Does the type of research you do matter for GS?

[amoxicillin_resistant]

Hello - M1 at midtier USMD; was interested in GS and have been getting a lot of conflicting advice on what to be doing/focusing on if I want to go into gen surg.

I really want to do research, preferably in the field of gen/vasc/CT surg but these spots seem very selective, does the type of research I do matter in terms of getting into a GS residency?

Also, any advice for med students looking into GS?

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[ChordaEpiphany]

The advice I was given by a resident at a T5 program (coming from a mid-tier MD medical school) was, "PDs can count, but they can't read." As a sub-I, I ran into multiple residents who were dead set on other non-surgical specialties (e.g., heme/onc, ID, neuro), took a research year to publish a bunch in that field, switched into gen surg, and still matched at a top program with gen surg publications pending.

As a mid-tier MD with a list of IIs I wouldn't have dreamed of as I started M3, do whatever research gives you the best mentors and the highest research output. I did a ton of things to advance my career in surgery, nothing held a candle in impact to making connections to a few big names and publishing prolifically with them.

 

[Dr.LeoSpaceman]

I pretty much don't care what kind of research people do when looking through an application.

I care:
1) Can the person identify a problem
2) Can they design a study to effectively answer said question
3) Do they have the motivation and skill to complete that study
4) Can they explain the results and describe how that influences future work (or practice change)

I'm also not looking for raw numbers. If you describe to me a cohesive line of work that was like 2-3 papers/projects, and you were the one driving that research forward, it's much more impressive than 10 papers where you were peripherally involved.

All that being said, you will still have to describe your interest in general surgery. Doing research in GS helps demonstrate that, but there are other ways to do it.