Incoming MS1 here. I've worked in the medical field for awhile and have an inkling that IR may be for me. What should I focus on to make that happen? What types of activities or research should I get involved in? I started out very slow in undergrad, and don't want to make the same mistake for medical school; I'd like to hit the ground running. Thanks in advance.
First and foremost, good grades. But also, participation in things like IR interest group (start one of your school doesn't have one), IR research, IR away rotations, good letters of rec, networking especially through attendance at conferences like SIR.
But for you, just focus on good grades since you haven't gotten started yet.
Agree with former post. Learn your basic sciences well and do well on Step 1. Work really hard on 3rd year (especially surgery and internal medicine). Join SIR and get involved early. As DJNYY states get involved in an IR interest group. Going to the national IR conferences is also very valuable, to network and showcase interest as well as to learn about the field. There are usually local "angio" clubs that are present throughout the country and that is another great place to meet other IR, see interesting IR cases and sometimes present cases at. Find a mentor. If you do not have a local mentor, try to go through SIR mentorship program and try to get set up with a mentor that can talk to you on a consistent basis and has similar interests as you do. Good luck.
