Ophtho match question

SDN Members don't see this ad. (About Ads)

Hi everyone,

I'm an MD/PhD student currently working on research, and I'm wondering if people could offer their opinions on a scheduling question. I'm trying to keep an open mind, but am pretty sure I want to specialize in ophthalmology. My current plan is to start clinical rotations in September 2012, with a short ophtho home elective in February-March 2013, and to finish rotations by that August (2013). I'd then take Step II (want to have the score in time for applications since my Step I was in the mid 220s) and try to do at least one ophtho away elective before interviews start. However, thinking purely about the match, a few factors are making me wonder if it would be better to continue with research for another year:

1) My research may take longer than planned, meaning I would have to start sometime in October-December 2012, finishing later the following year. If this happens, I won't have as many clerkship grades, and may not have my Step II score by the time interviewing starts. It would also mean I'd have less time to study for Step II.

2) I could complete more publications in my lab (by end of summer 2012, I will have one first authorship, but there are other projects that are 60% done that I could complete if I continue research past September 2012) would have to give up if I finish research in the next few months)

3) I could brush up on my clinical skills, do some ophthalmology shadowing, and maybe even do some research in ophthalmology before starting clerkships. This would put me in a better position to do well, and add some stuff to my CV.

My question: what would you do in this situation? In particular, I'm wondering how much the additional research would add to my application (my current research involves optics, but is not related to ophthalmology otherwise), and if applying without all my rotation grades/only one ophtho elective would put me at a disadvantage.

Thanks in advance for your input.

1. If you really think you won't be finished in time, it's probably best not to gamble that you will be. You need your clerkships to have a viable application, and being your Step I was in the 220s, it would be a good idea to have Step II out of the way, as well. Having an MD/PhD helps, but it's still a numbers game to get through the filtering process of most good programs.

2. Having incomplete research is not particularly helpful, and it has the potential to reflect poorly on you (e.g., can't finish what you started).

3. Tacking on some ophthalmology research to your optics work will do nothing but help your application. Shadowing is also beneficial, particularly if it's with faculty that can write letters for you.

In summary, my recommendation is that you take the extra time and finish your PhD work and a solid round of clerkships. I did my PhD prior to med school, and when it looked like I would not be finished in time, I delayed another year. In the grand scheme of things, it's not that much time. I assume you have some potential interest in academics. If so, you want to match to strong training programs.

Not meaning to sidetrack your thread, but on a related note...

I have some research, a couple pubs, that is completely unrelated and is basically the only research experience I have. Is this a problem?

Originally Posted by auburnO5

Not meaning to sidetrack your thread, but on a related note...

I have some research, a couple pubs, that is completely unrelated and is basically the only research experience I have. Is this a problem?

Research experience is always good, though research related to your field of interest is better. Some just don't figure out what they want to do early enough to focus their research like that. I don't think it's a problem. My research was on parallel visual processing and had few direct clinical applications. Most of the faculty with whom I interviewed didn't know enough about higher order visual processing to even understand what I did.

Many thanks for the detailed reply! That is very helpful advice, especially from someone who was in a similar situation.