Question about Poster Presentation

[Futuredoc1364]

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Hi there, wow this forum makes me nervous especially when I read posts about the reasons for not matching...

On my ERAS research description for my main research project in medical school, I had included at the end that I am planning to attend a research meeting in November to present a poster for my project. I did not inlcude it as part of the publication section.

Here is my question: if for some reason I do not get to go to this meeting did I upsell myself by saying that? I definitely did not mean to do so and I had even posted in another thread here on SDN asking people's opinion about whether I should even include it. A poster will be presented even if I do not get to go. I think I should have said just that a poster will be presented instead of I am planning to present a poster.

I had already talked to my research mentor before (like a few months back) about attending and he had said he would love to take me there but he and I have not talked about the exact details of it. He still hasn't told me yet whether he wants me to attend or not. Another thing is that beginning November I will begin a research project in the field that I am actually applying to so perhaps missing 5 or so days for this meeting in addition to all the interviews I might schedule might be too much. This is a national meeting so I am sure it is prestigious for me to attend there but I don't know how much it really adds to my application.

What are your thoughts? Did I create a mess on my ERAS if I don't go to this meeting? 😕

 

[atsai3]

Hi there, wow this forum makes me nervous especially when I read posts about the reasons for not matching...

On my ERAS research description for my main research project in medical school, I had included at the end that I am planning to attend a research meeting in November to present a poster for my project. I did not inlcude it as part of the publication section.

Here is my question: if for some reason I do not get to go to this meeting did I upsell myself by saying that? I definitely did not mean to do so and I had even posted in another thread here on SDN asking people's opinion about whether I should even include it. A poster will be presented even if I do not get to go. I think I should have said just that a poster will be presented instead of I am planning to present a poster.

I had already talked to my research mentor before (like a few months back) about attending and he had said he would love to take me there but he and I have not talked about the exact details of it. He still hasn't told me yet whether he wants me to attend or not. Another thing is that beginning November I will begin a research project in the field that I am actually applying to so perhaps missing 5 or so days for this meeting in addition to all the interviews I might schedule might be too much. This is a national meeting so I am sure it is prestigious for me to attend there but I don't know how much it really adds to my application.

What are your thoughts? Did I create a mess on my ERAS if I don't go to this meeting? 😕

It is unclear from your description of the scenario whether you should have represented yourself as "planning to present", i.e., it is unclear what your authorship position is, whether your supervisor said "I might fund your trip, let me see if there is enough money in the lab", who was the specified presenter, etc.

In any case, misrepresentation on applications of any sort (e.g., med school, residency, fellowship, etc) is rarely detected. That's why people try to get away with it.

Irrespective of whether you misrepresented yourself or not, chances are the practical impact will be virtually nil (i.e., you're not going to get 'caught').

-AT.

 

[Futuredoc1364]

Hey AT thanks for your response:

Regarding my role for this poster, I am first author. My PI and I and some other people on the paper have already submitted the manuscript for this to a respectful journal in the field and it has been accepted and in press. This (the publication) I have included in the publication section on ERAS. So regarding the poster for this manuscript, I have already created it which as you know it is not tough to do if you have a manuscript. I had talked to my PI in July and he had said that he can fund this trip if I like to go. He told me that he will submit the abstract and then I need to get back to him in mid-September to work out the details of this trip. So I sent him an email over last weekend to ask him about this meeting and what his plans are regarding my presentation.

He responded, oh do you like to attend? I am like “what”? So I responded sure I thought that was the plan. He is busy so he still has not gotten back to me. I mean my plan was and is to attend if possible and that is what I said at the end of my research description on ERAS. Honestly, when I was typing it and submitted my ERAS I was not even thinking about the wording of this particular experience.

I just finished a busy rotation this week, so I did not get a chance to email him again about it over the past week. So what I’ll do is I will send him another email over the weekend, explaining that I was under the impression that I would be able to attend and I already mentioned that on my application and it will be an excellent learning opportunity for me.

If he mentions that I cannot get to go, then I have to figure out how I will notify the programs about it. I think I will only need to notify those that interview me that I did not get to go… Maybe I am overthinking this I don’t know haha…

Thanks for your advice… 🙂

 

[twilightdoc]

… Maybe I am overthinking this I don’t know haha… Thanks for your advice… 🙂

Yes- you are overthinking it. In the event that you don't get to go, for whatever reason (no travel funds, bird flu epidemic, etc.), you were first author on the submission and had substantial involvement in the research and the preparation of the abstract. I don't think you need to go out of your way to inform programs if you don't get to present. But I would be prepared to talk about your research and about the content of the poster, in the event that it comes up during interviews. You mentioned that a manuscript has been accepted for publication, and you are included as an author and mentioned the paper in ERAS. That provides some validation of your involvement and the merit of the research, and should be sufficient.