Research needed (?) for general surgery

[BSMD2017]

I am currently a 2nd-year premed student in a 7-year BS/MD program and contemplating to go to specialty of trauma surgery, so I start looking for appropriate research opportunities at near-by medical school campus. I have couple questions for all the more experienced members on SDN.

1. for a mid-tier general surgery residency program, do most applicants have research experience and/or publication by the time of MS3?
2. should I look for research project only related to general surgery/critical care/trauma or any type of clinical research would be helpful?

Thank you in advance

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[WinslowPringle]

I am currently a 2nd-year premed student in a 7-year BS/MD program and contemplating to go to specialty of trauma surgery, so I start looking for appropriate research opportunities at near-by medical school campus. I have couple questions for all the more experienced members on SDN.

1. for a mid-tier general surgery residency program, do most applicants have research experience and/or publication by the time of MS3?
2. should I look for research project only related to general surgery/critical care/trauma or any type of clinical research would be helpful?

Thank you in advance

1. The majority of applicants to my current residency program had some kind of research experience by the time of application in M4 year. Some had more than others. Some had pretty minimal - ie, no pubs and it was a stretch to call it much more than a research "experience." The NRMP data will show you the amount of research for matched/unmatched applicants to general surgery
2. Any type of clinical (or even lab research if that's your thing) is probably more helpful than none. Pick something you're interested in that has publishable potential - you'll talk about it better in interviews, and probably be more likely to work harder on it for a better overall experience.

 

[BSMD2017]

Thank you for sharing your experience!

 

[CyrusHabs7695]

1. The majority of applicants to my current residency program had some kind of research experience by the time of application in M4 year. Some had more than others. Some had pretty minimal - ie, no pubs and it was a stretch to call it much more than a research "experience." The NRMP data will show you the amount of research for matched/unmatched applicants to general surgery
2. Any type of clinical (or even lab research if that's your thing) is probably more helpful than none. Pick something you're interested in that has publishable potential - you'll talk about it better in interviews, and probably be more likely to work harder on it for a better overall experience.

Is it looked at really negatively if an applicant has only ortho research (pubs and abstracts etc.) from M1 and M2? Assuming the applicant is fully committed with Get Surg LORS by M4?

 

[WinslowPringle]

Is it looked at really negatively if an applicant has only ortho research (pubs and abstracts etc.) from M1 and M2? Assuming the applicant is fully committed with Get Surg LORS by M4?

Really negatively, probably not. The person would be questioned about it in interviews. But if he/she had good scores and letters and a convincing story for why gen surg and not ortho it would shake out ok. (Mine is not, thank God, an Academic Name Brand residency, so maybe a bit different at one of them idk.)

 

[Moose A Moose]

I am currently a 2nd-year premed student in a 7-year BS/MD program and contemplating to go to specialty of trauma surgery, so I start looking for appropriate research opportunities at near-by medical school campus. I have couple questions for all the more experienced members on SDN.

1. for a mid-tier general surgery residency program, do most applicants have research experience and/or publication by the time of MS3?
2. should I look for research project only related to general surgery/critical care/trauma or any type of clinical research would be helpful?

Thank you in advance

1. Yes... but in the end it won’t make or break you.
2. Preference for the surgical specialty of your choosing. If you can’t get that, any is better than none.

 

[thedrjojo]

I interview for a mid tier academic residency. Many have research but much of it is 3rd or 4th author crap, a poster or two, etc, in a plethora of fields, and we really don't tend to care that much. If your research is Ortho but your electives in 4th year are all general surgery and your letters are all general surgery, we will know you are general surgery. It's the late deciders that did 2-3 Ortho sub I's that then have to really convince us that they dont want Ortho but actually want gen surg.