so I'm joining the ENT fun

[blz]

I struggled between plastics, ENT, and NSG and I finally came up with the decision to pursue ENT. It's the best mixture of medicine and surgery, and I love the fact I can deal with adults and peds. Plus, I can still do some plastics and neuro. OK, so I know how hard it is to match in ENT and I'm really lacking in the research department. I only have one summer in Mexico doing some cancer research that didn't amount to anything because of the inefficiencies there. I already started my third rotation (finished medicine and surgery, now I'm on peds) so I'm going to have to play catchup. I spoke with the chairman of ENT over here and he said he would meet with me next week to discuss ways I could get more involved in the ENT department. Does anyone have any advice about what I should discuss with him? I know I should ask about research opportunities.

Also, I like academics and would like the opportunity to teach one day. I know that means I have to try to match at a good academic institution (my school takes a lot of their students but I dont know how they rank on the academic scale - I go to NYU) Should I opt to take a year off to do more research? My grades are pretty good. So far I only have my medicine grade back and I got honors (update: got surgery grade back - Honors). I got a 263/99 on step1. Thanks in advance.

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[resxn]

Does anyone have any advice about what I should discuss with him? I know I should ask about research opportunities.

Should I opt to take a year off to do more research? My grades are pretty good. So far I only have my medicine grade back and I got honors. I got a 263/99 on step1. Thanks in advance.

Your numbers are good enough now to get you interviews at several programs without the research. If you're going to go for a top program, get what research you can in now. If you don't match, well, then you can take the extra year to pad the CV and reapply. Unless you're totally into the extra year, I wouldn't choose to do it as a first choice thing.

As far as what to ask you chair, simply ask him how competitive he thinks you are and with the limited time left, what he'd recommend you do to make yourself even more competitive. Simple as that. Then do it. Chair to chair communication in my opinion is the surest way to get into a program. So if he's friends with the chair at a place you want to match, do a SubI there (generally I don't recommend these, though) kick serious can on it, and have your chair go to bat for you with the program.

That's what I'd do in your situation, anyway.

 

[5150]

I'm more or less in the same boat as blz, similar type numbers with similar lack of research (one pub where I'm 3rd author). My big issue is that I really haven't had any contact with any of the ENT attendings or the chair yet. I was sent to outside hospitals during my surgery rotation so I had extremely limited face time with the attendings at my own institution.

Is now already considered late to be getting into the game?

 

[blz]

I hope we're not late. If you think about it, the first two years of med school don't really expose you to ENT very much. That's why I never did any research in ENT. And really, for anyone that decided on ENT from the beginning, how the hell did you know?!

 

[RockShox]

I struggled between plastics, ENT, and NSG and I finally came up with the decision to pursue ENT. It's the best mixture of medicine and surgery, and I love the fact I can deal with adults and peds. Plus, I can still do some plastics and neuro. OK, so I know how hard it is to match in ENT and I'm really lacking in the research department. I only have one summer in Mexico doing some cancer research that didn't amount to anything because of the inefficiencies there. I already started my third rotation (finished medicine and surgery, now I'm on peds) so I'm going to have to play catchup. I spoke with the chairman of ENT over here and he said he would meet with me next week to discuss ways I could get more involved in the ENT department. Does anyone have any advice about what I should discuss with him? I know I should ask about research opportunities.

Also, I like academics and would like the opportunity to teach one day. I know that means I have to try to match at a good academic institution (my school takes a lot of their students but I dont know how they rank on the academic scale - I go to NYU) Should I opt to take a year off to do more research? My grades are pretty good. So far I only have my medicine grade back and I got honors. I got a 263/99 on step1. Thanks in advance.

Just somethings to add about being more involved in the department.

When I really started thinking about ENT. I just started coming to Grand Rounds every week. ( I started this in second year but starting third year can work to). Anyway, over time the residents and attendings recognized me and I got to know them. This lead to me being able to overhear about cool cases and some of them became case presentations and studies for journals. Also, it really helped come rotation and LOR time because I had a number of docs who knew me, knew I was eager, and could write a good non-superficial letter. This is just one thing I did...it may help. good luck.

 

[resxn]

I'm more or less in the same boat as blz, similar type numbers with similar lack of research (one pub where I'm 3rd author). My big issue is that I really haven't had any contact with any of the ENT attendings or the chair yet. I was sent to outside hospitals during my surgery rotation so I had extremely limited face time with the attendings at my own institution.

Is now already considered late to be getting into the game?

For all intents and purposes, you're not late getting into the game. However, the more competitive the specialty, the more you want to get in sooner. ENT is even more unique because unlike 2 of the other super-competitive surgical specialties (urology and ortho) in ENT research is really pushed. From what I've been told with those other 2 even though they're just as if not more competitive than ENT, they don't really have the same research push we do. Research takes time, so the sooner you get going the better. That's all.

 

[keschete]

For all intents and purposes, you're not late getting into the game. However, the more competitive the specialty, the more you want to get in sooner. ENT is even more unique because unlike 2 of the other super-competitive surgical specialties (urology and ortho) in ENT research is really pushed. From what I've been told with those other 2 even though they're just as if not more competitive than ENT, they don't really have the same research push we do. Research takes time, so the sooner you get going the better. That's all.

Get into ENT as soon as you can. You will love the mix of peds, adults and geriatrics!