from what i know, gas is getting more competitive. i dont even know if a board score below 220 will land you a decent gas program. this goes for img's. my only advice is that study hard and try to get above a 220 on step 2, setup a nice anesthesia rotation where they have a residency program. even if you dont like that program, atleast getting a nice lor from the pd, chair, or attending will help you a lot for the match. regarding research...i honestly dont know how or what significance it can have for the match. since you're going for 2005, try to finish step 2 by july...set up that elective...or better...two..starting august. that way you can have a decent lor in by opening day or before the end of september. the earlier you set up that elective the better chance of getting more than one lor into the match. i think two nice lors from 2 different programs would carry you farther than a decent board score. i applied for for rads this year and didnt match (as expected)..but i also didnt have any rads lors when i applied. because i took step 2 and csa so late (october of 2003), i started my electives late in the season (december) and couldnt get a good lor into the match in time to have any significance. but now i have two decent lors (both from chairs) with a third one (from a pd) on the way. both programs assured me that these will strengthen my application significantly when i apply again this fall, added to the fact that i will be applying as a prelim med intern rather than a MSIV. this is just my advice...i have nothing to fortify it with unless i ever get rads. regarding programs, if you can apply to ny and cali then im sure you can find a handful of middle tier gas programs that would atleast interview you. especially in ny. my advice is apply for every program on the east coast. so, good luck and pm if you have more questions. take care.
