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Basically anything that shows true interest in FM will do the trick.
I did a summer of chart review for a 3rd year resident's research project and joined the AAFP. That was about it.
I did a summer of chart review for a 3rd year resident's research project and joined the AAFP. That was about it.
If you have a pulse, you'll match as a US MD. If you want to do extra, just do whatever you want because it's not like you need it to make yourself competitive
Most of the rural programs are slightly more selective since there are fewer of them, it would be worth a small amount of extra just to make sure those programs are easily achievable.
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I also disagree with AlbinoHawk, especially since it sounds like you may have an interest in doing more than just bread & butter outpatient FM. You can probably get into any program with a pulse and a USMD, true, but you need more than that if you want to go to a program with good full scope training (often rural/small city, unopposed) since these tend to be a little more competitive. Doesn't have to be anything crazy but just a little something to demonstrate your interest and set you apart will go a long way. Research can help but honestly even minimal research looks impressive in FM. Community service, leadership, and involvement in FM interest groups, organizations, etc. will go a little further. Check out the NRMP program director survey for what specifically FM PDs are looking for.
From looking at the people they recruit, it is most often FMGs and other people that take these spots because they are generally undesirable. If you have an example of any rural FM program whose class is exclusively or predominantly US MD grads, I would love to see it
FM programs outside of academic centers don't care or are impressed with research. If you look at the NRMP program director survey that you suggested to look at, research is not a top 10 factor for either interviews or ranking an applicant. I would also like to ask you to please provide a link to any rural or small-city program that you can identify where their classes are exclusively or predominantly US MD. I'm open to changing my mind with evidence
Perhaps I was unclear, I was saying that service, leadership, FM interest groups/orgs will go further than research, i.e. they are more important to PDs than research is. Research can be a plus (especially community-based research) but I agree it is not by any means a necessity. I can certainly say at my community FM program research did help applicants some although I never saw a case where it was a deciding factor in either direction - it can be a helpful part of a well-rounded application. Even a few small chart review or community based studies as like a capstone project, even without pubs or external presentations, can be seen as "a lot of research" in FM.
Regarding rural/small city programs that are predominantly US grads - Caveats: tough to find an FM program these days that doesn't have a good percentage of DOs, including the competitive ones, and it absolutely depends on region and the quality of training at that particular program. Certainly not all rural/small city unopposed programs have great full scope training, but most of the programs with great full scope training are rural/small city and unopposed. However, this list is a good place to start - most/all of these programs have a good reputation for full scope training, and the ones I'm familiar with are almost/all US grads. Not all are rural/small city but the majority are. Ball Memorial in Muncie, IN (population 65k) is a decent example in a fairly small city I am more familiar with that has a lot of grads doing the type of work it sounds like OP is interested in.
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In the end, it doesn't look like any specific activities matter, so I would say they should engage in things they want rather than look for things that are specific to competitiveness
Yes, it looks like there's a few rural programs of that list. Of those, there is definitely a spectrum of candidates. I would say very few of them have IMG/FMG graduates. How competitive they are vs self-selection, I won't speculate
Yes, it looks like there's a few rural programs of that list. Of those, there is definitely a spectrum of candidates. I would say very few of them have IMG/FMG graduates. How competitive they are vs self-selection, I won't speculate
Which goes back to my original post: do a few small things that show you have true interest in FM. That and decent grades/step 2 score should do the trick.
The programs on this list are generally well thought of and highly sought after by the type of applicant who wants to do rural/full scope work. Certainly possible there are some exceptions that I don't know of but the ones I am more familiar with on this list have a good reputation.
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I didn't apply to them or researched them, so I will defer to your expertise
