Research for Air Force Residency Application?

[RockDoc28]

Hey guys, I searched around a little bit for this but couldn't find much, and what I did was several years old. If there's already a recent thread about this please let me know.

I'm a second year OMS in the USAF, and was not planning on doing research until recently, when I began hearing rumors that you get a lot of points towards your residency application score for published research papers. However, since the beginning of med school I was under the impression that research was not as important for a lot of specialties in the military.

Has anyone been through the residency application process as an Air Force med student who could tell me if research is actually important, if their own research helped them, or if they regret not doing research? What I have been hearing recently is that it gets you the same/more points as acing your boards, which seems a little contradictory to what I've read on SDN about milmed.

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[teacherman84]

It can only help...how much probably depends on what type and who its with. Can it make up for poor GPA or mcat, prob not. But if you have the opportunity then go for it...a lot of residencies require some sort of research activities and it's easier having some experience already.

I had multiple smaller publications with a retired col who was a well known PD in my specialty in the AF. That said I've heard multiple times it contributed to my strong application...probably beyond whatever application points it created though. More that I had multiple peer reviewed pubs with someone everyone at the JSB of my specialty knew, and many used to work under, and a strong LOR from him as well.

I think it adds to a well rounded applicant and can't hurt...I wouldn't stress it and I wouldn't seek out basic science busy work, but specialty focused and meaningful will likely only help.