Sights set on EM: how to concentrate on worthwhile ECs and avoid the extraneous?

[Chris Knight]

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medical school and public health courses take up a considerable amount of my time on their own, so in an an effort to maintain my various personal hobbies/social life/romantic life, it seems necessary weigh the costs and benefits of my extracurricular activities (ECs, or medicine related organizations and activities outside normal classes).

So basically, what sorts of organizations/activities should be avoided and what sorts should be concentrated on? What have residency program directors been impressed by on you resumes, and what did they not even bat an eye at?

I certainly have activities that I feel strongly about and to which I do devote most of my extra time. But my dilemma comes when deciding on some of the less time intensive organizations/activities. Such as being a faculty adviser for my MPH program, extra volunteering in a community clinic, etc etc. Does a PD give two sh%ts about someone being on the executive board of a medical school's EM interest group? Do these smaller things even matter? or will a PD not even look for them after reading about my research or involvement in disaster medicine or other big activities?

 

[vtucci]

God- a reference to Real Genius, I love it!!

I am only a third year but have been advised that leadership is excellent for EM (as is research). Sounds like you have a very diverse background. Good luck on pursuing your future EM career.

 

[SoCuteMD]

My advice to you would be to pursue the things you enjoy and WANT to make time for, and forget the rest. I'm still an MS3, so I don't know everything about EM, but from what I've learned we are quite a diverse group of people with a wide variety of interests. The common thread is that we have these interests in and outside of medicine.

For me, I'm passionate about running (err...I was, until winter hit!) and reading. I enjoyed the research I did as an MS1, and would like to do more. In my 3 years of medical school I haven't felt the need to get involved in anything just to make my applications look better. Instead I have done the things I enjoyed (free clinic, EMIG) and forgotten the rest.

Med school is too taxing to do stuff you don't enjoy!

 

[pinbor1]

I will tell you from personal experience as a former med student interviewing for EM and as the person interviewing students for EM positions that it is most important to do what you enjoy. What I looked for in the interview sessions were people that were genuinely interested in their extracurricular activities, and were at the same time well rounded. It is great to be in leadership positions, but if you cannot tell me what you did with it, then it does not really matter to me. I am sure that many of us that interview students recall how much we looked down on people participating in EC's just to pad their surveys. Looking at your extracurricular practices, I think you will do fine.

And just to put everything in perspectives, there was a study a couple years back that looked at what were the most important factors that residencies looked at. Below is what I recall as the top factors.

Emergency Medicine LORs
Emergency Medicine Course Evaluation
Clinical Clerkship scores/evals
Step 1
Step 2
and then somewhere on the bottom EC's.

So it all basicially boils down to do what you are passinate about, and it will show when you eventually interview.

 

[RxnMan]

Read through the FAQs - they will answer your questions.

As an aside, the recent Matchitis survey supports the article pinbor1 referenced. It looks like only about 60% of the strength of a person's app is determined by USMLE and class rank.

 

[AmoryBlaine]

ECs are there to give you stuff to talk about in interviews - they will not break you and certainly will not make up for poor academic performance.

I think your MPH will qualify as all the "ECs" you need.

 

[NSAIDAllergy]

What have residency program directors been impressed by on you resumes, and what did they not even bat an eye at?

Do what you enjoy. If you're involved in something just for resume padding, they'll see right through you at the interview. At my interviews, they wanted to know what I was into, not just what I did off hours. Interviewing for residency is not like interviewing for med school. They want to know if they're going to like you. (By the way, I love the avatar and screen name. Great movie!😀)

 

[bartleby]

The benefit of an extracurricular activity in EM is that it demonstrates that you've been thinking about EM and developed some commitment to the idea of a career in EM as opposed to it seeming like something you came up with in a flash of brilliance two months before your interview.

 

[Pinner Doc]

So basically, what sorts of organizations/activities should be avoided and what sorts should be concentrated on? What have residency program directors been impressed by on you resumes, and what did they not even bat an eye at?

My advice...

to concentrate on: things you love
to avoid: things you don't

Being part of an organization that demonstrates interest in EM is also a good thing-- and I'm assuming that would fall under the former category, and not the latter!

Honestly, my extracurricular activity that was most asked about on the interview trail was our student wine-tasting group! You don't have to be president of such-and-such impressive-sounding society to have something interesting to talk about.

Good luck

 

[EM Cowgirl]

I'll chime in and echo everyone else's advice: stick to what excites you! Enthusiasm for what you do really comes through in an interview. The two activities I was asked most about by interviewers were my research (I'd extended med school by a full year to concentrate on translational research, a long-term interest of mine) and underwater hockey (a super cool sport no one's heard of that makes for great conversation, but decidedly unacademic).

 

[WallowaWanderer]

You will set yourself apart if you:

1) do something unique
2) do something creative
3) take a leadership role
4) do something that you are PASSIONATE about.

It doesn't have to be in EM, but if it is then that's fine and it doesn't count against you.

It's the unique, different, creative ideas that I came up with/things I did during undergrad/post bacc/med school that spurred on conversation during my EM interviews.

 

[deleted109597]

So basically, what sorts of organizations/activities should be avoided and what sorts should be concentrated on? What have residency program directors been impressed by on you resumes, and what did they not even bat an eye at?

A few things. Half of your interviewers won't read your packet, and as such, won't know to bring something up unless you do.
It is different from all standpoints as well. If you do the political thing through the AMA, or AMSA (ick), it may be great with other political types (Dr. Blum at WVU comes to mind, some people at Arizona). On the flip side, many don't give a rat's *** either. Ask me how I know. If your interviewer is EMS heavy, doing EMS stuff will make you more likeable to that person. If they aren't, it is just another feather in the cap.
I will echo what everyone else has said, do things you enjoy, because if you talk about them like your ECs were chores, they can see right through that. Don't let it affect your grades/Step scores, because they will filter you out based on those without ever reading the ECs.

 

[WallowaWanderer]

Don't let it affect your grades/Step scores, because they will filter you out based on those without ever reading the ECs.

That's a good point. Programs aren't going to as interested the mediocre student who was in a lot of clubs. Focus and kicking butt academically, and do 1 or 2 other things but do them really well.