How important is Research for Residency Applicants to Match?
While NRMP was charting outcomes in the match an interesting finding was observed when it came for competitive specialties like Interventional Radiology, Dermatology, Neurological Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery, and Plastic Surgery is that the more the applicant has research and volunteer experience the more the chances of getting a successful match outcome. Although its not a match requirement, however, if two applicants have almost the same CV weight, the one who have research on board will get priority in the director selection.
How much research experience should I have to match?
While there is no magic number or even a requirement by any program or specialty, the average number of research experiences by applicants who matched was on average 3 for AMGs and 2 for IMGs. These number can reach up to 10 if you want to add the other volunteer experiences. Research methodology, in our opinion, has no or little impact on the match, as long as it comes from a reputable institution.
Who and When to seek research opportunities?
Planning start in college for those who live in the US and during medical school for those who study abroad. You can start searching for research spots as soon as you read this paragraph. This list contain few examples of who should seek research added to their resume:
-Undergraduates
-Premedical students
-College students
-College graduates
-Medical students
-Residents seeking fellowships
-Interns seeking competitive residency or fellowship
-International medical graduates IMGs especially those with low scores
Where to search?
A lot of institutions offer a wide variety of research and volunteer opportunities. For example you can find a clinical research assistant job or a summer medical program with or without funding with or without a publication. On this website we will be listing the opportunities we find across the web and organize them on the left side of this page in two different arrangement, one by state and one by specialty.
Any Alternatives for research for IMGs?
Substituting research with another type experience that carry more significant clinical implications is doable but even more encouraged and advised. Click here to get a list of the such alternatives that will fill your CV with more powerful letters of recommendations: USCE.
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