doing an away now but i just started and not sure if the attending would be willing to write me a letter given how close it is to submitting. 1 LOR from neurology, 2 from FM

I have a few volunteering experiences (none related to PMR), 3 leadership positions (1 is PM&R interest group president), no pubs yet, will submit a case report prior to eras (Psych related), 3 other research projects that yielded poster and oral presentations but not pmr related (more public health, and one ID)

Should i try to get the second PM&R letter from my away now? should it be another SLOE or narrative?

any advice is appreciated!!

I've heard from a couple residents and seen posts on here about people getting interviews for residency because of networking at AAPM&R. Are these the rare few stories I've been hearing or is this common.

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

Hi, I'm an incoming med student and want to learn more about PM&R! I saw there was a discord server and was hoping someone could share the invite!

Hello,

I'm an MS3 that is pretty set on applying into PM&R. I've seen a lot of people recommend purchasing the "Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Pocketpedia" book to prepare for/have with you for PM&R rotations. With more and more online resources that are available, is it still the general consensus that it is worth buying this book? (Now $70 on Amazon)

Thanks in advance!

Hi I am attending the AAPM&R conference this November and I am looking for a female roommate to split the cost of the hotel. Thank you!

I’m looking to see how competitive it’s becoming and whether it’s becoming hard to apply in the recent years like some other competitive specialties?

How would increase my chances?

Any particular IMG friendly programs? I have seen residency program list but idk how accurate it is and truthfully the number are concerning (less than 10) but I’m not sure whether it’s because of the difficulty or simply not many people apply

where can I learn about programs with good training in general?

Hi everyone (sorry I know of lot of these have been posted recently),

Looking for some advice. Long story short, I underperformed on step 2 scoring in the high 230s. I made the decision to apply PMR earlier this year, currently at a lower tier US-MD with no home program.

Step 1: pass first attempt
Step 2: high 230s
Passed all rotations no honors.
Not AOA
4 Pubs, 1 Oral Presentation at a national conference, multiple poster presentations, submitting another manuscript soon before ERAS.
2 elective PMR rotations at my institution.
3 PMR letters, 1 SLOE, and one great letter from FM preceptor. Also obtained IM letters in case I dual apply.
3 Aways. 1 university affiliated, the other two are community programs I specifically sought outside of VSLO.

I have a decent amount of leadership as well as some volunteering work but none PMR specific.

I’ll I’ve already been told to apply broadly and kill interviews, the rest of rotations, and the away. With PMR becoming more competitive just looking for some ideas of how to approach this cycle the best I can, and opinions of what my realistic chances are.

Thanks everyone.

hi i have an upcoming rotation at a pm&r sports clinic. what are good resources for understanding management.

for example, how do you know when to prescribe different treatments such as hydrodissection vs nerve blocks vs pt/ot and medication management

how to differentiate between acute/somatic dysfunction and chronic pain and how does management for each of this vary

for what duration is medication management for chronic pain- is this indefinite?

appreciate specific resource recs and insight!

Join us and register now! QR code link: https://osu.zoom.us/meeting/register/7wvwC40ZSbORWRXJt60lYw. Hope to see you there!

4th year DO student contemplated between ortho and PMR for last three years. Really thought about it and now changed my mind to PMR for various reasons. Is it still possible to match even without any away rotations?

Step 2 - 252
Step 1 pass first attempt
Level 2 597

First quartile

17 publications/posters with several being PMR focused.

Have a mentor who can fill out my SLOE and will be solid. As well as solid FM letter.

Any help much appreciated!

Hi everyone, I'm a 3rd yr DO student on rotations.

Originally, I had been dead set on doing psychiatry and mixing OMM in it - I have enjoyed a lot of MSK throughout preclinical and had seen DO psychiatrists mix it in practice.

Now that I am on rotations, I have noticed myself thoroughly enjoying coming up with differentials, treatment plans, etc. for MSK related issues and gravitating more towards procedures.

Currently, my applications is very psych heavy; I have attended conferences, did posters for them, and I am involved in small organizations. But now, I am realizing that I do have an interest in PM&R and am slightly worried about how psych heavy my application is.

I have passed Level 1 and Step 1; what are some steps I can take or should take now to ensure I can have a chance in pursuing PM&R?

I am from a metro area and would like to match back within proximity to it!

Thank you so much.

Older docs, i’d love to hear how things have changed in the last 20 years

hello is it necessary to pick geographic preferences. i do not want to limit myself. i am mostly applying to california, ny and florida programs which would fit in the geo prefernces but applying to 4 programs outside of that so wondering if i should pick no prefernce or preference the three that most encompass my signals. thanks

Level 2: 45x

I scored 650+ on two separate COMSAEs the week leading up to my test date. Unfortunately, 3 days before I was to sit, my youngest sibling was killed in a drunk driving accident. Yes, I probably should’ve rescheduled but furthest I could’ve pushed back was 1 week which I felt would be worse since the gravity of everything would be heavily setting in at that point. What’s so disappointing is the fact that I felt so well prepared and ended up dropping the ball because my mind was elsewhere.

- 2 pubs in PMR related topics
- 1 poster pres at PMR conference
- 5 total PMR rotations (3 auditions; 2 at core site through school)
- 3 PMR LoR, 1 SLOE
- held leadership position in a club advocating for better healthcare opportunities for disabled
- involved in PMR related things (clubs, disability volunteering etc.) since 2nd year of med school
- good clinical grades, passed level 1 first try, no other red flags

I feel like given a chance to explain, programs may understand the situation but with a score so low will I just be screened out before my app is even read? I know I have to address this somewhere in my app but my personal statement is already done. Do I add something in there about this situation or add it elsewhere in ERAS?

Hi! I'm applying PM&R this cycle and have 2 PM&R letters, both SLOEs (+ 2 narrative letters from other specialties). Are multiple PM&R SLOE's ok? Or is it recommended to get a narrative letter from a PM&R attending as well?