Advice

[studoc314]

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Hi everyone,

I'm a rising M2 at a mid-to-low tier MD program on the East Coast and currently weighing a few specialties - mainly Psychiatry, Internal Medicine, Neurology, and Radiology. I’ve been surprised by how much I’ve enjoyed Radiology during early exposures and shadowing, though I know it tends to be among the more competitive fields.

At the moment, I’m active in several community service initiatives and working to strengthen my research portfolio. I’ll likely have two cardiology-related publications submitted by mid-August and have presented three posters so far (one at a national psych conference and two through local IM/Cardiology events).

I’ve heard conflicting advice about the necessity of research for Rads. Some say it's less critical than for other competitive fields, while others stress that it still helps distinguish applicants, especially at mid-tier schools. I’d appreciate any insights from current residents or applicants on what helped them stay competitive, particularly for those who didn't come from a top 20 program. I would love to go to California, Texas, or Florida for residency.

Would love any advice on how best to optimize this year (research, extracurriculars, mentorship, etc.) for someone keeping Rads high on the list but keeping other options open too. Thanks!

 

[GoSpursGo]

As you noted, Rads is a reasonably competitive specialty. Having some pubs (any pubs) helps, but by the time you actually apply you probably want at least a couple of rads-focused publications or at least abstracts.

Bottom line, you have some time, but relative to psych, neurology and IM, rads is clearly the most competitive specialty. So if you think you might want to do rads, I would likely focus your efforts on finding research in that field.

TBH, while community service is nice and by all means you should do it if you find it personally meaningful, it will not move the needle for residency applications one way or the other. It may be a useful talking point once you get to the interview setting