Most Important Activities To Do in Medical School

[bananasewq]

I will be a M1 this coming fall, and I am wondering what the most important activities I need to do in order to match into competitive fields or top tiered hospitals. Activities like research, clinical/non-clinical volunteering, athletics, etc.

I know that grades and Step 1 are most important, but what comes after that?

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[Psai]

Being a nice, likable person that gets along well with others

 

[OnePunchBiopsy]

Med school is not like undergrad, meaning tons of extra volunteering activities outside of medical school are not weighed that heavily compared to Step 1/2 scores, grades, and overall professionalism. If given the opportunity, choose research over volunteering.

Study hard, make great grades, nail Step 1 and 2, be nice to your administrators, meet important deadlines, all the while not having an ego and treating every person you see with respect and dignity. Getting through med school with stellar grades, amazing board scores, and NO red flags for grades/professionalism would set you up nicely.

 

[Victorious Secret]

Go to the parties, especially at the start of term and after block/term exams. Make some solid connections with classmates, be known (for the right reasons). It helps out greatly.

You can be a wizard of the wards and it means nothing if you're mentally halfway between suicidal and homicidal. Take some time for yourself especially before **** hits the fan. A night off with the gang does wonders, even though all you end up doing is bitching about school anyways.

Research is the only thing that actually helps, but IMHO only research where your name actually ends up in the authors section. If you're asked to crunch data or whatever, its nice on a personal level but means nothing on an application. Name on paper or bust. All the extracurricular stuff is bull**** at best, do it for the sake of having a break from school and having a hobby, not because its gonna help your residency portfolio.

Step 1 and 2 are huge. Use all the resources you can, however you can. You may very well blow your first block/term exams and thats okay. You may or may not know how to really study for med and how to handle the med workload. You'll figure it out one way or another. Don't have a huge ego about it. Ive seen so called geniuses blow their load and fail, Ive seen the so called party going idiots end up at the top of the class. You don't know until you've been burned by exams once and figure out if what you're doing is right or wrong.

 

[kmp0410]

I'd probably study some

 

[Mad Jack]

Don't get anyone you don't intend to marry pregnant.

 

[songl4a]

.

 

[Taddy Mason]

I know this has been discussed at length but what about dating?

Don't **** where you eat.

 

[Ace Khalifa]

I know this has been discussed at length but what about dating?

Dating people outside of med school = fine
Dating above or below your class = mostly fine
Dating within your class = NOT fine

 

[ActinicKeratosis]

My philosophy is all about upholding the "trifecta" in medical school. In other words if all aspects of the trifecta are met than your life is complete. The categories of the trifecta include, "career goals" "physical health" and "social life."

1) Career Goals: During the first two years of medical school study hard to get good grades, a stellar Step 1 score, and publish as much research as possible. During third year be professional and respectful to everyone, and do everything you can to always go above and beyond when it comes to taking care of your patients.

2) Physical Health: Pump iron and/or run every day to maintain top physical shape.

3) Social Life: Socializing with your class is key. Not only is it fun, but it also provides you with friends and connections, which will only help you out when it comes to performing on the wards during third year.

 

[Mad Jack]

Don't **** where you eat.

Unless you're into that sort of thing I guess, but uh, gross.

Seriously tho, a lot of people in my class had some very successful relationships that started in school. More succeeded than crashed and burned, but the ones that crashed and burned... Well, they were spectacularly bad.

 

[OnePunchBiopsy]

I know this has been discussed at length but what about dating?

Dating responsibly is part of living a healthy lifestyle.

IMO, the whole "don't s*** where you eat" phrase represents dogmatic thinking. If you find someone you have a connection with, there is nothing wrong with pursuing the relationship further.

Just don't ask out every girl in your class, or you'll end up being like The Todd.

 

[thetodd815]

Dating responsibly is part of living a healthy lifestyle.

IMO, the whole "don't s*** where you eat" phrase represents dogmatic thinking. If you find someone you have a connection with, there is nothing wrong with pursuing the relationship further.

Just don't ask out every girl in your class, or you'll end up being like The Todd.

Bruh...

 

[Cinclus]

Get sufficient sleep whenever possible.

 

[OnePunchBiopsy]

Bruh...

Didn't-Mean-To-Offend Five!

 

[futuremdforme]

Dating responsibly is part of living a healthy lifestyle.

IMO, the whole "don't s*** where you eat" phrase represents dogmatic thinking. If you find someone you have a connection with, there is nothing wrong with pursuing the relationship further.

Just don't ask out every girl in your class, or you'll end up being like The Todd.

I agree! I wouldn't date someone I didn't think I had a chance of ending up with permanently though. For a small fling or even a long-term relationship that I know will end for whatever reason, I wouldn't deal with the aftermath. But for a life partner, worth the risk.

Also, it's probably less risky in end of 2nd year onward when soon you won't be together 24/7.

 

[lymphocyte]

I am wondering what the most important activities I need to do in order to match into competitive fields or top tiered hospitals.

@jdh71 and @gutonc made this insightful point a few years ago. It stuck with me:

For the very best IM programmes: Step 1 >250, honours in IM, and AOA. Being from a top 10 medical school or PhD can replace AOA and/or honors. That's about it.

Research tends to be vastly overrated by applicants, unless you actually enjoy research or can pump out quality papers (especially first authorships). Just check out Charting Outcomes or the 2014 NRMP Program Director's Survey. (This of course varies like in, for example, Rad Onc or surgical subspecialities.)

So, basically, Step 1 is all that really matters for your preclinical years. Everything else should be focused on 1) developing the clinical/people skills to shine during 3rd year and 2) being a healthy, happy human being who can stick with medicine for the long run (exercise, developing friendships, etc.).

And re: dating in your class. There's dating and then there's dating. It's fine to pursue a healthy relationship, but just don't Tinder-plow your way through medical school. Your reputation follows you like you wouldn't believe. It's worse than high school.

 

[Slack3r]

@jdh71 and @gutonc made this insightful point a few years ago. It stuck with me:

For the very best IM programmes: Step 1 >250, honours in IM, and AOA. Being from a top 10 medical school or PhD can replace AOA and/or honors. That's about it.
Research tends to be vastly overrated by applicants, unless you actually enjoy research or can pump out quality papers (especially first authorships). Just check out Charting Outcomes or the 2014 NRMP Program Director's Survey. (This of course varies like in, for example, Rad Onc or surgical subspecialities.)

So, basically, Step 1 is all that really matters for your preclinical years. Everything else should be focused on 1) developing the clinical/people skills to shine during 3rd year and 2) being a healthy, happy human being who can stick with medicine for the long run (exercise, developing friendships, etc.).

And re: dating in your class. There's dating and then there's dating. It's fine to pursue a healthy relationship, but just don't Tinder-plow your way through medical school. Your reputation follows you like you wouldn't believe. It's worse than high school.

Any competitive field will want to see research. Most importantly, you should be building connections in your field of interest.

 

[lymphocyte]

Any competitive field will want to see research. Most importantly, you should be building connections in your field of interest.

Of course. But it's all about allocating precious little time. I would always prioritise Step 1. And then worry about research. Your research probably won't even get looked at if your Step 1 score doesn't meet the ERAS threshold set by programmes.

It's also very field-specific. According to the Programme Director's survey, for dermatology, 52% of programmes cite demonstrated interest in research as a selection factor for interviewing, but only 39% of programmes cite it as a selection factor for ranking (and the effect size is fairly small). Presumably the gap is made up for by other factors and the quality of the research. For radiology oncology, those numbers jump up to 89%/66% with an effect size equal to Step 1 score. I've also heard anecdotally that LoRs carry a lot of weight in urology and neurosurgery.

Worth checking out:

http://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/PD-Survey-Report-2014.pdf

 

[WilliamofOckham]

Over the course of M1, take proactive looks at Derm, Rad Onc, Plastics (if you're the surgeon type), Uro, and Ophtho. If you think any of these fields might appeal to you and that you'll have a decent shot at rocking your boards (you'll probably know by the end of M1), start research in one of the fields the summer after M1.

During M1, your sole job is to hit the ground running, both academically and socially.

 

[ActinicKeratosis]

Board scores, third year grades, and research are all important for matching into a competitive specialty. If I had to pick, I would personally rather have high board scores and third year grades and low research than the other way around. At least that way you still have the option to take a year off and pursue research. You only get one shot with Step 1 and you can't redo third year for better grades.

 

[Penn-mdphd]

There's dating and then there's dating. It's fine to pursue a healthy relationship, but just don't Tinder-plow your way through medical school. Your reputation follows you like you wouldn't believe. It's worse than high school.

What is Tinder-plowing?

 

[Taddy Mason]

IMO, the whole "don't s*** where you eat" phrase represents dogmatic thinking. If you find someone you have a connection with, there is nothing wrong with pursuing the relationship further.

I agree, and I'm also contradicting myself with that advice considering how my wife and I met...

That said - between undergrad, med school (what I observed in my class, the class above me, and the class below me), and the various jobs I've had over the 15 years prior to med school I've noticed that most people **** it up (and often more than once...). In my experience, dogmatic advice seems to be slightly more effective than constructive advice with this matter.

 

[Law2Doc]

The only EC in med school that actually matters to residencies is research, and that's only for the minority of residencies that care about research. Shadowing in fields you don't rotate through might be an opportunity to see them but it's not a CV worthy activity. Being class president might be worth listing on the CV, but other officer ships or memberships not so much. Obviously AOA and awards are nice but that's not something you choose to receive.

 

[NWwildcat2013]

My approach has been to focus on Step 1 and grades. At my school AOA is purely academic so that follows from success in the previous 2. I've done only two ECs because I'm not going to force stuff I don't care about. I have no interest in volunteering or free clinics so I don't do it and I don't think it will matter.

I agree with others that research is the only important EC and is basically necessary for things like ophtho, ENT, ortho etc. This is the one area that I would advise getting started on early. Make connections and play the long game with research because it is stressful to try and cram some into MS3 if you find out you want to do something competitive. Dont be worried about not ultimately going into the field that your research is in because it will still count and you'll just need to do something minor within your new field after you pivot.

 

[songl4a]

.

 

[Victorious Secret]

Isn't free clinics and the like good to get your feet wet before rotations?

Its great to come into rotations with a solid understanding of how things work, so if you can do some before the year starts (or even during break, if you are so inclined), I think it'll help settle things down once you actually start.

That being said, make sure its some relevant experience. If all you're doing is being a glorified coffee runner, leave and enjoy your time on other things. Ive seen so many people waste their free time doing the "for experience" in clinics and the like when all they did was run some papers around and occasionally look at a patient chart for ****s and giggles.

Relevant experience > all else, if you can't secure something that actually has you in an active, more hands on role, I wouldn't waste my time with it. You'd gain more knowledge out of some bloody textbook at that point.

 

[lymphocyte]

Isn't free clinics and the like good to get your feet wet before rotations?

Show up to a session. If you find it helpful, stay. If not, get the hell out.

You're in professional school now. Nobody cares anymore except how your activities relate to your chosen profession. And nothing matters more in medicine than competence, as demonstrated by board exams and clinical grades. Prioritise these two things and then do whatever makes you a happier person. Seriously. Medical training is a heinous marathon. I've seen a lot of gung-ho medical students flame out or match okay--but certainly not well enough to justify the pressure they put themselves under.

If you're aiming for a competitive speciality, start researching and making connections early. But even then. Clinical grades and Step 1 matter much more. Just look at the Programme Director's Survey. For dermatology, 48% of residencies don't even look at research when picking applicants to interview. But everybody looks at your board scores.

So much good advice in this thread.

 

[NWwildcat2013]

Isn't free clinics and the like good to get your feet wet before rotations?

They vary a lot in how much a student can see/do and thus learn. They absolutely suck at my school but I tell people to give them a try at their respective school to see if it's worth the time.


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[ActinicKeratosis]

Free clinics at my school are good for getting practice in H&P, note writing and presenting. What makes it nice is that you have preceptors that can help you improve these skills without the fear of evaluations. I would imagine that listing this experience on a CV/residency application carries little to no weight.

 

[NWwildcat2013]

Free clinics at my school are good for getting practice in H&P, note writing and presenting. What makes it nice is that you have preceptors that can help you improve these skills without the fear of evaluations. I would imagine that listing this experience on a CV/residency application carries little to no weight.

Yes that can be helpful but make sure that your practicing of MS3 skills doesn't detract from your ability to learn pre-clinical information extremely well and crush Step 1. You will catch up to your peers who went to free clinic occasionally after the first week of being immersed in MS3.

 

[Phloston]

Show up to a session. If you find it helpful, stay. If not, get the hell out.

You're in professional school now. Nobody cares anymore except how your activities relate to your chosen profession. And nothing matters more in medicine than competence, as demonstrated by board exams and clinical grades. Prioritise these two things and then do whatever makes you a happier person. Seriously. Medical training is a heinous marathon. I've seen a lot of gung-ho medical students flame out or match okay--but certainly not well enough to justify the pressure they put themselves under.

If you're aiming for a competitive speciality, start researching and making connections early. But even then. Clinical grades and Step 1 matter much more. Just look at the Programme Director's Survey. For dermatology, 48% of residencies don't even look at research when picking applicants to interview. But everybody looks at your board scores.

So much good advice in this thread.

Nothing matters more in medicine than a good attitude.

I know you've written threads/posts on this forum about your concerns for matching given your unique circumstances. Hopefully the input you've received here has been helpful and you match more than okay.

 

[Phloston]

I will be a M1 this coming fall, and I am wondering what the most important activities I need to do in order to match into competitive fields or top tiered hospitals. Activities like research, clinical/non-clinical volunteering, athletics, etc.

I know that grades and Step 1 are most important, but what comes after that?

Have a good attitude. Learn to work well on a team. Learn the job of an intern. Do well on Step 1 and rotations.

Your question is a bit broad. A lot will go into your application. And it depends on where you're applying, what you're applying into, and what your goals are.

I am an advocate of the philosophy that one shouldn't pursue things just for the sake of making him or herself look good on a CV so that he or she can apply into x, y and z programs. Do what you need to do for you. Don't worry about "the most important activities." Just do well in school and on your Step. Keep your attitude really positive.

Be a good team player.

 

[lymphocyte]

Nothing matters more in medicine than a good attitude.

I know you've written threads/posts on this forum about your concerns for matching given your unique circumstances. Hopefully the input you've received here has been helpful and you match more than okay.

1) I wasn't asking for anyone's advice, least of all yours.
2) I'm not quite sure what the point of your oblique reference was.

My "concerns about matching" was taking a documented 6 month leave of absence to rehabilitate from a horrendous car accident that left me and my partner in the hospital.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/img-with-a-medical-leave-of-absence-red-flag.1180277/

Luckily, I followed the advice of residents and programme directors to maximise my Step 1 score, demonstrate my clinical competence through outstanding Sub-I performances, and not worry too much about extraneous activities on my CV unless they reflected genuine passion.

Their advice has been borne out by the data I've posted.

You're either repeating what's already been said or offering ridiculously broad advice. Be a good team player. Keep a positive attitude. Yes, that's all well and good, but most people learn how to do that when they first play little league.

But thank you @Phloston for once again offering your unique perspective as a PGY-0 who hasn't applied, isn't applying, and won't be applying for the next two years.