Where would you folks rank VS 0+5 residency on the basis of competitiveness and when is the best time to really get involved in research as an incoming MS-I? Is this something that should be initiated during the first year or the summer of the first year?
The top priority as an incoming MS1 is to do well in classes. The knowledge you gather will help you to do better in future classes, boards, the wards and even to be a better doctor. Get established in terms of a study strategy and learn how to learn and do best in classes.
Get involved in research once you're grounded. It takes skill and hard work to keep up with classes and have time for research. Late MS1 and the summer between MS1 and MS2 are great times to get involved. Depending on your skill level with research, look for clinical projects that could lead to publications. Work hard and be productive, and you'll get the chance to do more projects and possibly be first author.
Vascular surgery is competitive due to a small number of spots in the field. Don't let that freak you out - develop a strong relationship with your home department (done later through research and rotating, not in MS1 necessarily); this will carry you far when you get strong letters. Word of mouth counts for a lot in smaller fields, and having someone with a name vouch for you is huge.
Lastly, I encourage you to keep an open mind when it comes to choosing a specialty. Be honest with why you want to pursue vascular surgery - do you know the day-to-day aspects of it? Do not go in to surgery just because you like the idea of being a surgeon. Doing research and doing your best in classes will help you no matter what field you choose in the end. The specific field of research is not extremely important.
And yes, I welcome more contributions from people who know what they're actually talking about when it comes to the field, haha.
I still think my general advice can be helpful no matter one's specialty... Hopefully.
I am a PGY-5 in an integrated vascular program. I live and breath vascular surgery and have for the better part of 5 years. Keeping that in mind...
#1 Do not pigeon hole yourself into a single specialty as an early MS1. Preferences are fine, as are areas of interest, but it is next to impossible for a pre-med or early year medical student to really appreciate what goes on day in and day out for any specialty. Until you spend a good chunk of time on a clinical service, you really are shooting in the dark. So in short, keep an open mind. Vascular surgery, like every specialty is NOT for everyone. There are plenty of medical students that will be absolutely miserable as a surgeon. There are others that will go bananas if they were stuck in clinic every day. Your job as a medical student is to a) lay the framework for being a future house officer and b) explore, explore, explore. Check this out:
I have fast forwarded to 49 minutes in, but Dr. Perler (President of the Society of Vascular Surgery) talks about the future vascular surgery needs of this country, but also talks about the hours that the average vascular surgeon works. The whole video is worth watching if you are going into vascular surgery, but it is quite long
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#2 The single most important screening tool for any competitive residency, regardless of specialty is Step 1. You should NOT dedicate your entire life to Step 1 at the detriment of other avenues of personal development, but appropriate care must be taken. Entire specialties and competitive programs in every specialty will be closed off to you if you do not perform well on Step 1. Get an old copy of First Aid in the next couple of weeks, I wouldn't go any older than the 2013 edition, but you should be able to get it for free or certainly <$10. Understand what the test is all about. Understand when you will be taking it and what your school does to help you prepare for it and the amount of time off you will have for it. Understand the depth and breadth of knowledge that they will be testing. Then work your butt off on your pre-clinical classes. Figure out how YOU study best and learn. Keep the Step 1 test in mind, but do not neglect your classes, they are meant to help you prepare for it as well as lay the clinical foundation for your future years.
#3 Regarding research. Unlike medical school, most competitive specialties want to see research in THEIR field. They aren't just looking for research skills. They are looking for people that are truly invested in their specialty. Someone that has multiple publications in a specialty or sub-specialty demonstrates that quite well. I am at a research heavy program. My faculty pretty much ignore all non-surgical research and vascular specific research is regarded 10x higher than other surgical research. Again, this isn't a slight on the importance of the other specialties or their research. This is a reflection of their desire to hire someone who is committed to vascular surgery. In programs that only recruit 1 or 2 residents a year, attrition is a HUGE deal. You will not be considered seriously at my institution without at least some vascular research, primarily because 75%+ of applicants have it. But, we are but one program. We have mandatory research years. We have publishing requirements, even in clinical years. There are some other programs like us, but most simply value it highly. Some of the community based ones simply use it as a gauge of interest and nothing more.
#4 Timing of research. Nobody is expecting you to be an MS1 heavily involved in research. I would aim to start looking for people to get involved with in September-December this year with a plan to reach out to a bunch in the spring so that you can spend your MS1 summer doing research and on clinically related things. Clinical projects move a lot faster than basic science and I personally expect all of our students working with us to have 3-4 projects done/moving quickly by the end of their summer. A project could be as simple as a case report or small case series, but those lay the framework for larger projects.
#5 Connections. Vascular surgery is the smallest specialty out there. When you go to SVS or SCVS (national meetings), everyone knows one another. You see the same faces over and over again. When we make our rank list, we call the letter writers of everyone that we are ranking highly. Starting relationships with your local faculty is your best step into the field. If you feel comfortable, shoot me a PM with the school you are at and I can try to point you toward faculty that are education/student oriented. Obviously, can't always help, but my current intern with me right now I met through SDN PM and I got him in touch with a bunch of people at the away that he was at. So, always a chance
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#6 Lastly, come to SVS. This is for last year's meeting:
https://vascular.org/career-tools-t...eral-surgery-residentmedical-student-vascular but there will be one for next year as well. They pay for your registration and airfare and San Diego isn't a bad place to hang out
😉. Every integrated program and most of the fellowships will have booths in one of the convention halls. Good way to meet the programs, setup aways (we setup 6 for this fall AT our booth), and get a feel for the community.
