Will I be in trouble with residency applications if I have zero research experience?

[Jd558]

I'm currently an M2 and I've done no research whatsoever. And I don't really have any desire to. I finished first year ranked #1 in my class of 200+. I don't think I'll still be #1 after second year, but probably top 10 or so. I've also spent a lot of time doing community service and medical volunteering. I know grades and volunteering don't really mean much to residencies, but if I do fairly well on boards and rotations should I be concerned about the fact that I have no research? I also don't really have any leadership experience. I'm not really sure what specialty I want to go into yet, maybe emergency medicine?

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[trs88]

You can always publish a case report during third year. During my IM rotation alone, I've had the chance to write 4 different case reports due to the uniqueness of the patients condition. I know that's not super amazing but it's at least something.

 

[blah12346497]

same situation as you except im top 40 lol.

 

[Giovanotto]

same situation as you except im top 40 lol.

 

[hallowmann]

There are certain fields where research is important, and research helps in general in most fields. That said, not having it won't lock you out ofmost core fields, including EM.

If you can at least do something small in 3rd year, it's worth it, but not having it won't kill your app.

 

[Moose A Moose]

same situation as you except im top 40 lol.

Lol

 

[blah12346497]

I only got 3 B's throughout M1 and still didnt break top 20. Dont know what else to do. Dont laugh at me 🙁 im also focused on boards.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Depends on the specialty and also the program. You can't make blanket statements.

 

[NurWollen]

I'm currently an M2 and I've done no research whatsoever. And I don't really have any desire to. I finished first year ranked #1 in my class of 200+. I don't think I'll still be #1 after second year, but probably top 10 or so. I've also spent a lot of time doing community service and medical volunteering. I know grades and volunteering don't really mean much to residencies, but if I do fairly well on boards and rotations should I be concerned about the fact that I have no research? I also don't really have any leadership experience. I'm not really sure what specialty I want to go into yet, maybe emergency medicine?

I think it's totally dependent on what specialty you're going for.

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[Blunt Dissection]

There are a lot of factors that influence whether or not research is important. I'd recommend picking up a copy of the Successful Match 2017. Even though obviously you're not matching for another 2 years and the system will be slightly different with completion of the merger, the general knowledge in that book will not change. For example - community hospitals are less likely to be interested in research and while having it could be a bonus, it doesn't hurt if you don't have any research experience. Academic research powerhouses like the Mayo clinic for example will almost always require some research experience because that is a mission of the institution.

In short, here are some things to consider right now to help guide your decisions:
1. Do you have a regional preference for where you want to live?
2. Based on the above, what hospitals/institutions have the residencies that interest you?
3. Consider which institutions you're more likely to fit in with based upon your academic profile and career goals.

The above is generally a good way to narrow choices down if you decide on less/moderately competitive specialties, but for highly/ultra competitive specialties, you'll likely have to expand your regional preference.