Neurosurgery with no neuro research

[Maxwell23]

Hi everybody,

I am a medical student (just became a 4th year), interested in applying into neurosurgery. The issue is I have no neurosurgery or neuroscience research. I do have plenty of research in other areas (immunology, basic science) and several first author publications (all in basic science application to clinic). I earned a PhD (nothing to do with neuroscience, or anything to do with neuro or surgery for that matter). I did do one small group project on neuroscience in my undergrad, which resulted in a poster. I am wondering what your advice is about how programs will look at this and what I can do from now until October to enhance the application.

Have any of you residents had a similar experience? (came to neurosurgery late and still matched?)

Thanks for any advice.

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[ValentinNarcisse]

Hi everybody,

I am a medical student (just became a 4th year), interested in applying into neurosurgery. The issue is I have no neurosurgery or neuroscience research. I do have plenty of research in other areas (immunology, basic science) and several first author publications (all in basic science application to clinic). I earned a PhD (nothing to do with neuroscience, or anything to do with neuro or surgery for that matter). I did do one small group project on neuroscience in my undergrad, which resulted in a poster. I am wondering what your advice is about how programs will look at this and what I can do from now until October to enhance the application.

Have any of you residents had a similar experience? (came to neurosurgery late and still matched?)

Thanks for any advice.

Provided you have the requisite board scores, you will be fine and likely highly sought after by programs. There is no point starting any additional research now, it is too late (unless you have something that you are sitting on that you could turn into a CNS abstract over the next week). Just focus on crushing your Sub-Is and putting together your application.

 

[Maxwell23]

Provided you have the requisite board scores, you will be fine and likely highly sought after by programs. There is no point starting any additional research now, it is too late (unless you have something that you are sitting on that you could turn into a CNS abstract over the next week). Just focus on crushing your Sub-Is and putting together your application.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[Surgeon's Cuffs]

Hi everybody,

I am a medical student (just became a 4th year), interested in applying into neurosurgery. The issue is I have no neurosurgery or neuroscience research. I do have plenty of research in other areas (immunology, basic science) and several first author publications (all in basic science application to clinic). I earned a PhD (nothing to do with neuroscience, or anything to do with neuro or surgery for that matter). I did do one small group project on neuroscience in my undergrad, which resulted in a poster. I am wondering what your advice is about how programs will look at this and what I can do from now until October to enhance the application.

Have any of you residents had a similar experience? (came to neurosurgery late and still matched?)

Thanks for any advice.

Very much agree with my colleague. With an overall app like that you will do well on the trail. Definitely get in contact with your home chair to set yourself up for success.

 

[SkullbaseFoLyfe]

ENT resident so take advice with a small grain of salt. From what Ive heard surgical subspecialties in general care much more about research experience in general rather than specialty specific research experience. Maybe some people arent as open minded, but Ive had attendings tell me that they fully understand that med students can change their minds at the last minute. Demonstrating that you can be productive and publish/present is much more important than the content of the said publication/presentation.

In your specific example I think its easy to say that PhDs are highly sought after regardless of what they researched. Perhaps there are people out there with a PhD with neuro research that might be slightly more desirable than yourself - but I think its fair to say you are already way ahead of the vast majority of applicants just by having a PhD.

Try to jump on some projects and get your name in the mix. But otherwise dont worry about it too much.

 

[mpp]

I agree. Wouldn’t worry too much about it. Just have a good explanation of why you decided on neurosurgery despite your background being in somewhere else as it is likely to be asked at interviews. The research skill set and mindset are more important than the actual topics of such research in terms of a residency candidate.

 

[Browns99]

Hi everybody,

I am a medical student (just became a 4th year), interested in applying into neurosurgery. The issue is I have no neurosurgery or neuroscience research. I do have plenty of research in other areas (immunology, basic science) and several first author publications (all in basic science application to clinic). I earned a PhD (nothing to do with neuroscience, or anything to do with neuro or surgery for that matter). I did do one small group project on neuroscience in my undergrad, which resulted in a poster. I am wondering what your advice is about how programs will look at this and what I can do from now until October to enhance the application.

Have any of you residents had a similar experience? (came to neurosurgery late and still matched?)

Thanks for any advice.

A lot missing here. What are your board scores, clinicals, LORs, AOA, class rank, high/low tier school, etc. While research in other fields is better than none, I still believe the completive specialities like neurosurgery will like to see a commitment to research in those specialities, but a lack of neuro. specific will not keep you out. Remember, everyone who is a competitive applicant today will likely have great board scores, LORs, clinical, AOA, etc.

If you have a great well-rounded app., I believe you are going to be fine and the lack of neurosurgery research will not cause any problems for you.

 

[Browns99]

ENT resident so take advice with a small grain of salt. From what Ive heard surgical subspecialties in general care much more about research experience in general rather than specialty specific research experience. Maybe some people arent as open minded, but Ive had attendings tell me that they fully understand that med students can change their minds at the last minute. Demonstrating that you can be productive and publish/present is much more important than the content of the said publication/presentation.

In your specific example I think its easy to say that PhDs are highly sought after regardless of what they researched. Perhaps there are people out there with a PhD with neuro research that might be slightly more desirable than yourself - but I think its fair to say you are already way ahead of the vast majority of applicants just by having a PhD.

Try to jump on some projects and get your name in the mix. But otherwise dont worry about it too much.

"but I think its fair to say you are already way ahead of the vast majority of applicants just by having a PhD." Why do you think a having a PhD alone will put the OP ahead of the vast majority of applicants? Se below, certainly 10% is not the vast majority.

"9.5% of matched neurosurgery applicants in 2016 had a PhD"..source: MD/PhD Neurosurgery Applicant Guide

As I said in my other post, the OP will be fine if he/she has a competitive app.