Do I need to publish to match?

[The Last Ankibender]

Current MS2 at low tier USMD,

I am currently interested in IM/Cardiology or Anesthesia/Cards. My problem is I hate research so much, my school research opportunities suck and all PI take years to publish if you want to do something clinical. I spoke with one that assigned me to do a meta analysis/review paper but I hate this type of research so much.

Currently Top 15 in class, doing research takes so much time, my grades are suffering.

I currently have 2 research experience in med school two presentations but no pubs.

what are my realistic chances of matching in a decent mid tier program that gives me a good shot for the fellowship I want?

PS: sorry for my grammar and I am writing from my ipad, I dont have autocorrect and English is not my first language

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[Lawpy]

You don’t need research for mid tier IM, and cards research can be done in residency

 

[GoSpursGo]

I agree, you can match IM without significant research. But you'll need research in residency to get cards, so you need to make peace with the fact that this is part of the cost of getting the specialty you want or figure out an alternate path.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

As a side note, as someone finishing up a meta-analysis, there is no reason why it should be taking up so much of your time that it is hurting your grades. If your group/PI is pushing you that hard, find a different project or come up with your own.

 

[Deecee2DO]

As a USMD you dont need research for mid tier IM especially if you have a solid Step 2 score and solid clinical grades (try and honor IM but if you dont nbd). Its pretty awesome that as a USMD you can be dead avg in your class without research and have a very fair shot at matching mid to upper midtier academic IM. As USDOs you basically need to have the same app as USMDs interviewing at MGH and Osler just to get upper midtier academic IM interviews but thats how this process is. You did the hard work of getting accepted to USMD so now you can basically just go through the motions-try for research to have the best shot at the best program you can but if you fall short youll still be totally fine. Good luck!

 

[Maximus2020]

Grades and Step scores will always matter more than research. Do not let the former suffer for the latter. Continue to hunt for good research opportunities when you can, but always devote more effort to ensuring your grades/scores stay top notch.

 

[MedScat]

As someone who also hates research, i found during clinical rotation that case reports count a research! I don't have to know a thing about epidemiology or what power or p values mean and I could still get a publication. There are other ways to be published other than what we traditionally know as research. I apologize if you already knew this and hate case reports as well lol

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

As someone who also hates research, i found during clinical rotation that case reports count a research! I don't have to know a thing about epidemiology or what power or p values mean and I could still get a publication. There are other ways to be published other than what we traditionally know as research. I apologize if you already knew this and hate case reports as well lol

You should still know what those things are. Just because you don’t want to do research doesn’t mean you don’t need to understand it. We are supposed to be practicing evidence based medicine. To really be able to appraise a study for yourself, which you absolutely should do, you need to understand what its results actually mean and imply.

 

[GoSpursGo]

As someone who also hates research, i found during clinical rotation that case reports count a research! I don't have to know a thing about epidemiology or what power or p values mean and I could still get a publication. There are other ways to be published other than what we traditionally know as research. I apologize if you already knew this and hate case reports as well lol

They count, but just be aware that it's definitely not seen as on the same level as a full manuscript. Still worth doing as they're generally not difficult and they can add to the field, but I wouldn't walk into your interviews thinking that you are going to be perceived as a great researcher if you have 5 case reports and nothing else.

 

[MedScat]

You should still know what those things are. Just because you don’t want to do research doesn’t mean you don’t need to understand it. We are supposed to be practicing evidence based medicine. To really be able to appraise a study for yourself, which you absolutely should do, you need to understand what its results actually mean and imply.

Ok, excuse my dramatic answer, I know what they are (obviously, since I passed step 1 and 2) but I strongly dislike having to utilize them to analyze my own research. I was just emphasizing how much I dislike statistics which is why I don't like research. Also I think it is specialty dependent. I think in my specialty of interest (EM) case reports are viewed better than they are in let's say, IM. A case report published in annals of EM impresses any EM doc. Cards on the other hand, probably requires more robust research, as people stated above but case studies would not be a bad place to start.

 

[The Last Ankibender]

Thank you, everyone, i will try to publish at least once, and get some abstract at least, I want to be the best candidate posible. But the truth is I love clinical medicine but I hate writing papers