The surgical personal statement?

[redbeans]

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if you aren't a naturally talented writer

I hope my 2 blog fans will back me up.

 

[Winged Scapula]

I hope my 2 blog fans will back me up.

Mom and Dad don't count!

j/k

 

[pseudoknot]

Agree with Castro.

In many circles it is a death knell to admit you want to pursue a fellowship, ESPECIALLY if its plastics, breast, endocrine, or CT.

All surgical programs have the main goal of training you to be a good general surgeon. You can admit to having an interest in "fellowship X" but I would not go around talking about how you are going to be "X"...it might turn them off and besides, a lot of candidates change their mind as they go through residency (I did about 3 times).

So, I'm curious about this...I thought nearly everyone in GS did a fellowship now. Wouldn't it seem odd to declare yourself to be part of the small minority that's not going to? Or is it just bad to say you've decided which one, like being an M1 who already "knows" which specialty he or she will do?

 

[smq123]

So, I'm curious about this...I thought nearly everyone in GS did a fellowship now. Wouldn't it seem odd to declare yourself to be part of the small minority that's not going to? Or is it just bad to say you've decided which one, like being an M1 who already "knows" which specialty he or she will do?

Well, it doesn't seem like anyone is saying that you should write in your PS that "I will NEVER, EVER pursue a fellowship! Gen surg, or die!!"

What I think they're saying (and I've heard this too) is that you shouldn't declare that you are only going into gen surg JUST for the sole purpose of pursuing a certain fellowship. Then it raises the question - so what if you don't get a fellowship (some are very competitive, like plastics)? Are you going to be miserable as a plain old general surgeon? Does it mean that you won't work hard in other surgery rotations as a resident? - you won't ALWAYS be on the plastics service. What if you change your mind halfway through residency, and realize that plastics doesn't interest you? Will you drop out of general surgery all together?

I think this is true for other fields - OB/gyn, for instance, will often discourage you from applying to OB/gyn if you're only interested in MFM but hate gyn and gyn oncology. You'll spend half your time as a resident on a gyn service, so if you hate it, you'll be a miserable resident half the time. And, if you realize that you actually hate MFM, and that you were never interested in general OB/gyn to begin with, then you probably won't have any motivation to stay...and dropping out of a residency can cause big problems for everyone around you.

 

[kirurg]

Some advice I got before writing a PS:

1. Don't write about what makes a good surgeon. Coming from a student, it may seem insulting to the readers who have their own opinions and much more experience. I included two brief stories of surgeons who I looked to as role models and why I thought they were excellent. These examples were pretty standard cases where the attending went the extra mile.

2. Don't say, "I'm good with my hands." No student is technically good, and saying so would show that you don't recognize your limits.

3. Don't be weird. My PD told me that he never gave someone an interview based on a PS, but he eliminated some applicants based on their out-of-the-box statements.

4. Self-praise stinks. Your CV and letters will highlight how great you are. Use your PS to talk about your interests, motivations, why you love surgery, what you want to do with your life.

5. Don't stress about the PS too much. Spelling and grammar seem to be very important though.

I ended my PS with a short paragraph stating my goals. Private practice v. academics, research/teaching interest, specialty interest. Although it wasn't the focus of my PS, it gave the interviewers a chance to talk about the fields I said interest me the most. I also tied this in with my research project. Some programs also scheduled me with faculty in that field. Since many residents change their minds over the course of residency, I don't think by saying you love vascular/onc/PRS you give the impression that you will not want to learn CT/breast/pediatrics.

 

[TXSurgResident]

Some advice I got before writing a PS:

1. Don't write about what makes a good surgeon. Coming from a student, it may seem insulting to the readers who have their own opinions and much more experience. I included two brief stories of surgeons who I looked to as role models and why I thought they were excellent. These examples were pretty standard cases where the attending went the extra mile.

2. Don't say, "I'm good with my hands." No student is technically good, and saying so would show that you don't recognize your limits.

3. Don't be weird. My PD told me that he never gave someone an interview based on a PS, but he eliminated some applicants based on their out-of-the-box statements.

4. Self-praise stinks. Your CV and letters will highlight how great you are. Use your PS to talk about your interests, motivations, why you love surgery, what you want to do with your life.

5. Don't stress about the PS too much. Spelling and grammar seem to be very important though.

👍 all good stuff.

Standard comment made about candidates during a rank session: "X is from blah blah blah school of medicine, has had some exposure to GS/vasc/peds/whatever, but isn't 100% sure."

This to me is the idea you want to convey. That "something" has sparked your interest in surgery, but that you're not so fixated on it as to ignore other things along the way.

 

[Winged Scapula]

So, I'm curious about this...I thought nearly everyone in GS did a fellowship now. Wouldn't it seem odd to declare yourself to be part of the small minority that's not going to? Or is it just bad to say you've decided which one, like being an M1 who already "knows" which specialty he or she will do?

Yes, that is the point.

You are absolutely right that 75% of general surgery residents do fellowships, so it would seem a bit unusual to claim that you would not possibly be interested. But think about it on two fronts:

1) by stating "I am planning on pursuing a CT surgery fellowship (or whatever)" you've possibly marked yourself as impulsive and ignorant, as how you know that this is what you really want to do when you haven't been exposed to the field except as a medical student.

2) you never know who is interviewing you - it may be a die hard general surgeon who only wants to bring in residents who are interested in GS or one who doesn't want to "waste" his resources on someone who will try and bail for a 3+3 plastics program, etc.

All I'm saying is be vague. Its ok to say "I really enjoyed CT surgery when I rotated through it as a student, but I'm looking forward to learning more about general surgery and all its subspecialties".