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I was thinking about posting this for a while, but for some reason I avoided it.
I am right now finishing up a research year. I completed MS1-MS3, and then decided to do a research year prior to doing MS4 (which will start this coming Summer). I went straight through from college to medical school (I'm at an allopathic state medical school). When the opportunity arose to do a research year in the department of surgery, I jumped at the chance. I have been thinking general surgery for a while, and I loved the rotation my third year of medical school. I unfortunately, didn't get to see much of plastics during that rotation. I decided to do a two-week elective on plastics during this research year at our home school (non-credit) because 1) I had the time and 2) just to learn how to suture better, and to be honest, I absolutely LOVED it! The variety of procedures, the attitudes of the residents and attendings, and the fact that they were everywhere in the hospital (doing stuff in the ER, trauma bay, clinic, OR, doing a bit of vascular stuff when it came to reattaching traumatic amputations, etc etc). Frankly, it was a lot of fun.
That said, I have been spending the year doing general surgery research. I have been setting myself up for general surgery (which I still really do enjoy and would be happy going into). The research has been very productive too. It was mostly clinical research, but by the time applications roll around, I should have four first author pubs in surgery journals and one in a high-end medical journal. The year taught me how to come up with a project, do it, use the proper statistics, code a statistics program, write the abstract, make a poster / presentation for a national meeting, present it, and then push through a publication to a journal. It's been great. In the end, I will have gone to four national meetings (all oral presentations) and a few local meetings where I showed a poster.
My question in this long winded post is this...is integrated plastic surgery still an option for me? We have a program nearby that I can try get involved in. But is the fact that I haven't been plastics gung-ho during this research year a problem? The few people I know that matched into into integrated PRS from my school this year were literally on the road to plastics since MS1. That's what they were researching, those were the procedures they scrubbed in on even during other rotations when they had time, they were constantly in the department getting face time.
Also, my numbers are average when it comes to PRS applicants. I stress that because they are decidedly above average overall, but not eye popping. I didn't honor anything my first two years of school, but got a 244 on the step 1. During the third year, I honored surgery and pediatrics, high passed everything else.
My research mentor is totally cool, and even though he's a general surgeon, will support whatever I choose and will help out regardless. And I'm just laid back about the whole thing because I would be perfectly happy doing a GS residency too. No biggy.
But ultimately, what do you guys think of this? If I'm interviewing, will they be like, "why didn't you do plastics research during your year"? Was my research year a waste when it comes to PRS application? Given my late interest, is there even a shot? Is there anything I can do starting now? How would you spin this? Do I even have to spin this?
I'm trying my best not to make this a "what are my chances" thing, but I thought I'd try to get some thoughts from you by giving specific info about my background and not just post ridonculous numbers and ask what are my chances (I hate those threads).
I am right now finishing up a research year. I completed MS1-MS3, and then decided to do a research year prior to doing MS4 (which will start this coming Summer). I went straight through from college to medical school (I'm at an allopathic state medical school). When the opportunity arose to do a research year in the department of surgery, I jumped at the chance. I have been thinking general surgery for a while, and I loved the rotation my third year of medical school. I unfortunately, didn't get to see much of plastics during that rotation. I decided to do a two-week elective on plastics during this research year at our home school (non-credit) because 1) I had the time and 2) just to learn how to suture better, and to be honest, I absolutely LOVED it! The variety of procedures, the attitudes of the residents and attendings, and the fact that they were everywhere in the hospital (doing stuff in the ER, trauma bay, clinic, OR, doing a bit of vascular stuff when it came to reattaching traumatic amputations, etc etc). Frankly, it was a lot of fun.
That said, I have been spending the year doing general surgery research. I have been setting myself up for general surgery (which I still really do enjoy and would be happy going into). The research has been very productive too. It was mostly clinical research, but by the time applications roll around, I should have four first author pubs in surgery journals and one in a high-end medical journal. The year taught me how to come up with a project, do it, use the proper statistics, code a statistics program, write the abstract, make a poster / presentation for a national meeting, present it, and then push through a publication to a journal. It's been great. In the end, I will have gone to four national meetings (all oral presentations) and a few local meetings where I showed a poster.
My question in this long winded post is this...is integrated plastic surgery still an option for me? We have a program nearby that I can try get involved in. But is the fact that I haven't been plastics gung-ho during this research year a problem? The few people I know that matched into into integrated PRS from my school this year were literally on the road to plastics since MS1. That's what they were researching, those were the procedures they scrubbed in on even during other rotations when they had time, they were constantly in the department getting face time.
Also, my numbers are average when it comes to PRS applicants. I stress that because they are decidedly above average overall, but not eye popping. I didn't honor anything my first two years of school, but got a 244 on the step 1. During the third year, I honored surgery and pediatrics, high passed everything else.
My research mentor is totally cool, and even though he's a general surgeon, will support whatever I choose and will help out regardless. And I'm just laid back about the whole thing because I would be perfectly happy doing a GS residency too. No biggy.
But ultimately, what do you guys think of this? If I'm interviewing, will they be like, "why didn't you do plastics research during your year"? Was my research year a waste when it comes to PRS application? Given my late interest, is there even a shot? Is there anything I can do starting now? How would you spin this? Do I even have to spin this?
I'm trying my best not to make this a "what are my chances" thing, but I thought I'd try to get some thoughts from you by giving specific info about my background and not just post ridonculous numbers and ask what are my chances (I hate those threads).
