Getting into GI

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anbuitachi

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I'm currently a med student. Wondering what it takes to get into GI since it is a subspecialty and internal medicine isn't a highly competitive residency... what should I be doing as a medical student? Does GI still look at grades in med school or board scores...?

Also if I try to get into a competitive internal medicine residency, and they see that I have research in GI, will that be a turn off since I was told that I have to show interest in Internal medicine to get into competitive specialities, not go in and show interest in the subspecialties...

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Hey anbuitachi, glad to hear that there is interest in GI at your level. I just matched to Gastroenterology and will be starting my fellowship next summer. Like you, I knew well ahead of time that I wanted GI. The decision was made late in medical school and by then I had already had my heart set on internal medicine. Though getting into IM is not that difficult, landing a GI fellowship spot can be ultra competitive. At your level, I would recommend doing an elective in GI, preferably, but definitely not necessarily, in a program that you may see yourself applying to as an internal medicine resident. This is hard to do as situations change and life brings in you in directions you may have never have thought of. Research is always good, but the bottom line is publications (original research or abstracts), the sooner you start, the better. I don't think it will work against you if you did research in GI when applying for IM. Infact, the very fact that you were able to publish something, anything, speaks volumes. So no worries there. There are a number of factors that determine your success in the subspecialty match, but at your level, I would simply focus on being a strong resident, focus on learning the basics and being the best that you can be. Frankly speaking, despite the fact that I have already matched, I am still working on being the strongest resident I can be.
 
Is it possible to publish during residency?
When do pple generally work in the lab...vacation, research elective, weekends?
 
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Is it possible to publish during residency?
When do pple generally work in the lab...vacation, research elective, weekends?

Ditto. Also, how many publications are required to render you (somewhat competitive) for GI.

What is more important during the 3 years of residency: GI electives Vs. Research electives? you cant do both obviously (not if you want to do meaningful research project, in order to do so you need a substantial amount of time)
 
Is it possible to publish during residency?
When do pple generally work in the lab...vacation, research elective, weekends?

Yes, it is possible to publish, but even abstracts can be helpful at this level. You work whenever you have time; dedicated research electives, nights & weekends, vacations... any amounts of time you are willing to use toward projects.

The research does not have to be basic science; clinical research is meaningful as well. The key is to find a project in which you find some degree of interest, so hopefully it can carry you through the more mundane periods of the research projects.

Ditto. Also, how many publications are required to render you (somewhat competitive) for GI.

What is more important during the 3 years of residency: GI electives Vs. Research electives? you cant do both obviously (not if you want to do meaningful research project, in order to do so you need a substantial amount of time)

There is no rule with regards to how many publications is needed. Obviously the more the better, but depending on other factors even simple abstracts can be enough.

You need GI electives... or at least significant GI exposure. OTOH if it is already built into your residency curriculum then you may not need dedicated GI elective time. Anyway, it is odd to apply for GI fellowships when you have no GI letter writers who have worked with you clinically. Research electives can be nice, but at least where I did residency it was uncommon to get significant amounts of pure research time during residency for really meaningful production unless you are willing to supplement with your own down time. If forced to choose, I vote GI electives (again, unless you already have significant GI exposure built into your curriculum).
 
significant GI exposure built into your curriculum.

Pardon me for being OC here: how much do you consider a significant GI exposure?
 
Pardon me for being OC here: how much do you consider a significant GI exposure?

Enough for you to get a feel for the field, to know that you want to make a career of it. Also, for you to be able to comfortably ask for LORs from GI attendings. Some programs have GI or liver inpatient services; separate GI electives may not be as necessary then.
 
Thank you very much for your informative replies
 
Thanks VCMM414

I had to come here to ask as the cardio fellows dont bother answering this kind of questions:)
I guess I will extrapolate to cardio
Do lots of clinical electives
Research=Weekend, Electives, vacation
 
I'm a 3rd year GI fellow and have 5 months left! Woohoo! Anyways, research is important. I've had the opportunity to review the GI applicants for the past 2 years, and these guys resumes are very impressive. A lot of the applicants have double-digit publications, with 3-4 first-authorships. That being said, don't be discouraged. A lot of programs simply throw your name onto a paper to help build up the resident's CV, and this becomes blatantly clear when the applicant goes to interview and doesn't know anything about their research. 1 or 2 quality research projects have significantly more weight than 10-15 projects, where it is obvious that you didn't do anything of substance for those 15 papers.
 
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