research?

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Panzer12

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How important is research when applying to Anesthesiology residencies? I've been browsing the forums and have talked to a couple of people and keep getting conflicting views.
Obviously having it on your resume doesn't hurt, but is it an expectation? Especially now that it seems the field is becoming more competitive?
Thanks

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i would say from what i seen that it is an asset to your application, but isnt more important than your grades and board scores. a good interview outweighs all the research in the world...except at MGH. :D
 
thanks,
i was just wondering if it were a must have, like for rads, or other super competitive specialties.
people say anesthesiology is becoming more competitive, and looking at the match data, the number of applicants IS going up, but so is the number of available spots.. i wonder how bad it'll be in a couple of yrs
 
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so if you were a 3rd year interested in applying and we all said 'yes, you must have research,' would you go do research or apply to something else? or, more importantly, if we all said, 'no, you don't need research,' would you turn down the opportunity to do some?

Maybe it's just me, but these questions always sound like 'what's the least amount of work I can do and still match?'

You have to know that it'll help your app, so just do it, right?
 
I have only been asked about my my research by 1 interviewer throughout the ENTIRE interview trail. I have brought it up in conversation several times but it really feels like forcing a square peg in a round hole. Always remember that everyone else thinks their research is the greatest and is not nearly as interested in your research.

That being said, who knows if it actually helped me obtain any interviews or not. My guess is probably not, but you never know.

I agree with the previous post in that if it is available for you to get involved then go for it, especially if you could get involved with a big name in the field. Then, at least you could get a great LOR out of the deal.
 
My interviewers haven't been too interested in my research, a couple places mentioned it (Hopkins, UCSF, OHSU), but those are places where you kind of expect it. Otherwise, I agree with Anesonia, I've had to bring it up, though people have at least expressed interest in it for me.
 
so if you were a 3rd year interested in applying and we all said 'yes, you must have research,' would you go do research or apply to something else? or, more importantly, if we all said, 'no, you don't need research,' would you turn down the opportunity to do some?

Maybe it's just me, but these questions always sound like 'what's the least amount of work I can do and still match?'
You have to know that it'll help your app, so just do it, right?

To some degree I totally agree with you - it's a little disingenuous. But this attitude is obviously not confined to anesthesiology. Even the research-heavy fields where you HAVE to have research to get interviews, only a TINY minority of those docs do research in the long-term. It's a hoop you have to jump through.

I think if the OP is asking "Do anesthesiology program directors weigh research heavily?" then my opinion would be a resounding NO. My impression is, it's not so much the research itself as the personality traits that doing high-quality productive research runs with that they're looking for: motivation, understanding science, critical thinking, following through with projects/tasks etc. Besides, a very small number of anesthesiology applicants have substantial anesthesia research (author on a poster or paper).
 
so if you were a 3rd year interested in applying and we all said 'yes, you must have research,' would you go do research or apply to something else? or, more importantly, if we all said, 'no, you don't need research,' would you turn down the opportunity to do some?

Maybe it's just me, but these questions always sound like 'what's the least amount of work I can do and still match?'

You have to know that it'll help your app, so just do it, right?

i'm trying decide between going abroad and working in a clinic (which is what i would love to do) and doing research, so get off your judgemental high horse
 
i'm trying decide between going abroad and working in a clinic (which is what i would love to do)

I would definitely do that if it's what you'd love to do. In addition to leaving you more personally fulfilled, it will give your interviewers something interesting to ask you about, which is half the battle for most people on the interview trail.
 
I've actually done a lot of research and I would say that it has helped me get some interviews that I otherwise would not have gotten.

Overall, one major benefit is that it gives you the opportunity to work closely with an attending on a consistent basis, this is someone who can write you a letter that is much more interesting than "XX is a good student, nice to the pts, blah blah blah". I've done work with the PD in my school and another well known attending and almost every interviewer has commented positively on their letters.

So, if you work with the right person and/or do a lot I think research can be a major asset, but to do a bit of work on one project - no one cares

i'm trying decide between going abroad and working in a clinic (which is what i would love to do) and doing research, so get off your judgemental high horse
 
I've actually done a lot of research and I would say that it has helped me get some interviews that I otherwise would not have gotten.

Overall, one major benefit is that it gives you the opportunity to work closely with an attending on a consistent basis, this is someone who can write you a letter that is much more interesting than "XX is a good student, nice to the pts, blah blah blah". I've done work with the PD in my school and another well known attending and almost every interviewer has commented positively on their letters.

So, if you work with the right person and/or do a lot I think research can be a major asset, but to do a bit of work on one project - no one cares


good point, thanks
 
How important is research when applying to Anesthesiology residencies? I've been browsing the forums and have talked to a couple of people and keep getting conflicting views.
Obviously having it on your resume doesn't hurt, but is it an expectation? Especially now that it seems the field is becoming more competitive?
Thanks
We had a thread on here a while back about anesthesiology research residencies. I'm still a third year and haven't applied yet, but it's logical that if you wanted to apply for research residencies, then research would be extremely important, particularly anesthesia-related research. The purpose of these residencies is to pump out physician scientists in anesthesiology. I'm sure the people who apply for them are MD/PhDs or otherwise have significant research background, not just a summer in med school. But most residencies aim to train clinicians, and if you want to do a little research on the side, great. It sounds like what you really want to do is go abroad and work in the clinic, and I think that's what you should do then. You can always get involved in research during residency or afterward if you want, but you won't always have an opportunity to work in a clinic abroad. Best of luck. :)
 
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