How much does external funding help for residency competitiveness?

[Datypicalpremed]

we all know that getting external funding (eg F30) looks good on one’s ERAS, but to what degree does it help? For example, does the “boost” it provide equate to say…having a first author pub in a mid tier journal?

And on a related note, does the source of funding matter? Like, if you got a grant from the NCI, would it even help if you were applying to a field like Psych?

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[tr]

Assuming you are applying for a research-track residency,

If you have active funding that you are bringing to the program to protect your own research time, that is HUGE.
If you have past funding that is already completed, that is more like a nice gold star, maybe similar to a high-impact publication.

Presumably the funding source would be related to whatever you did in your graduate work, so if that is totally unrelated to psych, you would have to come up with a good story about why you are switching, but that's a more global issue than just the source of the funding. If for some reason you got NCI funding to do psych- or neuro-related research, the funding source is pretty much immaterial.

If you are applying to regular clinical track residency, I'm not sure the PD would be paying particular attention to this aspect of your application. Clinical grades, STEP scores, USMLE, and interview will all be more important.

 

[Datypicalpremed]

If you are applying to regular clinical track residency, I'm not sure the PD would be paying particular attention to this aspect of your application. Clinical grades, STEP scores, USMLE, and interview will all be more important.

Thanks yeah I guess that makes sense. I’m curious though…for some of the more “research intensive” programs, which tend to be more of the “elite” programs, would even regular clinical track PDs view external funding awards with more interest? Of course, I suppose for these programs good step scores, grades etc. are more of a prerequisite, so would external funding do more to set you apart from the pack and/or compensate for deficiencies in other areas?

 

[ChordaEpiphany]

If you have active funding that you are bringing to the program to protect your own research time, that is HUGE.

What would this even look like? Most MD/PhD students aren't in a position to apply for a K grant, and if they are I assume they are so far above the rest of the field that institutions would be scrambling to get them in their ranks. F30s do not carry into residency, and as far as I can tell, you've exhausted your NRSA funding after an F30, so probably you won't be bringing an F32 into the program.

Would this be non-NIH funding sources?

 

[eteshoe]

What would this even look like? Most MD/PhD students aren't in a position to apply for a K grant, and if they are I assume they are so far above the rest of the field that institutions would be scrambling to get them in their ranks. F30s do not carry into residency, and as far as I can tell, you've exhausted your NRSA funding after an F30, so probably you won't be bringing an F32 into the program.

Would this be non-NIH funding sources?

Yea the F30 funding terminates once you graduate. I haven't really heard of bringing funding into residency - it wouldn't make much sense anyhow. If someone is on a research-track, they'd be clinically front loaded anyhow. I guess they could apply for funding for their research years - NIH does have some smaller ROAs for residencies with nested research time/fellowship.

Anyhow I'd be curious to know about the logistics of this funding situation too

 

[Fencer]

NIH F30 & F31-diversity terminate as soon as you graduate or earlier. NIH F31 terminate when you complete your PhD studies and graduate.

During residency, you can apply for NIH F32, or be supported by a R25 or T32 training grant slot for post-doctoral trainees.

In general, prior success in funding increases your likelihood of future success. That is why PSTP and other residencies in research-intensive institutions value resident applicants with a history of NIH NRSA (all of the above) fellowships. Manuscripts and grants are our scholarly productivity. It is harder to find applicants with high scholarly productivity than it is to find applicants with high academic scores/benchmarks, which is why high scholarly productivity applicants have an edge for those PSTP/research-intensive residencies.