Tips for incoming M1 on creating the optimal residency app

[masterchiefk57]

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Hi there,

I'm an incoming M1, and I wanted to solicit advice from current students on what's needed to give myself the best shot for competitive residencies. I know I have to do well on step, start research early to obtain killer publications and LORs. What else should I know as a would-be ortho surgeon??

 

[piii]

learning to use the search bar because there is a TON of advice here and /r/medicalschool...

 

[siliso]

Honor all your preclinicals, become junior AOA, murder the steps, work hard with high engagement and interest and pleasant personal connection with patients/residents/staff on your rotations, accept and integrate all feedback with gratitude regardless of whether the rotation is in your area of interest or not. Engage in research and cultivate positive relationships with faculty in your field of interest such that they want to see you succeed. Volunteer or otherwise show yourself to be a worthwhile human apart from your scores and grades. Can’t go wrong, regardless of your career goal. If you’ve never fixed a bone before your career goal might change but all the above will serve you well anyway. If any of the above don’t work out you can still forge a satisfying career path in any field you want.

 

[masterchiefk57]

learning to use the search bar because there is a TON of advice here and /r/medicalschool...

Thanks!

 

[masterchiefk57]

Honor all your preclinicals, become junior AOA, murder the steps, work hard with high engagement and interest and pleasant personal connection with patients/residents/staff on your rotations, accept and integrate all feedback with gratitude regardless of whether the rotation is in your area of interest or not. Engage in research and cultivate positive relationships with faculty in your field of interest such that they want to see you succeed. Volunteer or otherwise show yourself to be a worthwhile human apart from your scores and grades. Can’t go wrong, regardless of your career goal. If you’ve never fixed a bone before your career goal might change but all the above will serve you well anyway. If any of the above don’t work out you can still forge a satisfying career path in any field you want.

as far as volunteering goes, should one focus on clinical or non-clinical?

 

[siliso]

Doesn’t matter

 

[mrbreakfast]

None of the future planning matters right now. For M1, focus on crushing all of your coursework, and send out feelers to start doing some clinical research. Some M1 goals (outside of straight honors on classes, which is #1) would be to get a poster accepted at a conference, meet some surgeons, identify a mentor, and maybe shadow some surgical cases.

 

[masterchiefk57]

None of the future planning matters right now. For M1, focus on crushing all of your coursework, and send out feelers to start doing some clinical research. Some M1 goals (outside of straight honors on classes, which is #1) would be to get a poster accepted at a conference, meet some surgeons, identify a mentor, and maybe shadow some surgical cases.

Thanks for the advice. All the programs I have been accepted to are True P/F. I've heard this is a great advantage, but now I'm wondering if it isn't as beneficial as students say it is.....

 

[deleted870424]

We have a baby gunner in our midst

 

[mrbreakfast]

I've heard this is a great advantage, but now I'm wondering if it isn't as beneficial as students say it is.....

Doesn't matter at all as your M1 grades are basically meaningless. The goal is to learn this material well enough that you don't have to re-learn it all when studying for Step 1.

 

[OrthoTraumaMD]

What else should I know as a would-be ortho surgeon??

Don’t have tunnel vision about ortho, or anything else. Medical school is your only chance to enjoy and learn about other specialties.

 

[DokterMom]

Thanks for the advice. All the programs I have been accepted to are True P/F. I've heard this is a great advantage, but now I'm wondering if it isn't as beneficial as students say it is.....

Top STEP scores are most closely aligned with top pre-clinical marks, so as long as you do your best to really learn the material first time through and to understand and retain the concepts, you'll be good. Don't 'coast' on a pass and waste your best opportunity for in-depth learning.

Don’t have tunnel vision about ortho, or anything else. Medical school is your only chance to enjoy and learn about other specialties.

And this. Don't be so focused on Ortho now that you risk becoming one of those 3rd years who suddenly realizes all of their research (or worse, away rotation schedule) is in the wrong field. Explore now. There are lots of great options --

 

[Unlimited Apps]

Don’t have tunnel vision about ortho, or anything else. Medical school is your only chance to enjoy and learn about other specialties.

Top STEP scores are most closely aligned with top pre-clinical marks, so as long as you do your best to really learn the material first time through and to understand and retain the concepts, you'll be good. Don't 'coast' on a pass and waste your best opportunity for in-depth learning.



And this. Don't be so focused on Ortho now that you risk becoming one of those 3rd years who suddenly realizes all of their research (or worse, away rotation schedule) is in the wrong field. Explore now. There are lots of great options --

Going along the lines (also as an incoming M1) of exploring other specialities, even though I appear to be interested in ortho at the moment, what are some good goals for an M1 in regards to exploring other specialities? I was thinking of like shadowing a different speciality or two every block or something (starting with the specialties I think I have the most interest in at the moment) and specifically for surgical subs to try to get both clinic and OR exposure (as well as any night call if possible).

Obviously shadowing can only do so much in regards to figuring out what speciality one truly wants to do. Any specific recommendations apart from just "shadow" to REALLY see what a specialty is actually like? It just seems like such a catch-22 almost for anyone that ends up applying to the competitive stuff: if you wait till clinical rotations and M3, it might be too late to put together a strong application but if you "commit" too early, you might find that you DON'T actually love that speciality come M3 time and then you are scrambling.

 

[Melchizedek]

Going along the lines (also as an incoming M1) of exploring other specialities, even though I appear to be interested in ortho at the moment, what are some good goals for an M1 in regards to exploring other specialities? I was thinking of like shadowing a different speciality or two every block or something (starting with the specialties I think I have the most interest in at the moment) and specifically for surgical subs to try to get both clinic and OR exposure (as well as any night call if possible).

Obviously shadowing can only do so much in regards to figuring out what speciality one truly wants to do. Any specific recommendations apart from just "shadow" to REALLY see what a specialty is actually like? It just seems like such a catch-22 almost for anyone that ends up applying to the competitive stuff: if you wait till clinical rotations and M3, it might be too late to put together a strong application but if you "commit" too early, you might find that you DON'T actually love that speciality come M3 time and then you are scrambling.

I was given a really good piece of advice: At the end of a block (within a week) try to shadow in the specialty you just learned about. That way the book knowledge is fresh in your mind, and you can start to see how it might be integrated clinically. You can actually follow some of whats happening, instead of nodding along pretending you know whats going on.

 

[Unlimited Apps]

I was given a really good piece of advice: At the end of a block (within a week) try to shadow in the specialty you just learned about. That way the book knowledge is fresh in your mind, and you can start to see how it might be integrated clinically. You can actually follow some of whats happening, instead of nodding along pretending you know whats going on.

That is actually very good advice which I didn't think about (even though it logically makes the most sense!). I'll keep that in mind, especially if I end up at a school with a shortened-preclinical where they jump into systems very early.

 

[M&L]

I was given a really good piece of advice: At the end of a block (within a week) try to shadow in the specialty you just learned about. That way the book knowledge is fresh in your mind, and you can start to see how it might be integrated clinically. You can actually follow some of whats happening, instead of nodding along pretending you know whats going on.

oh , this is a GREAT advice! (making a mental note myself)

 

[VincentAdultman]

When I was an MS1 I was primarily concerned with what everyone was doing on Friday and Saturday.

 

[7331poas]

I was given a really good piece of advice: At the end of a block (within a week) try to shadow in the specialty you just learned about. That way the book knowledge is fresh in your mind, and you can start to see how it might be integrated clinically. You can actually follow some of whats happening, instead of nodding along pretending you know whats going on.

Meh, you still wont know wtf is going on.

 

[CaptainSSO]

as far as volunteering goes, should one focus on clinical or non-clinical?

You don’t actually need to volunteer in medical school.You can if you want to but it’s not expected and school should be the priority.