Number of Integrated Programs to Apply to + Backups?

[Purell4life]

New MS3 here. So I am looking at applying to Integrated Plastics programs one or two years from now depending if I take a year off for possible research.

Stats:
Step 265+
AOA: pending
Pre-Clin: All honors
Clin: No grades yet
Rep: Middle tier med school
Research: several in progress projects in unrelated surgical fields, no publications

What is the number of integrated programs that you would recommend applying to?

Also do people often apply to ortho, ent or gen surg as backups? How do people go about securing letters from these backup specialties? How do you balance doing aways form PRS vs. Ent/Ortho/Gen surg

Finally, what are your thoughts on taking a year off for research?

Thanks.

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[prsmatch2011]

apply to all. if your personality comes off poorly, id apply to backups. your board score will get you more than 12+ interviews, which historically has a 90% chance of matching, unless you have something bizarre on your record, like an off colored comment from an attending or a DUI.

 

[PeterParker7]

New MS3 here. So I am looking at applying to Integrated Plastics programs one or two years from now depending if I take a year off for possible research.

Stats:
Step 265+
AOA: pending
Pre-Clin: All honors
Clin: No grades yet
Rep: Middle tier med school
Research: several in progress projects in unrelated surgical fields, no publications

What is the number of integrated programs that you would recommend applying to?

Also do people often apply to ortho, ent or gen surg as backups? How do people go about securing letters from these backup specialties? How do you balance doing aways form PRS vs. Ent/Ortho/Gen surg

Finally, what are your thoughts on taking a year off for research?

Thanks.

Awesome credentials. I am in a similar boat and am looking to learn more. What I've heard is:
1) honor surgery and plastics rotations
2) don't let step 2 dip much from step 1 score (its ok to take it after applications are in though but before match day)
3) get good letters from academically active "known" surgeons, esp chairs or PDs if i can

My issue however, is that I don't have a home PRS residency (integrated or traditional) at my school. I work with plastic surgeon at a different institution in the same city as my school that does have an integrated program. Aside from doing an away rotation at my PI's institution, would anyone else recommend other aways? I am really hoping to couple's match (signif other also has step 1 in 260's, but she is thinking about peds, neuro, or IM, so its clear that I am the one holding our application back by applying PRS). We're hoping to match to a CA program. I've heard we should at least do an away at one CA program. Would anyone recommend 2? In this case, I would be rotating through 3 PRS away programs technically.

Thoughts?

So pumped to do PRS someday!

 

[Valadi]

Awesome credentials. I am in a similar boat and am looking to learn more. What I've heard is:
1) honor surgery and plastics rotations
2) don't let step 2 dip much from step 1 score (its ok to take it after applications are in though but before match day)
3) get good letters from academically active "known" surgeons, esp chairs or PDs if i can

My issue however, is that I don't have a home PRS residency (integrated or traditional) at my school. I work with plastic surgeon at a different institution in the same city as my school that does have an integrated program. Aside from doing an away rotation at my PI's institution, would anyone else recommend other aways? I am really hoping to couple's match (signif other also has step 1 in 260's, but she is thinking about peds, neuro, or IM, so its clear that I am the one holding our application back by applying PRS). We're hoping to match to a CA program. I've heard we should at least do an away at one CA program. Would anyone recommend 2? In this case, I would be rotating through 3 PRS away programs technically.

Thoughts?

So pumped to do PRS someday!

You may not have a PRS residency program, but you might have a division with a chief. If so, I'd recommend doing something at your home institution and getting to know your chief/chair in addition to 2-3 aways. Otherwise, I know one guy who did 4 away rotations.. but I think 2-3 is a good number.

 

[PeterParker7]

thanks!

 

[PeterParker7]

dbl post

 

[GunnerBGone]

Hope your questions are answered soon.



My question is, how,when, and where do you do this?

Research: 1 basic science publication- first author, several basic science poster presentations, 1 plastics abstract, 2 plastics posters, 2 plastics manuscripts in the works now- soon to be submitted, first author of one of these, aiming to get more manuscripts in within the next year

 

[rongeur]

So I thought up another question. Its becoming more and more evident I won't be able to live without doing flaps/reconstruction- (for now, my future thought would be specializing in hand, head and neck, or breast).

My situation: my goal is to end up in PS ideally
My significant other's goal: couple's match to CA (ideally LA area, but she'll take anything in CA).

So I'm looking at couple's matching CA with the intent to eventually go PS. Given my stats below, would it be reasonable to apply integrated plastics and ENT with a good shot at couples matching to CA in either specialty? Or am I being unreasonable thinking I could match into either competitive field in a competitive state and should simply hedge my bets and apply integrated PS + GS.

Reason for ENT, they do microsurgery too and overlap in head and neck with plastics. I'm doing ENT rotations later this year at my home program (where I don't have a plastics residency). If I didn't match plastics, I think life could still be very fulfilling as an ENT, even without further plastics training if need be. I've already done a semester of shadowing in ENT during M1 and I know that it was a very close 2nd to what I love in plastics. GS would be ok, but I think I would feel more obligated to continue on to fellowship rather than stopping after residency. Feels like a lot of extra stress/training to have the pressure to go through the match process again for fellowship.

My anticipated stats:
Step 1 = 265 (done, actual score)
Step 2 pending (ball park of my step 1 hopefully, I'll take it after I submit my residency apps)
M3 grades mostly honors so far (assuming continued trend the rest of the year)
M1&M2 = P/F, all passed
Research: 1 basic science publication- first author, several basic science poster presentations, 1 plastics abstract, 2 plastics posters, 2 plastics manuscripts in the works now- soon to be submitted, first author of one of these, aiming to get more manuscripts in within the next year
Recs: I know I have the chair of plastics dept at one of the hospitals in a prestigious program vouching for me, will get more recs next year from other plastic surgeons for my plastics app, figuring out who to target for my other specialty I'll apply to
Aways: planning to rotate in LA in PS, and/or ENT or GS if it makes sense to for me to have an in

(note: my GF has similar Step 1 and stats as me, but wants to do peds, IM, or neuro, and definitely not rads/surgical sub specialties/derm. I'm obviously the ball and chain in the application wanting to go plastics or ENT or GS)

Any thoughts appreciated.

I've honestly never heard of anyone applying ENT/PRS together. The two fields do not always have the friendliest relations, either; saying if you can't do PRS you're going to go into ENT and do "facial plastics" = bad.

You have a very weird situation all round. If you're 100% dead set on Cali I'd do PRS+GS. Nobody can guarantee PRS in Cali, or guarantee ENT there either when you have no special connections in it.

 

[PeterParker7]

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