Becoming a competitive candidate for EM?

[AvgApplicant]

How competitive is EM and what sorts of involvements are necessary to match at a program within EM?

Very broad question but I'm curious what you all think

[gangliocytoma]

https://www.carms.ca/data-reports/r1-data-reports/r-1-match-interactive-data/

It's tough, one of the more competitive programs. Roughly 3.5 applicants for each spot for the 5 year program. About the same for the FM+1EM programs. 

[AvgApplicant]

What sorts of things make you more competitive for EM? Is research really the only thing for CARMS?

[gangliocytoma]

17 minutes ago, AvgApplicant said:

What sorts of things make you more competitive for EM? Is research really the only thing for CARMS?

No clue. I'm only in second year. Research may only be a tick box on the application but likely won't be the deciding factor.

Supposedly it all comes down to how much people like you/if you're a good fit for the program, if you work well with others, demonstrate interest in the specialty, perform well on electives and get your name known in good ways by the people doing residency selection. Having a good interview also probably helps.