LOR's & research for surgery

[tater tot]

Hi all !

about preparing for residency applications....

I know LOR's and research are very important for residency,
specifically for surgery and possible fellowship. However, it
seems that med students only have their rotation periods
and 1st yr summer to collect potential LOR's or conduct
research. That's pretty limited I would think. So, how will
you be any different than the rest of the med class ?
I worked in surgery for a year and I really
loved it <img border="0" alt="[Lovey]" title="" src="graemlins/lovey.gif" /> Most residents and fellows I met were
there via strong connections (CT surg) It was clear
recc's and connections mattered most. (there anyway)

So how can I prepare now, as pre-med? Should I hold-out
for another research position in surgery? (Although I need a
job asap. and they are a rare species) Can a LOR at this
pre-med stage be counted later for residency? Seems premature!
Or are LOR's for residency specifically stated for that reason
and collected only during med school? Just curious.
Trust me, my grades provide nothing but a good laugh to
adcoms at this point, so I'm no over-anxious pre-med die hard.
It's just that my surgery
experience really put a firecracker under my butt and was
also an awakening to how much recc's and "ins" steered a
surgery career.
thanks for any advice !

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[surg]

tater tot--
I admire your enthusiasm, but encourage you to take it one step at a time. At this stage, concentrate on getting into a medical school. There will be plenty of time to square away what you need for a residency app later. You are correct in thinking that a recommendation from a pre-med experience is too long ago, unless you had continued working in that lab later as well. It is something you can definitely list on your application, but an LOR? You are better off getting those from more recent people. (Singular exception, your research mentor is famous AND thinks you walk on water!).

Good luck on applying to med school. Don't worry about surgery apps for now, if you are still this enthusiastic about surgery in med school, it will show and you will have far better LORs later.

 

[Winged Scapula]

I agree with surg - unless you continue your pre-med research experience during medical school, the LOR won't mean much for residency application.

While the field may change by the time you get there, strong research is no longer necessary for *most* general surgery residencies. If you are still interested in CT when the time comes, you should choose an academic program which will likely advise or require some lab years during residency which will help when applying for fellowships.

I understand your enthusiasm but believe me, every other medical student applying for residency relies on LORs obtained during medical school - its been done that way for eons. Any outside work you can do is admirable, but slow down a little, catch your breath and experience the rest that medical school and the field of medicine has to offer before committing yourself.

Best of luck.