hello, so im MS1 now and really interested in EM. But I wanted to know how competitive EM is compared to others? and also, is research a critical part of EM? I generally dislike research and some people here stress that i need research to be competitive for any residency. I wanted to know how seriously i need to pursue a research position during my time here. And if i do, should i start right away or during my summer time between ms1 and ms2? any tips or suggestions will be appreciated. thanks!
EM & research
- Thread starter whiteorgo
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You should look at the careers in medicine website. I glanced over it and it looks like research is not one of the top 10 things program directors are looking for in EM
I was told by a few of the program directors at my school that research for just one summer is meaningless to them unless you had some ridiculously productive 2-3 months that resulted in a publication
I was told by a few of the program directors at my school that research for just one summer is meaningless to them unless you had some ridiculously productive 2-3 months that resulted in a publication
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On average a lot of medical specialties do not really care about research.
Also, EM is not that competitive. Like on a scale from 1 to 10, I would say it is a 3. I think 95-98% of US MD grads match.
Also, EM is not that competitive. Like on a scale from 1 to 10, I would say it is a 3. I think 95-98% of US MD grads match.
so for the summer between MS1 & MS2, what would be better? trying to do research in my school or going abroad on an international health trip? just in an academic perspective. I am debating between the two.
On another note, if I didn't do research at all during my medical school years, wouldn't that look weak during my application to residency? (if I apply to EM)
On another note, if I didn't do research at all during my medical school years, wouldn't that look weak during my application to residency? (if I apply to EM)
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International health trip by far. Research doesn't matter for EM, being an interesting person absolutely does (I have lots of EM bound or current EM friends, and they are usually outdoorsy, fun, and interesting).
You probably don't have to do any research to match, but if you want to be at a heavy hitting program (which does not necessarily correlate with prestige as it's usually defined - I know Denver Health and Indiana are considered top of the league in EM), you might want to get involved with chart reviews at some point. I'm doing an EM/Neuro chart review project, and the workload is not much, and can actually be interesting - as a second year, it allows you to get used to the hospital system before you hit the wards. Definitely not anything like basic science research, which I also dislike.
Oh, and EM is usually considered 'moderately competitive', based on board scores, average Step 1 around 222. Definitely manageable. Main thing is you do NOT want to be a gunner who doesn't do anything but study. You could have a 260 and 5 pubs, but if you don't have a personality, you won't make it in EM.
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