I'm planning on going to medical school to become a plastic surgeon. Some of the surgeries I want to perform are chest masculinization surgery, breast augmentation, facial feminization surgery, and facial masculinization surgery as I want to help transgender people feel more comfortable in their own skin. My brother is transgender and will be getting chest masculinization surgery in December. I want to talk about my brother and his influence on my decision to be a plastic surgeon, but obviously it's a controversial topic. Should I avoid the topic in my secondary applications?
Talking about transgender people in my secondary essays
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The topic is not as controversial as your presumption that you will get a plastics residency.
Very helpful -_-
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There are only 136 spots in the country. Start on page 239: http://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Charting-Outcomes-2014-Final.pdf
Half of the successful candidates attended top 40 research institutions. The USMLE median scores and other accomplishments are the tippy top of the nation.
That wasn't the question.
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There are many ways to serve trans-gender people. Plastics is only one way. Very few medical students will be competitive for this residency and it will appear naive/presumptuous to make this specialty the cornerstone of an application. The controversy is not trans-gender care, it is a focus on plastics.
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The point is, mentioning trans-gendered people, an obvious underserved community, is not controversial. Applying to medical school as if you are one of the 100 best medical students in the country before actually setting foot on a medical campus is going to be a problem.
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OP, if I were you, I would write about your brother's challenges in transitioning and how it gives you insight into the diverse ways that physicians can help their patients. It is unwise to specifically talk about wanting to specialize in plastic surgery, particularly if you have an MCAT score <520, GPA <4.0, and you don't yet have a Nobel prize. Plastics is one of the hardest specialties to match into, and you're going to look foolish if you start talking about matching into plastics when you haven't even taken your first medical school exam.
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You're going to shoot yourself in the foot because your description of your interests sound 100% starry eyed (and ignorant of how hard it is to become a plastic surgeon to boot.)
Psychiatrists will help TG people be comfortable in their own skin far more than any plastic surgeon will.
Psychiatrists will help TG people be comfortable in their own skin far more than any plastic surgeon will.
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@lesil, as you can see, you've stirred up a hornet's nest by expressing a desire to go to medical school to become a plastic surgeon. Medical schools are hesitant to admit applicants who are focused solely on one medical specialty such as plastic surgery. Go to medical school because you want to be a medical doctor. Prepare and do your best in the Step 1 exam after M2 year and then assess whether you are even in the ballpark for a match in plastics. Then go into your clerkships with an open mind and the understanding that you may change your mind after getting some experience in specific rotations. Only after you have completed your clerkships will you sit down with someone in the Dean's office and talk about your residency applications.
Don't put the cart before the horse.
That said, your sibling's need for specialized clinical care and taking inspiration from that is not controversial and won't be an issue.
Don't put the cart before the horse.
That said, your sibling's need for specialized clinical care and taking inspiration from that is not controversial and won't be an issue.
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Apparently my friend said he wanted to get into plastics on an application. Is he screwed then? Kinda advised him against it in the first place but he felt strongly about it
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Imagine you are a school that hasn't sent anyone into a plastics residency lately. Will this applicant go to your school if he gets in anywhere else?
It isn't recommended, but in an otherwise excellent application, it can be overlooked (especially at a state school).
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Okay yeah that makes sense! Well, hopefully it works out for him!
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@lesil - I recommend reading the LGBTQ thread on SDN especially http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/ask-a-trans-med-student-anything.1209903/#post-17973081 and posts by @Promethean. You have an inside source in your brother but talking about being the surgeon for such procedures at this point is a real reach that will not benefit your application. Instead, talk about your exposure to the trans community via your brother and your ability to relate to their challenges and your desire to provide appropriate care as a physician.
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Are you serious? how mean are you?! this is totally irrelevant to what he was asking and not even constructive.
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it's totally relevant, how daft are you?
It is both relevant and constructive.
First guy has a good point, and on top of that, its stupid to limit yourself in specialties. Doesn't look good to reject everything but plastic surgery without having taken a single class in med school. Instead, use your brothers story as an example of something that inspires you to medicine and particularly to this field, but express that you are open to every specialty at the time being.
