CaRMS CV Advice

[MD9511]

Hi everyone

I'm interested to hear from current residents what is the verdict on including activities from before med school on CaRMS CV ? I know that more emphasis is put on activities we did during med school but I was told by some to take off everything from undergrad and grad school from my CV. 

I'm interested in applying to IM and backing up with FM if that makes a difference.

I'd also be interested in hearing everyone's thoughts on the importance of EC's for IM especially now that it's becoming more competitive than before. I keep hearing conflicting advice. I'm going into clerkship and I'm not sure how much time I should dedicate to ECs considering the time constraints.

Thanks!
 

[cardio_enjoyer]

- I only put major achievements before med school on CV (e.g. athletic awards, health startups). All publications and research experience before med school went on CV. Stuff like president of XX club, volunteer at X hospital (unless continuous into med), did not go on CV.  I did also include my undergrad TA experience under work along with my startup.

- Realistically the majority of your CV should be solidified before clerkship.  You’re about to enter busy rotations.  You can probably finish up some manuscripts and get involved with being on a “clerkship committee” as a rep of some sort if your school offers that.  Maybe mentor some junior med students if your school offers that.  A lot of the leadership positions automatically hand over at the beginning of third year. 

- IM in general likes someone with a jack of all trades application. You don’t need to be a research machine (some still argue after this year pub is not necessary), just show you have involvement in research, education/curriculum, community service (to your class or community), demonstrate your interest in IM, and you’ll be fine.  
 

Preliminary CaRMS data shows this year was 1.2:1 applicants to spots, definitely a rise from before (usually around 1.0) but if you’ve been aiming at internal from early on I would not worry - a lot of these increases this year is from people backing up with IM now instead of FM, and/or previous FM hopefuls now applying IM/FM.
 

You should always prioritize staying sane on rotations, possibly excelling IM/FM so you secure an early letter (which you may or may not end up using). Never sacrifice your rotation for an item on your CV, unless it’s a juicy first author on JAMA, then I’ll begrudgingly allow it (jk)

[MD9511]

On 5/17/2023 at 1:46 AM, cardio_enjoyer said:

- I only put major achievements before med school on CV (e.g. athletic awards, health startups). All publications and research experience before med school went on CV. Stuff like president of XX club, volunteer at X hospital (unless continuous into med), did not go on CV.  I did also include my undergrad TA experience under work along with my startup.

- Realistically the majority of your CV should be solidified before clerkship.  You’re about to enter busy rotations.  You can probably finish up some manuscripts and get involved with being on a “clerkship committee” as a rep of some sort if your school offers that.  Maybe mentor some junior med students if your school offers that.  A lot of the leadership positions automatically hand over at the beginning of third year. 

- IM in general likes someone with a jack of all trades application. You don’t need to be a research machine (some still argue after this year pub is not necessary), just show you have involvement in research, education/curriculum, community service (to your class or community), demonstrate your interest in IM, and you’ll be fine.  
 

Preliminary CaRMS data shows this year was 1.2:1 applicants to spots, definitely a rise from before (usually around 1.0) but if you’ve been aiming at internal from early on I would not worry - a lot of these increases this year is from people backing up with IM now instead of FM, and/or previous FM hopefuls now applying IM/FM.
 

You should always prioritize staying sane on rotations, possibly excelling IM/FM so you secure an early letter (which you may or may not end up using). Never sacrifice your rotation for an item on your CV, unless it’s a juicy first author on JAMA, then I’ll begrudgingly allow it (jk)

Solid advice. Thank you so much @cardio_enjoyer 

[dooogs]

reviving this discussions - what are people's thoughts on including all leadership & research activities vs selected?

[DrinkingTea]

On 7/16/2023 at 1:17 PM, dooogs said:

reviving this discussions - what are people's thoughts on including all leadership & research activities vs selected?

I put everything from undergrad to present and did just fine on getting interviews and the overall match (got my first choice in a somewhat competitive specialty). And by everything I mean like important leadership (non-profit board member for a year in undergrad, society and council positions, etc), long term volunteering, and research publications, but not stuff like the one off time I volunteered for the pride parade or how I was an mmorpg forum mod for a year or so lol. I mostly used my CV to craft my story of how I got to med school and what my life was like during med school. If it was important to me in my journey, I put it in.

For folks getting ready for the 2024 match, I wish you all the best! It’s a bit of a slog and equally terrifying, and I totally empathize since I just went through it, but keep chugging, you’re almost there!