neurosurgery -> anesthesia application question

[orcawhale]

hi i'm an m3 at a MD school in nyc- ive spent last 3 years prepping for neurosurgery and thus have about 10-15 publication (4-5 actual papers) relating to neurosurgery. if i were to switch into anesthesia how much research in anesthesia would i need to do before applying or will my current pub count + doing several sub-i's/aways be enough to match competitively into anesthesia (assuming decent clinical grades + step 2 scores)

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[Dr. Anonymouss]

You wont need any research, but it will look extremely suspicious to anywhere you apply and your application may be discarded as it will be viewed that you are applying to anesthesia as a backup. You will need to explain how you made the transition to anesthesia and why you decided it fits you better than neurosurgery. Having faculty write you letters of recommendation that confirm your primary interest in anesthesia will help you as well. Your biggest hurdle will be convincing residency programs that you aren't applying to anesthesia as a backup.

 

[thetenthletter]

You wont need any research, but it will look extremely suspicious to anywhere you apply and your application may be discarded as it will be viewed that you are applying to anesthesia as a backup. You will need to explain how you made the transition to anesthesia and why you decided it fits you better than neurosurgery. Having faculty write you letters of recommendation that confirm your primary interest in anesthesia will help you as well. Your biggest hurdle will be convincing residency programs that you aren't applying to anesthesia as a backup.

Does having specialty-specific information in your ERAS activities + geographic preferences (e.g., [insert activity] was a primary motivator in entering the field of anesthesia) sufficiently remove doubts of dual application, given that it's the same for all specialties you apply to?

 

[orcawhale]

does doing several away rotations allay those worries at all?

 

[Dr. Anonymouss]

Does having specialty-specific information in your ERAS activities + geographic preferences (e.g., [insert activity] was a primary motivator in entering the field of anesthesia) sufficiently remove doubts of dual application, given that it's the same for all specialties you apply to?

If you include things relevant to anesthesia that will most definitely help, but there will undeniably be doubt about your interest when you include all of the research you did for neurosurgery. Its a double edged sword... Yes the research makes you look good and helps you stand out 100%, but it is all relevant to neurosurgery and it makes it seem like anesthesia is a backup. I would try to work your personal statement towards emphasizing your transition to anesthesia from neurosurgery. If its not the main point of your PS then it should at least be mentioned somewhere in my opinion. And then like I said, ask your letter writers to emphasize your commitment to anesthesia and possibly how you are no longer interested in neurosurgery.

 

[Dr. Anonymouss]

does doing several away rotations allay those worries at all?

It will help open doors to that specific program, but unlikely to substantially help you at other programs. I will be completely honest though, away rotations for anesthesia are not necessary and can actually hurt you more than help you. One month is a long time to be judged by the residents/faculty and you could be judged for being too quiet, too loud, not knowing your information, or coming off like you know everything. The sad truth is that those little judgements can make you go to the bottom of the rank list. I would not personally recommend away rotations to the majority of students unless they are very personable and generally receive very good feedback from preceptors during their rotations. Otherwise I would say your chances of impressing the residents/faculty is much higher during your brief interview day.

 

[medschoolaspirant]

Consider not mentioning research for neurosurgery on eras. Do 1 or 2 away in gas which goes on mspe. So time it in first 4 blocks of M4. So it is on mspe.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

If you document in your research experiences that after further reflection you've decided to pursue anesthesia, and have your NS mentor write a letter that states that you're applying to anesthesia - I think that will allay most / all fears. Putting it in your PS (which you're free to do) won't move the needle since you can submit different PS's to different programs.

 

[Nontrad_FL_LGBT]

Consider not mentioning research for neurosurgery on eras. Do 1 or 2 away in gas which goes on mspe. So time it in first 4 blocks of M4. So it is on mspe.

Removing 10-15 pubs from your app is insane. Bad advice.

 

[Dr. Anonymouss]

Removing 10-15 pubs from your app is insane. Bad advice.

I agree, the research is impressive and it should stay. His biggest issue is that he will need to find a way to convince the anesthesia programs that he has made the transition to anesthesia and left NSGY behind. Anyone who looks at his application will undeniably view him as a dual applicant.

 

[ACSurgeon]

If none of the M4 rotations are neurosurgery I don’t see how anyone will think OP is applying neurosurgery. Unlike radiology or anesthesia, students applying to surgical specialities spend 2-4 months at the beginning of M4 doing nothing but that specialty. It would have been a different story if this realization happened as an M4 after 3 months of neurosurgery rotations…

 

[holdthemayo]

I agree with everything above. Your change of heart won't hurt you, as long as you can display an interest in anesthesiology and explain on an interview why you had a change of heart.

There are plenty of us who considered a surgical specialty and decided life on the other side of the drapes was better and more interesting. Just be prepared to talk about it and you should be fine. No one wants to be your silver medal, so just be clear that Anesthesia is your primary goal now, as described above.