characteristics of a Successful EM Applicant? interests and extracurriculars.

[Chris Knight]

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[BADMD]

There is actually a paper that examines the characteristics of successful EM applicants. I don't have the citation handy, but I'm sure you can find it or someone with better search skills than I can link to it.

And it is way to early to worry about some of this stuff. If you really have all this free time and you are a first year, than you potentially have the time to do some interesting research (none of this research month elective crap). Find someone who does something you are interested in and see if you can hook up with them.

 

[Chris Knight]

Thanks for directing me to that article, BADMD...

for anyone else interested:

"What Characteristics of Applicants to Emergency Medicine Residency Programs Predict Future Success as an Emergency Medicine Resident?" Academic Emergency Medicine Volume 12, Issue3 p206-210

which to sum up states that the prestige of medical school attended,"distinctive factors" (being a championship athlete, medical school officer, etc.) and the dean's letter are best predictors of success in UC San Diego's EM residency program.

 

[BKN]

Thanks for directing me to that article, BADMD...

for anyone else interested:

"What Characteristics of Applicants to Emergency Medicine Residency Programs Predict Future Success as an Emergency Medicine Resident?" Academic Emergency Medicine Volume 12, Issue3 p206-210

which to sum up states that the prestige of medical school attended,"distinctive factors" (being a championship athlete, medical school officer, etc.) and the dean's letter are best predictors of success in UC San Diego's EM residency program.

Interesting, but I think distinctive to UCSD. I think most of us are most interested in the inidividual than his school. And while extracurriculars have some importance, I think there was a survey of EM PDs some years ago suggesting that if we couldn't see a candidate on a try-out rotation, we'd be most interested in seeing a letter about clinical performance from someone we knew and trusted. Failing that a SLOR from a senior faculty attesting clinical promise.

Personally, I'm interested in multi-tasking ability, knowledge base, interpersonal skills and stability, more or less in that order.

Oh, and 2 new don'ts from another PD presented at the last CORD meeting in Seattle.

1. Don't boast to one of your resident hosts at the dinner that you know where to buy the best dope in Amsterdam.
2. Don't sneak outside to smoke at a dinner at the PDs house, throw you butt away lit and set a bush on fire. 😱

 

[Chris Knight]

Personally, I'm interested in multi-tasking ability, knowledge base, interpersonal skills and stability, more or less in that order.

Would you mind elaborating a bit on what specific things you look for that demonstrate an applicant has these qualities? other than an LOR etc attesting so.

1. Don't boast to one of your resident hosts at the dinner that you know where to buy the best dope in Amsterdam.
2. Don't sneak outside to smoke at a dinner at the PDs house, throw you butt away lit and set a bush on fire. 😱

Same guy for both?

 

[141837]

Same guy for both?

... and... anyone sure that it was a butt? 🙄

 

[Mr. Freeze]

multi-tasking ability, knowledge base, interpersonal skills and stability

(clerkship grades, EC's, hobbies, personal life), (Boards > grades, clerkship comments), (interview, clerkship feedback, dean's letter), and (interview, clerkship feedback).

I don't think it's formulaic, in the sense that Activity X=multi-tasker or Getting grade Y=knowledgeable. I would think unless they know you from an audition rotation, you get 30 secs to elicit a feeling. If that feeling means they want to know more, you get interviewed. If you don't solidify that initial feeling when you do interview, you don't end up going there.

Just a hypothesis, and therefore may be completely off-base.

Maybe BKN can comment, but there are likely other threads where this info can be found as well.

 

[BKN]

Would you mind elaborating a bit on what specific things you look for that demonstrate an applicant has these qualities? other than an LOR etc attesting so.




Same guy for both?

Chris, I think freeze has answered it for me. Except the thirty second thing, I'm sure I average at least 45 seconds per app.😉

 

[Chris Knight]

Chris, I think freeze has answered it for me. Except the thirty second thing, I'm sure I average at least 45 seconds per app.😉

yep, yep, thanks... I think I'm on the right track.

And thanks to the rest of you, love the forum, I think I'll stick around for a while.

 

[ditch doctor]

I don't think it's formulaic, in the sense that Activity X=multi-tasker or Getting grade Y=knowledgeable.

Chris, I think freeze has answered it for me. Except the thirty second thing, I'm sure I average at least 45 seconds per app.😉

Wait BKN, you told me when I interviewed that you had a formula that you plugged everything in, including the interview, and that determined the ROL. 🙂

I kid, I kid...

 

[BKN]

Wait BKN, you told me when I interviewed that you had a formula that you plugged everything in, including the interview, and that determined the ROL. 🙂

I kid, I kid...

Where's my gun and my hunting dogs!

Actually I did say that. . .determined the initial ROL then we all argued and it came out way different.

 

[deleted65604]

To get into EM, you should say that you like rock-climbing, drink beer a ton in bars, that you are an adrenalin junkie, and that you love taking care of stinky people. Apart from those qualities, probably most important is your looks. If you are ugly, you are screwed, because people want more fresh meat in their residencies to prey on. It is mostly a popularity contest, as all job searches are. Doctors have been so nerdy so long, that they finally want to get into a "cool crowd." The only way they can do that is to surround themselves with "cool people", since they are inherently uncool. Facetious? Do I honestly believe this? I think a little of both.

 

[Seaglass]

As far as application buffing, I would propose that is better to be deeply involved in one organization/activity than superficially involved in many. Other than that it's good to be well rounded (e.g. have activities outside of medicine).

 

[-Goose-]

putting in that extra bit of studying to seal the deal for AOA... first year medical student.

Dear Lord...



😉

 

[roja]

Besides the basics that everyone here has mentioned (scores, LOR, deans letter, yadda yadda), here are the things that I/we look at:

1. work ethic (ie do your letters reflect an ability to work in a crazy busy ER?)
2. ability to work with others (are you pathological? egotistical?)
3. personality. (I have seen board scores higher than I thought possible, strong LORs etc but with very *odd* personalities that have been put into low rank orders)
4. Most importantly, will they "fit" with our program. I know that applicants hate hearing this, but in the end, when we are siting around talking about the applicants we have interviewed, this is the most discussed about and most vital part of the conversation. Is this person going to be happy here and are we going to be happy with them here? Do I want to spend 10 hours with this person when there are 50 patients in my ED?