Residency Advice

[Thunder Lips]

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OK...so I jsut got accepted to an MD program class of 2015 and I really want to get a jump start on a good resume so down the road I can get any residency I want.

So:
Bachelor Number 1: Describe to me your perfect candidate for a residency of your choosing.

Bachelor Number 2: What do you wish you knew about getting into a residency in your first year of med school?

Bachelor number 3: If you could be an animal...what would it be?

...i could only think of two questions....

 

[medstudent87]

dude...worry about med school for now, save residency for later. Just do the best you can the first two years of school. If you want to do something competitive, I'd recommend doing research at some point (like btwn M1 and M2), but make sure u get published.

 

[searun]

OK...so I jsut got accepted to an MD program class of 2015 and I really want to get a jump start on a good resume so down the road I can get any residency I want.

So:
Bachelor Number 1: Describe to me your perfect candidate for a residency of your choosing.

Bachelor Number 2: What do you wish you knew about getting into a residency in your first year of med school?

Bachelor number 3: If you could be an animal...what would it be?

...i could only think of two questions....

If you decide that you are interested in a competitive field, then

1. Crush Step One

2. Honor as many of your third year rotations as possible, especially medicine and surgery if you want to be a surgeon.

3. Get a solid research project or two under your belt in your field of interest. Research is very important in certain specialties such as ENT.

4. Get great letters of recommendation from well known faculty in your field of interest.

 

[Thunder Lips]

thanks guys!

 

[Iwy Em Hotep]

1) You should always try to do the best you can at every step of the way, but yes, there is a lot of weight placed on Step 1 and clinical rotations.

2) The goal of the first two years is to figure out (or at least narrow down) what you want to do. Many residents pick the wrong field.

 

[DrJosephKim]

Focus on your academics. If you plan to pursue a competitive residency, then spend some time doing research and try to get something published. Research isn't emphasized in many schools and I think that a number of students miss out on some great opportunities to strengthen their resume during med school.

 

[MedStudentWanna]

2) The goal of the first two years is to figure out (or at least narrow down) what you want to do. Many residents pick the wrong field.

HUH? Yes, many residents pick the wrong field, if their goal is to figure out what they want to do in the first two years. That is NOT the goal of the first two years. Not even close. How can it be? Sitting in a cardiovascular physiology lecture is not going to tell you what being a cardiologist is like.

The goal of the first two years is to build a basic science foundation that will help you do well on the boards and understand the basis of medicine. The goal of THIRD year is learning medicine and figuring out what you want to do.

OP, chill out. If you're worrying about this now, you're going to be burned out before Anatomy's over.

 

[xanthomondo]

HUH? Yes, many residents pick the wrong field, if their goal is to figure out what they want to do in the first two years. That is NOT the goal of the first two years. Not even close. How can it be? Sitting in a cardiovascular physiology lecture is not going to tell you what being a cardiologist is like.

The goal of the first two years is to build a basic science foundation that will help you do well on the boards and understand the basis of medicine. The goal of THIRD year is learning medicine and figuring out what you want to do.

OP, chill out. If you're worrying about this now, you're going to be burned out before Anatomy's over.

👍

4 years is a marathon, not a sprint

 

[Thunder Lips]

haha thanks ya'll...the advice is much appreciated!!

 

[Iwy Em Hotep]

HUH? Yes, many residents pick the wrong field, if their goal is to figure out what they want to do in the first two years. That is NOT the goal of the first two years. Not even close. How can it be? Sitting in a cardiovascular physiology lecture is not going to tell you what being a cardiologist is like.

Just wanted to comment on this -- I am under no illusions that you will learn about your specialty of choice from your classwork. It's important, though, to spend time shadowing physicians in fields of interest, especially if it's a sub-specialty not covered in the 3rd year. When else will you find out?