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Am I doing enough to prepare for CaRMS?


Gm1001

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I'm just looking for brutal honesty, as currently I don't believe I am doing even remotely enough to be a competitive applicant. My ideal specialty would be EM, leaning towards FM + 1. Currently, I am not in any interest groups, and the time to enrol in them has past. Not actively doing any research (I had 2 research experiences prior to med + 2 publications where I am like 10th author). I did one small interest project recently which I got a small grant for. The only extracurricular I have signed up for is a non-academic interest group (grad committee). I don't know where to start, ideally maybe getting involved in research. How many EC and research experiences did you list for CaRMS? How much do I need to do to become a decent candidate? Pls help :(

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34 minutes ago, Gm1001 said:

I'm just looking for brutal honesty, as currently I don't believe I am doing even remotely enough to be a competitive applicant. My ideal specialty would be EM, leaning towards FM + 1. Currently, I am not in any interest groups, and the time to enrol in them has past. Not actively doing any research (I had 2 research experiences prior to med + 2 publications where I am like 10th author). I did one small interest project recently which I got a small grant for. The only extracurricular I have signed up for is a non-academic interest group (grad committee). I don't know where to start, ideally maybe getting involved in research. How many EC and research experiences did you list for CaRMS? How much do I need to do to become a decent candidate? Pls help :(

Everyone is going to have different experiences and every program and school has different expectations, and no one can give you a list of exactly how many experiences or what type will be enough. What you’ll be able to realistically do to improve yourself as an applicant will depend in part on what year you’re in and how much time you have left. 

If you are very sure you want EM and nothing else, you may wish to focus on applying for 5-year programs. The FM+1 can be great, but it’s extremely competitive, and may not be a good choice if you can’t see yourself doing family medicine if you can’t match to a plus 1. 

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13 hours ago, frenchpress said:

Everyone is going to have different experiences and every program and school has different expectations, and no one can give you a list of exactly how many experiences or what type will be enough. What you’ll be able to realistically do to improve yourself as an applicant will depend in part on what year you’re in and how much time you have left. 

If you are very sure you want EM and nothing else, you may wish to focus on applying for 5-year programs. The FM+1 can be great, but it’s extremely competitive, and may not be a good choice if you can’t see yourself doing family medicine if you can’t match to a plus 1. 

I'm in my second year of a 3 year program and already finding it difficult to make time for studying and keeping on top of things. Realistically idk if I can add a time-consuming research project or anything else and not let it affect my productivity. 

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I would apply for both 5 year and 2+1. You don't need research or IGs for family medicine, but the time to start preparing for the +1 is now. Reach out and network with some EM residents and seniors who are interested in EM, find out people through their research profiles and email them. Sometimes, you can start off shadowing and then move onto research. McMaster Emerg (sounds like u are at Mac) https://experts.mcmaster.ca/display/mercurmd has a few researchers to look into. Keep in mind, asking locals will give you the details on who is a good PI for medical students, as not all big researchers are great for students.  

EM also isn't hugely dependent on research, they also like teaching, you can probably get yourself involved writing articles or doing podcasts for EMCrit, or writing articles for medical student teaching materials like Geeky Medics. See if you can get involved in teaching 1st years or mentoring them. People like to see some keenness, but it isn't too late, you still have a year to go and that is enough time to add a few things to your CV. Also don't forget to apply for travel awards to attend conferences. Even just attending conferences shows interest and can be put on your CV. 

I wouldn't also be too worried about the competition for EM putting you off it. There are so many pathways into EM that most people will find their way in eventually, they need EM docs and people with 2+1s are finding jobs in downtown Toronto, even with just a 2 year you would probably be able to work your way into EM, don't sweat it too much. 

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