Guest YongQ Posted July 19, 2001 Report Share Posted July 19, 2001 I have no residency in particular in mind, but does anyone know which ones require clinical research during your medical undergrad to be competitive, which ones really don't, and to what extent research is recommended? My interests (which I'm sure will change drastically throughout the next 4 years) now are general surgery, oncology, and family medicine, and I want to get an idea how much time I'll want to keep open for research endeavours in the summers between classes/electives, just to keep the options open. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Wong Posted July 20, 2001 Report Share Posted July 20, 2001 I was originally very interested in Gen Surg, until I found out how back your lifestyle sucks even once you're done residency. I can't really give you any definites (checking the CaRMS web-site will show percentages for acceptance into each specialty), but the most competitive specialties in Canada to me break down like this, from hardest to less hard. 1) Plastics, Derm 2) Ophthalmology 3) Urology, Otolaryngology, Radiology? 4) Orthopedics 5) Emerg, Anesthesia? Anesthesia and Radiology have really taken off in popularity over the past couple of years. Emerg has been popular for a while due to its shiftwork and lack of overhead. This means that you don't have the headaches of owning and running an office, and once your shift is over, you go home and ignore your pager. The other specialties are the "high-end" surgical subspecialties that are easy on lifestyle. Please note that the above ranking is my own subjective opinion, and that it probably differs a fair amount from what the CaRMS site says. Also, there's funky residencies like Nuclear Medicine (I really have no idea what they do) that I get/will get zero exposure to at UBC, so I've ignored these. Personally, if I were trying for any of the above specialties, I would want to have some published research in my CV before I applied. Don't forget that it's not just a matter of matching into a specialty, but also matching into the city that's best for you. There's absolutely no way and no reason that I would ever voluntarily choose to do a residency in Saskatchewan or Manitoba, for example (sorry guys, but I like above-zero temps year-round!). However, don't forget that these are the last two free summers for a very, very long time. Don't waste them! Ian UBC, Med 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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