Research and ERAS

[t2oo5]

Hi all,

So, I've seen that the average number of manuscripts/abstracts/presentations for a rad onc applicant is ~8. Does anyone have a sense if these are accomplishments during medical school only, or if this also includes work prior to med school?

It's not much, but I have two second author posters and one second author manuscript from undergrad. I was wondering if this would count when it comes time to submit ERAS.

On a similar note, I have two other questions: would a regional poster display count toward research- or is it only worth listing national meetings? What about a grand rounds presentation at a local hospital?

I'm just trying to assess what role my prior research experiences may play in my application. At the same time, I don't want it to appear as if I am padding my resume.

Thanks for your help!

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[nothingman]

I think these statistics can be misleading because an entry in the "research experiences/publications" within ERAS can encompass anything from a poster with peripheral involvement by the applicant to a first author paper that forms the backbone of a multi-year PhD thesis.

It certainly can't hurt to list publications from undergrad, posters at regional meetings, etc. if this is not specifically excluded by ERAS. Not sure if the hospital grand rounds would count, but I think it's ok to be liberal with listing your achievements in this part of the app as long as you are prepared to discuss them in depth during interviews.

I do think that some kind of research activity during med school, published/presented or not, is close to essential for mid-tier to top rad onc programs.

Keep in mind that in the big picture view, the number of research entries in your ERAS app is way less important than your ability to talk knowingly, critically and enthusiastically about what you accomplished/hope to accomplish in your scholarly activities during residency interviews. At that stage, the number of entries in ERAS becomes much more of a wash.