Advice for incoming M1 interested in Anesthesiology

[yeetus]

Based on the 2022 match results, it seems that Anesthesiology has gotten more competitive in recent years.

I’m an incoming M1 at a 60-70 ranked US MD school and was wondering how I can stand out now that Step 1 is Pass/Fail.

We won’t see the first match results under Step 1 Pass/Fail until next year, so it’s basically uncharted territory!

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[Davidfromcali]

Step 2 is the new Step 1 so nothing really changed all that much

Research, great LOR’s and being an above average medical student on the wards

 

[Darrow O'Lykos]

Focus on doing well in class during MS1. Try to get connected with a research opportunity towards the end of MS1 going into summer.
In MS2, continue focusing to do well in class exams and start prepping for Step 1 as though it was still scored. Maybe try to get a 2nd project if you can before 3rd year.

Nail your rotations and impress some Anesthesiologists to get good LORs. Nail Step 2. Try to present at ASA during 4th year.

 

[yeetus]

Step 2 is the new Step 1 so nothing really changed all that much

Research, great LOR’s and being an above average medical student on the wards

Focus on doing well in class during MS1. Try to get connected with a research opportunity towards the end of MS1 going into summer.
In MS2, continue focusing to do well in class exams and start prepping for Step 1 as though it was still scored. Maybe try to get a 2nd project if you can before 3rd year.

Nail your rotations and impress some Anesthesiologists to get good LORs. Nail Step 2. Try to present at ASA during 4th year.

Are publications expected from the research? Or are we talking about abstracts and presentations? I've been looking through the anesthesiology department website of my med school and there isn't much research publications so I'm wondering if I would have to do research in related fields.

 

[Darrow O'Lykos]

Are publications expected from the research? Or are we talking about abstracts and presentations? I've been looking through the anesthesiology department website of my med school and there isn't much research publications so I'm wondering if I would have to do research in related fields.

General rule for all competitive fields regarding research: Related research > Unrelated research >>>>>>> no research. It doesn't hurt to hop in on an unrelated field just to get your feet wet (maybe on a surgical project of sorts). You should aim to work on projects that can get published by the end of your 3rd year of medical school (i.e.: by the time you apply for residency). Getting abstracts and presentations on the road to publication is a plus and the norm. You can see the NRMP charting outcomes by specialty to get an idea of what the average number of research experiences is for candidates that match into the different fields.

Research isn't as important as it is in the other surgical fields like ortho, plastics, etc., but it'll still help if you can net a couple pubs. On top of 1-2 projects during MS1 and MS2, get a few case reports during 3rd year and you'll be golden.

 

[yeetus]

General rule for all competitive fields regarding research: Related research > Unrelated research >>>>>>> no research. It doesn't hurt to hop in on an unrelated field just to get your feet wet (maybe on a surgical project of sorts). You should aim to work on projects that can get published by the end of your 3rd year of medical school (i.e.: by the time you apply for residency). Getting abstracts and presentations on the road to publication is a plus and the norm. You can see the NRMP charting outcomes by specialty to get an idea of what the average number of research experiences is for candidates that match into the different fields.

Research isn't as important as it is in the other surgical fields like ortho, plastics, etc., but it'll still help if you can net a couple pubs. On top of 1-2 projects during MS1 and MS2, get a few case reports during 3rd year and you'll be golden.

Thanks for the advice! It seems like publications in unrelated fields like surgery, cardiology, or pulmonary/critical care are assets to an anesthesiology residency application.

Just wanted to be clear: At some point do I need to find research related to anesthesia/pain management or would publications in the aforementioned areas make for a competitive application?

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

This is what dramatic school over expansion does. 5 years ago anybody with a pulse could walk into gas…now people are wondering how many pubs they would need like it’s derm or something

 

[Davidfromcali]

This is what dramatic school over expansion does. 5 years ago anybody with a pulse could walk into gas…now people are wondering how many pubs they would need like it’s derm or something

It’s the job market; med students know that gas has an amazing outlook right now and people are cashing in on that. Look at EM, terrible job outlook which has applicants significantly down. There was hundreds of spots to SOAP into for EM last year. Wasn’t the case a few years ago.

 

[Esmolol]

This is what dramatic school over expansion does. 5 years ago anybody with a pulse could walk into gas…now people are wondering how many pubs they would need like it’s derm or something

No, but seriously... how many pubs?!

 

[Shunsui]

USMD with no red flags and solid step 2 should land you a decent community program no?

 

[Tarsal-Tunnel]

USMD with no red flags and solid step 2 should land you a decent community program no?

What would be considered as red flags?

 

[Darrow O'Lykos]

What would be considered as red flags?

Any failed courses. Failed attempt at Step 1. Negative MSPE comments.

 

[Dr. Anonymouss]

USMD with no red flags and solid step 2 should land you a decent community program no?

Yes. Anesthesia is becoming increasingly MD selective so that gives USMD a big upper hand. In 2022 MD's had a match rate of 90% in GAS while DO's had 66% match rate. Very curious to see what the charting outcomes will be this year and if the trend will continue.

 

[Shunsui]

Not to hijack the thread but what about radiology? Current M1 with no research lined up for the summer and worried about the increasing # of radiology applicants. My home PD recently told me he didn't have any projects for me to hop. Just hoping for a solid community program preferably with ESIR

 

[Dr. Anonymouss]

Not to hijack the thread but what about radiology? Current M1 with no research lined up for the summer and worried about the increasing # of radiology applicants. My home PD recently told me he didn't have any projects for me to hop. Just hoping for a solid community program preferably with ESIR

It's all the same. All you have to think about is more competitive specialties = more research and higher step II. That is really all it boils down to.

 

[imidazzle92]

You don't need a ton of research to match into Anesthesia. More important is making sure you do well on your rotations, Step 2, have strong LORs, and avoid red flags. If you publish 10 papers but fail a course or have poor evals, that will sink your chances.

3 publications, posters, or presentations was the median for those who matched. This includes non-anesthesia research and research prior to medical school.
source: Table B1. Test Scores and Experiences of First-Year Residents, by Specialty

You can probably get an Anesthesia project or two done during the summer (if you have time off then) and get your research output above the median by submitting posters in addition to publishing. Bonus points if you're lead author.

 

[MDMechEngr]

Yes. Anesthesia is becoming increasingly MD selective so that gives USMD a big upper hand. In 2022 MD's had a match rate of 90% in GAS while DO's had 66% match rate. Very curious to see what the charting outcomes will be this year and if the trend will continue.

Charting outcome comes out every 2 years. 2024 is the next time it will come out. It will not be good as there will be like 1000 more graduates next year and more people are avoiding EM.

 

[Dr. Anonymouss]

Charting outcome comes out every 2 years. 2024 is the next time it will come out. It will not be good as there will be like 1000 more graduates next year and more people are avoiding EM.

So then I expect the DO match rate to fall even lower.

 

[esob]

Something that doesn't have an easy-to-interpret metric is clerkship grades. Granted, that is down the road, but having an early gander at how your school grades clerkships don't hurt. Is it mostly based on NBME shelf exams? If so, that makes it quite easy to start integrating some step 2 questions into your basic science studies. The line between step 1 and step 2 (and even step 3) material is becoming more blurry over time anyway, so it is something to consider along with what others have already mentioned.

 

[Angus Avagadro]

This is what dramatic school over expansion does. 5 years ago anybody with a pulse could walk into gas…now people are wondering how many pubs they would need like it’s derm or something

This is what I often refer to as the every changing Residency Match Game. Understand the recent changes so you can play well.

 

[Tarsal-Tunnel]

Is perceived commitment to specialty something that can tip the scales for a below-average applicant? I see it listed in the 2021 PD Survey Report, but I don't know where it fits, or how it's viewed with the overall application.

 

[Darrow O'Lykos]

Charting outcome comes out every 2 years. 2024 is the next time it will come out. It will not be good as there will be like 1000 more graduates next year and more people are avoiding EM.

*Sad #Match2025 noises*