Connections

[mstpgrind]

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I am an incoming MS1 trying to understand exactly how connections help in the matching process.

For example: I worked in software engineering in my gap year. In that field, you leverage connections by getting a referral from someone in the company/team you want to work in.

What’s the analogue in medicine?

As a specific example: When attending conferences, is it professionally useful to meet random attendings, or only APDs/PDs? Is it only useful to meet attendings who have close relationships with the PD?

Thanks!

 

[gyngyn]

The most powerful connections are those that have been established by your faculty mentors and letter writers. They use their network of colleagues in your specialty of choice.
The support of the Chairperson, clerkship director, APD and PD of the program at your own school are the best "connections." They've been working on them for a lifetime.

 

[mstpgrind]

The most powerful connections are those that have been established by your faculty mentors and letter writers. They use their network of colleagues in your specialty of choice.
The support of the clerkship director, APD and PD of the program at your own school are the best "connections."

That makes much more sense.

But what do people mean when they say they go to conferences for networking?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

That makes much more sense.

But what do people mean when they say they go to conferences for networking?

Dusting off... read...

https://www.sciencemag.org/careers/1999/10/how-work-scientific-conference

https://www.science.org/content/article/scientific-conference-guide-or-how-make-most-your-free-holiday

 

[Dral]

As an example, let's say you attend a conference and meet someone who has interests similar to yours and you strike up a conversation. Let's say said person (let's make it an attending) is looking for a student to work on a project. You express interest. You work on the project and do a good job. The attending you work with is at University of Wisconsin, but they used to be at UCLA. You are from California and want to go back there for residency. The attending writes you a letter and talks to the people at UCLA putting in a good word for you.

That of course doesn't guarantee a spot at UCLA, but it sure gives you a leg up.

Something like that might not happen at a conference, but if you don't go to the conference, then it definitely wouldn't happen that way.

 

[gyngyn]

But what do people mean when they say they go to conferences for networking?

In my view, the value of attending a conference as a medical student, is to get a feel for the characters that populate a particular specialty.

 

[operaman]

Networking at conferences is very difficult for medical students unless your mentor is facilitating for you. In my experience, it was more helping me get to know key players in my rather small field and I definitely had fellow interviewees asking me if I’d rotated at a given program since I seemed to know faculty so well.

It definitely helped me a bit but I had a mentor who introduced me to everyone and I went to smaller conferences. My favorite one and first one I ever did also had a big black tie gala in the middle of it and you could sing something if you were presenting a paper at the conference. As that was my first career, it made an impression and then I got to know a lot of people because it made me stand out and gave us something to talk about. I remember meeting some of these folks as an M1 and now they send me patients! Full circle I guess.

Contrast that with big national meetings. I hate those things. Even today, it’s basically shaking hands and small talk with lots of people who spend the entire conversation scanning the room for someone more important to talk to. I simply refuse to attend these anymore.

But overall, the best connections you’ll ever get are via your home program faculty. Their advocacy is what really counts. My chairman’s letter was only 2 lines long and half my interviews said that’s why they gave me an invite.

 

[MDMechEngr]

The support of the Chairperson, clerkship director, APD and PD of the program at your own school are the best "connections." They've been working on them for a lifetime.

I would have not matched where I did without this. The program is crazy competitive.