Matching Neurosurgery WITHOUT neuro research?

[Apophilius]

Hey all,

First year med student and as I've just entered my neuro preclinical course, I'm just blown away. I've wanted to do surgery for a while since I see myself really wanting to develop and use technical/dextrous skills, but the science in med school has bored me for a while until now. Liked ortho because musculoskeletal was easy, but neuro is FASCINATING. For once I'm not pulling my hair out of boredom, I'm gripped.

But unfortunately my regional campus, while affiliated with a home program, seems like they won't have neuro research available for me during the summer, and even if they did, it wouldn't be with any academic guys, just local clinical neurosurgeons. And it being the summer between M1 and M2, this is the best time for research, and I feel like it's going to be squandered because I'm placed at a regional campus by chance alone 🙁.

This may be something to ask my home institution, but is there usually time to make up for a lack of research in 3rd year? Would they overlook lack of neuroscience research so long as I get some substantial research done? I'm working on quite a sizeable orthopedics paper right now that I'm currently planning on finishing over the summer. I also definitely plan working my butt off, and doing as much as I can with this and any other research project that falls in my lap (if that happens).

Thanks a bunch for whoever helps. I've been searching for material I've been interested in, and I think when you know what your calling is, you just know. And that's what neurosurgery feels like right now.

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[EEtoPre-Med]

Hey all,

First year med student and as I've just entered my neuro preclinical course, I'm just blown away. I've wanted to do surgery for a while since I see myself really wanting to develop and use technical/dextrous skills, but the science in med school has bored me for a while until now. Liked ortho because musculoskeletal was easy, but neuro is FASCINATING. For once I'm not pulling my hair out of boredom, I'm gripped.

But unfortunately my regional campus, while affiliated with a home program, seems like they won't have neuro research available for me during the summer, and even if they did, it wouldn't be with any academic guys, just local clinical neurosurgeons. And it being the summer between M1 and M2, this is the best time for research, and I feel like it's going to be squandered because I'm placed at a regional campus by chance alone 🙁.

This may be something to ask my home institution, but is there usually time to make up for a lack of research in 3rd year? Would they overlook lack of neuroscience research so long as I get some substantial research done? I'm working on quite a sizeable orthopedics paper right now that I'm currently planning on finishing over the summer. I also definitely plan working my butt off, and doing as much as I can with this and any other research project that falls in my lap (if that happens).

Thanks a bunch for whoever helps. I've been searching for material I've been interested in, and I think when you know what your calling is, you just know. And that's what neurosurgery feels like right now.

I am actually in the same situation so I'll be watching for the responses to this.

 

[kitsunepixie]

I was able to do an integrated elective (Neurosurgery Honors Program) at my med school during the end of third year to get in bench top research. You'd be surprised what projects you can find if you contact the Neuroscience department of your school...I'm sure you can find something this summer, but it may mean relocating for a couple of months.

I also did a couple of papers with Plastics and honestly, I got more questions and interest during my interviews on those than I did on my Neurosurgery research. *shrug*

 

[Apophilius]

I was able to do an integrated elective (Neurosurgery Honors Program) at my med school during the end of third year to get in bench top research. You'd be surprised what projects you can find if you contact the Neuroscience department of your school...I'm sure you can find something this summer, but it may mean relocating for a couple of months.

I also did a couple of papers with Plastics and honestly, I got more questions and interest during my interviews on those than I did on my Neurosurgery research. *shrug*

From your experience, would ANY neuro paper be beneficial, be it neurology, basic neuroscience, etc? Or would neurosurgery, specifically, be better. Neuro I have available at my school, but it being a smaller location with no grad students, this location does not have a rush to put out papers, and many times students do projects with no publication to show for it.

 

[kitsunepixie]

From your experience, would ANY neuro paper be beneficial, be it neurology, basic neuroscience, etc? Or would neurosurgery, specifically, be better. Neuro I have available at my school, but it being a smaller location with no grad students, this location does not have a rush to put out papers, and many times students do projects with no publication to show for it.

Neurosurgery or general surgery even more preferred than neurology, unless it's something neurosurgereons also see/treat (like stroke, or seizures, as opposed to MS).

 

[aprilfools]

Along the same lines as this, theoretically, how competitive would an NSGY applicant be if they were AOA with ~260 step score and a significant amount of surgical, tho non NSGY related, research?