Auditions for General Surgery

[HeatWavesAlways]

Hey, so I'm an MS3 on winter break trying to formulate a plan for 4th year. I'm really interested in general surgery. I've met with my surgery advisor and he thinks I have a decent shot. He recommended 3-4 audition rotations. I just wanted to see what other similar students are doing/have done to successfully match surgery. Here is a snapshot:

Step 1: 231
Level 1: 547
Class rank: top 15%
Research: zero
3 honors (incl surgery) and 2 high pass so far
prior army officer
wife and kids

The biggest thing I'm worried about is my lack of research. I'm away from my core hospital that has residents (non surgery residents) for the next 3 rotations so I'm not sure its feasible to jump on any projects. I'm going to try to get a research elective for early 4th year at my school (or anywhere) to at least have something.

My questions are:
Should I target mostly former AOA and community programs for auditions? Is 3-4 auditions enough? Am I sunk if I can't get any meaningful research experience?

Thanks for the feedback.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Billroth_III]

Paging @AnatomyGrey12

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

You have a solid chance at matching somewhere if you play your cards right. You need to do well on Step 2, ideally 250+, and if you can get 600+ on Level 2 that will help quite a bit as well.

Without any research your chances at university MD programs are low, so yes I would target mainly community programs for auditions. I would personally do 2-3 DO and 1-2 MD auditions at community programs that have taken DO's before. Be smart about where you do auditions. And then apply very broadly. As a DO a broad app can be the difference between 15 interviews and 5. Get great LORs.

One thing I'm learning is even surgery programs like a good story. So I would highlight your military experience in your app and PS because that's something unique. Write a good PS. Highlight your strengths in your hobbies and experiences.

Later on when starting to schedule auditions you can PM me and I can suggest specific programs or give more pointed advice about certain programs.

 

[HeatWavesAlways]

You have a solid chance at matching somewhere if you play your cards right. You need to do well on Step 2, ideally 250+, and if you can get 600+ on Level 2 that will help quite a bit as well.

Without any research your chances at university MD programs are low, so yes I would target mainly community programs for auditions. I would personally do 2-3 DO and 1-2 MD auditions at community programs that have taken DO's before. Be smart about where you do auditions. And then apply very broadly. As a DO a broad app can be the difference between 15 interviews and 5. Get great LORs.

One thing I'm learning is even surgery programs like a good story. So I would highlight your military experience in your app and PS because that's something unique. Write a good PS. Highlight your strengths in your hobbies and experiences.

Later on when starting to schedule auditions you can PM me and I can suggest specific programs or give more pointed advice about certain programs.

Thanks for the feedback and taking the time to respond. I’m spending time on Frieda and Residency Explorer trying to target my best options based on scores and number of DOs as well as where my school’s previous grads have ended up. I’ll for sure hit you up later for more specific program advice. Good vibes your way during interviews!

 

[TenaciousX]

Hey, so I'm an MS3 on winter break trying to formulate a plan for 4th year. I'm really interested in general surgery. I've met with my surgery advisor and he thinks I have a decent shot. He recommended 3-4 audition rotations. I just wanted to see what other similar students are doing/have done to successfully match surgery. Here is a snapshot:

Step 1: 231
Level 1: 547
Class rank: top 15%
Research: zero
3 honors (incl surgery) and 2 high pass so far
prior army officer
wife and kids

The biggest thing I'm worried about is my lack of research. I'm away from my core hospital that has residents (non surgery residents) for the next 3 rotations so I'm not sure its feasible to jump on any projects. I'm going to try to get a research elective for early 4th year at my school (or anywhere) to at least have something.

My questions are:
Should I target mostly former AOA and community programs for auditions? Is 3-4 auditions enough? Am I sunk if I can't get any meaningful research experience?

Thanks for the feedback.

Hey there, I sent you a pm. I am an OMS 4 applying into GS this year with similar stats to yours. Also, listen to AnatomyGrey12. He knows what he is talking about.

 

[SurgDoc95]

Similar stats (with big level 2/step 2 jumps) and did a bunch of auditions. Feel free to PM