advice for research year between MS3 and MS4

[Mufasaa]

Hi everyone, I could really use your help

I recently decided to switch my career goals from radonc to ophthalmology halfway through my third year of med school. I am having a hard time deciding between taking a year off to do dedicated research in ophthalmology vs working on some ophthalmology case reports the next couple of months and applying regularly.

board score - step1 238. class rank - middle of the pack. med school - low/mid-tier

I have radonc research (submitted first author paper to a big journal, presented at national/state/local conferences in oral and poster presentations) but nothing in ophthalmology yet so I don't have any connections.

Do you think my radonc research and a few optho case reports would be enough to have the research I need to be a competitive applicant? I will work hard in the rest of my clinical rotations and step 2.

I have no geographic restrictions and would be happy to match at any program.

Thank you so much.

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[kiwi-doc]

I think you answered a third of the question in mentioning that you would be happy to match at any program. In my (limited) experience, the other two big questions are related to what you want to do in the long run. Do you want to stay in academics, go private, or do something else? And, do you want to do a fellowship?

Obviously, going to a top tier program will leave the doors open for all of these routes, in which case a year off might be warranted. But if you want to practice privately, you can find a clinically strong program without the "name brand" and do well. Fellowship match may be harder, but if you do well in your residency, I'd doubt it would be a limiting factor.

Last thing I would say is that applicants (myself included) tend to overestimate what "good" research is and what added value a year brings relative to the cost. I'd say if you have solid rad onc work and throw in some ophtho work (even if it is in progress), you will check the research box off. Again, maybe not for a place like Wilmer or Mass Eye, but broadly speaking. Throw in an improvement in Step 2 and some good rec letters, I think you can match.

I must stress again, though, that I am just myself applying now and that my experience is limited to my own decision on whether to take a year off or not.

 

[ojoseco]

agree with post above. you should still have a good shot at matching if u get good LORs and can do well demonstrating your interest/dedication to the field. I switched to ophtho late as well, but my step scores were above average--having slightly below avg and going to a lowtier school coupled with the fact that you have little time to show your dedication/interest to the field can make it more difficult for you--- does your school have an ophtho dept?

taking a year off is not that much time in the long run depending on your situation and can certainly demonstrate your interest in the field while strengthening your ophtho research. I am currently doing a paid research fellowship for my gap year (i already matched) and there have been previous fellows in your situation who found the year here quite productive, but that really depends on how much of a burden taking an extra year off is for you personally. feel free to PM me if you want to discuss more


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[ojoseco]

i will say though, i think its more of an uphill battle to take the research year after not matching than to do it preemptively if you think your on the borderline of being able to match


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[DrZeke]

agree with post above. you should still have a good shot at matching if u get good LORs and can do well demonstrating your interest/dedication to the field. I switched to ophtho late as well, but my step scores were above average--having slightly below avg and going to a lowtier school coupled with the fact that you have little time to show your dedication/interest to the field can make it more difficult for you--- does your school have an ophtho dept?

taking a year off is not that much time in the long run depending on your situation and can certainly demonstrate your interest in the field while strengthening your ophtho research. I am currently doing a paid research fellowship for my gap year (i already matched) and there have been previous fellows in your situation who found the year here quite productive, but that really depends on how much of a burden taking an extra year off is for you personally. feel free to PM me if you want to discuss more


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If you take a year off in your situation make sure you want to do it and it's not just to boost the resume. Do clinical projects or translational research. Make sure your mentor is known in the field. I would not do it at your home institution if it is lower middle tier and without a strong Ophtho department. That means potentially going to a big name top 10 place and possibly doing unpaid research. I know people in similar situations to yourself but with no research and depending how productive they are in their year off or who they did the research with, it can sometimes be anticlimactic. Sometimes it's best to just go into the match and do some strong away rotations at middle tier programs. You kind of have to decide what will get you the most bang for you buck and what you are capable of doing financially. You probably still have a decent chance of matching without this huge inversement.


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