Jump to content
Premed 101 Forums

Matching to FM with no electives


TechToMD

Recommended Posts

I've decided to apply to ophthalmology and IM for CaRMS and am splitting my electives 50/50 between these two specialties. However, since both are fairly competitive, I have been thinking about applying to FM as well.

But if I do so, I won't have done any electives in it. Is it normal for people to back up to FM without any electives (especially in undesirable locations)? How does one go about convincing an interview panel that you would actually be happy doing FM even if it's not your top choice?

I am pretty flexible with location, but I mainly want to ensure I match somewhere (preferably in ophtho or IM but I will happily do FM over going unmatched).

Any guidance on my plan would be greatly appreciated.

T2MD

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do you have a clerkship rotation in FM, so that you can speak more convincingly about the experience? I'm not in FM, but I imagine you'd likely to have to address it head-on in your personal essay (this may be even more important for your IM applications, given that it is competitive and it will be strongly suspected you are backing up).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, I will have just done my core FM rotation. I guess I will just use that experience to convince them that I would be happy in FM but will be forthright in my situation that it is not my top choice (as will be readily apparent in my elective distribution regardless). I will also have to think of something for IM as well but I am more confident in that as I will also have some research and other small things in IM outside of my electives. In addition, I really do enjoy IM and ophthalmology equally on their own merits as of now (I suspect I will definitely find a preference one way or another once I do electives in both during clerkship) and it may even end up being that I rank IM first anyway, so I think I should be able to convince an interview panel that I genuinely want IM. I know that with the recent increase in IM competitiveness, this elective split may cost me a few interviews, but I suppose that is a sacrifice in keeping my ophthalmology doors still open. Sometimes I do wish I had gone for a 4 year program to iron out exactly what specialty I want before clerkship, but hopefully everything works out in the end anyway.

Thank you for your response!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

People do get into FM without FM electives, but usually only in the least competitive locations and with a very convincing story as to why they have a strong interest in FM despite their elective set-up. Being forthright in saying FM is not your top choice is admirable, but puts your already-low chance of matching to FM down to almost zero outside of perhaps the most noncompetitive locations. No specialty wants to be a second choice, much less a third. You do have to address why you're applying to FM in spite of  your electives, but better to frame it in positive terms as a coming-around to FM late in the game. Trying to argue that you would be happy in FM as the back-up to your first back-up is too hard a sell to be convincing, even if it's true. Try to get an LOR or two from your FM preceptors on your core rotations.

I also feel I have to point out that a 50/50 split in electives is a risky move regardless, but doubly so for unrelated specialties like IM and Ophtho. Beyond just how competitive they are as individual specialties, you've set yourself up to be an unconvincing applicant to both specialties, unless you really impress during your electives in one or both of your main specialties. It's good that you've recognized that both options might not work out, but to be blunt, I don't think applying to FM on top of everything is going to increase your chances of matching much, if at all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good points above. Although there can be challenges to setting up shadowing opportunities / pre-clerkship electives (especially in condensed 3-year programs), given how early students are required to set up their clerkship electives (and in essence their CaRMS strategy), the more career exploration that can be accomplished early on (i.e. through pre-clerkship clinical exposure - it's not clear how much the OP has already had), the better.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...