Incoming M1 interested in Plastics

[John Summit]

Hi all, I am an incoming M1 at a T5 med school and I'm interested in pursuing plastics--what steps can I take during my first year to well position myself to match? Pre-clinicals and clinicals are true PF, no class ranking, and no AOA, so I'm curious what I can do to stand out aside from research and high step 2.

Also unrelated, but if I am interested in a specific program, what steps should I take to target that program? Very unknowledgeable about the match process and how things work so any and all info is appreciated

TIA

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[TheHomelander]

Get to know the residents and attendings at your home department. Ask to observe in the OR, shadow them in clinic, get involved in their research, etc. Once you have the requisite scores, matching a field like plastics is a lot of who you know and who is willing to make those phone calls on your behalf. Don't worry about doing research for the sake of doing research. The point of research in med school is mostly to make yourself a known commodity within your dept of interest. Its basically just a way a networking.

 

[operaman]

You’re in a great position already. Find your feet academically first even though it’s true PF. Never forget that your ability to impress on rotations and to score well on CK later will depend on your foundational knowledge. So make sure you’re getting that first. Basically get an exam or two behind you and make sure you’re solid on study habits and time mgmt.

After that, reach out to home program first. That’s always your best match chance and source of mentors. Research is usually the inroad so start reaching out and find projects to do/join. Ask upperclassmen who the best mentors are and who has helped other students churn out pubs.

Key reason to have the studies dialed in is you want to know what you can devote to projects and avoid making a bad impression. If you say you’re going to get something done, you want to deliver on or before deadline and make good impressions. While everyone understands your classes come first, it looks better if you have that under control and can also deliver the good on research.

As for specific other programs, you can look for summer positions there or potentially even take a research year there if they have one. Do an away there later if you know you do well on rotations. Always remember that becoming well known can be a positive or negative thing depending on how you come across. It’s generally harder than students realize to impress on rotations and many people look way better on paper than in person over a long period of time. Hopefully you’ll have mentors that can guide you when the time comes as to which way you should go.

 

[Hollow Knight]

Just a studying tip- from a boards score standpoint, you should try to mature AnKing. It will make a difference. You won’t have time to relearn all that step 1 material to get a good step 2 score when you’re an M3.

 

[eteshoe]

Plastics is a tiny field. In addition to the above tips, also make sure you're networking via all the plastic conferences and groups. Don't be afraid to take a research year (which I tend to not advocate for) esp at a high power institution if your med school doesn't have that rep. I had a few friends who didn't match plastics this year because they weren't willing to take that last step. It's not always needed but the friends I knew who matched w/o research years were just monsters on paper anyhow.

 

[John Summit]

Plastics is a tiny field. In addition to the above tips, also make sure you're networking via all the plastic conferences and groups. Don't be afraid to take a research year (which I tend to not advocate for) esp at a high power institution if your med school doesn't have that rep. I had a few friends who didn't match plastics this year because they weren't willing to take that last step. It's not always needed but the friends I knew who matched w/o research years were just monsters on paper anyhow.

my school has a built-in research year so will definitely be taking advantage of that