IR/DR hopes?

[takemepls]

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Hi everyone, I've been waffling between DR and IR for a while (hesitation with IR stemming mostly from its competitiveness) and want some outside thoughts on whether IR is realistic or not for me. I'm at a top 10 med school but have mediocre stats (~240 step 1, no step 2 yet, HP all clinicals) taking a year off for a masters now. I'll have a few 1st author pubs in rads by the time I apply, engineering background....idk what else is relevant. Hoping to go to an academic institution for residency, so just wondering if I should dedicate my energy to DR at programs with ESIR / IR fellowship later or try for IR now. Additionally, any advice on surgery vs medicine sub-i would be appreciated (more interactions on medicine vs value of surgery letter?) Thanks in advance!

 

[IRattending2021]

Sounds like you’ll be good to go. Just do IR research and join SIR to show interest

 

[Dave1980]

Hi everyone, I've been waffling between DR and IR for a while (hesitation with IR stemming mostly from its competitiveness) and want some outside thoughts on whether IR is realistic or not for me. I'm at a top 10 med school but have mediocre stats (~240 step 1, no step 2 yet, HP all clinicals) taking a year off for a masters now. I'll have a few 1st author pubs in rads by the time I apply, engineering background....idk what else is relevant. Hoping to go to an academic institution for residency, so just wondering if I should dedicate my energy to DR at programs with ESIR / IR fellowship later or try for IR now. Additionally, any advice on surgery vs medicine sub-i would be appreciated (more interactions on medicine vs value of surgery letter?) Thanks in advance!

Is IR super competitive now? I would apply IR as well as DR as a backup.

DON'T DO A SURGERY INTERNSHIP! The cost benefit of doing a surgery internship is terrible.

You can't count on anything being published until it is actually accepted. I've had decent papers sit around for literally years while slow reviewers strung me along with revisions until they ultimately declined to publish.

 

[takemepls]

Thanks for the replies! Do you mind if I ask what you mean about the surgery internship? What are your thoughts on a surgery rotation to get a letter?

Very true about the publications! Fingers crossed on that one.

The integrated program seems to have one of the highest average Step 1 scores and with far fewer spots than applicants, so I'm a little nervous about it going in with average stats. I figured I don't lose anything by trying, but I also want to be realistic with expectations lol.

 

[Dave1980]

Thanks for the replies! Do you mind if I ask what you mean about the surgery internship? What are your thoughts on a surgery rotation to get a letter?

Very true about the publications! Fingers crossed on that one.

The integrated program seems to have one of the highest average Step 1 scores and with far fewer spots than applicants, so I'm a little nervous about it going in with average stats. I figured I don't lose anything by trying, but I also want to be realistic with expectations lol.

oh you said sub i. i thought you meant prelim year.

sure do whatever you want for a sub i. i would choose medicine because it is easier but it is only 4-8 weeks so do whatever you want.

 

[CyrusHabs7695]

Thanks for the replies! Do you mind if I ask what you mean about the surgery internship? What are your thoughts on a surgery rotation to get a letter?

Very true about the publications! Fingers crossed on that one.

The integrated program seems to have one of the highest average Step 1 scores and with far fewer spots than applicants, so I'm a little nervous about it going in with average stats. I figured I don't lose anything by trying, but I also want to be realistic with expectations lol.

Worst case scenario just go to a DR program with ESIR

 

[NDcienporciento100]

Do a surgical internship. The cost benefits ratio is very high in my opinion. More relevant to patient management and technical skills are relevant and good to acquire.

 

[IRattending2021]

Do a surgical internship. The cost benefits ratio is very high in my opinion. More relevant to patient management and technical skills are relevant and good to acquire.

Attending IR here. SIR would like you to drink the surgical internship coolaid. I’ve done a medicine internship and I have no problem practicing at the highest level of IR.

 

[UChicagoIR]

Attending IR here. SIR would like you to drink the surgical internship coolaid. I’ve done a medicine internship and I have no problem practicing at the highest level of IR.

Another IR attending here. I personally agree with the comment above. The goal should be to find an internship with high learning experience to scut ratio. All things being equal I might lean toward surgery over medicine. However, my feeling is that most (not all) surgical internships use their interns for scut.

 

[Dave1980]

Do a surgical internship. The cost benefits ratio is very high in my opinion. More relevant to patient management and technical skills are relevant and good to acquire.

cost benefit being very high is bad.

lol, time to review those fractions! 3rd grade math FTW

 

[Ho0v-man]

Wasn’t the intern year added in like the late 90s? If so, aren’t there practicing IRs out there that never did either?

 

[NDcienporciento100]

cost benefit being very high is bad.

lol, time to review those fractions! 3rd grade math FTW

Oh well you got me there. Lol

 

[NDcienporciento100]

As a medicine intern there is no scut! First you round on 10 patients many of which you a nursing for other specialty’s. You hold the pager at night and handle every Tylenol refill in the hospital. Sounding like juicy good fun yet?! Oh wait it’s Saturday and you have been on all night? That sucks! But you better update every discharge summary before you leave the hospital! Oh snap! There is a para with 10 liters in his belly that your attending feels like he can handle without calling IR! You want it your going into IR right?shhhh you best move over this medicine chief has got this! His needle shakes in anticipation. Your right! That’s one heck of an experience I missed out on. Lol

 

[Dave1980]

As a medicine intern there is no scut! First you round on 10 patients many of which you a nursing for other specialty’s. You hold the pager at night and handle every Tylenol refill in the hospital. Sounding like juicy good fun yet?! Oh wait it’s Saturday and you have been on all night? That sucks! But you better update every discharge summary before you leave the hospital! Oh snap! There is a para with 10 liters in his belly that your attending feels like he can handle without calling IR! You want it your going into IR right?shhhh you best move over this medicine chief has got this! His needle shakes in anticipation. Your right! That’s one heck of an experience I missed out on. Lol

I think the best move for a radiology resident is to get a cushy TY.

If that isn't possible you are left with 2 bad options...prelim surgery and prelim medicine. Neither one is going to be pleasant but on average prelim medicine will have better hours. If you can find a prelim surgery program that doesn't involve a year of scut and floorwork that would be better than prelim medicine but in my experience most of them treat you like a floor NP.