Rad for a 2nd year md student

[Guest Habstothecup]

I was wondering, if rad is one of the toughest residencie to get in? Also, what are the most important things I need to do, to put all the chances on my side...From what I've heard, marks are not that important compared to research paper, people you know, recommandation letter...

 

Also, is that easier to get in a rad residency in US? ROC? or Québec?

[tooty]

I think I'm qualified to comment now that I've gotten some interviews. I applied only to the english programs. I see that you're [sadly] a habs fan and asked about quebec, are you a francophone? The rads climate in quebec may be different. US rads is different still, with the requirement of high USMLE scores. Also, you can run into some pretty weak programs down there, whereas all Canadian programs are strong and have little trouble sending graduates down to US fellowships. Apparently all Canadian programs are the same to these fellowships except for maybe Toronto, McGill and UBC.

 

anglophone rads has been moderately competitive. you have to put in the effort.

 

In my opinion it's all about getting interviews. For that elective performance is the most important, followed closely by LORs, then grades, then research.

 

many schools prefer to interview on-site elective students. I know for a fact that, unfortunately, Calgary and Western no longer interview all of their on-site elective applicants. they're both excellent programs too!! but i digress. I would book as many rads electives as you can, as much as five 2-week electives, or maybe even six!. As for your 'performance' on these electives, be polite to everyone, don't be annoying, and know your anatomy. when the resident or staff suggest that you should leave, for god's sake leave; they have their work to catch up on. don't interrupt the residents during rounds unless you're asked directly. know basic anatomy like bones of the foot, chambers of the heart, the great vessels, lobes of the brain, etc. it'd be a red flag if those questions stumped you. in addition, i've gotten pimped on my non-rads rotations solely because i disclosed my interest in rads. i came across a lot of situations like 'oh so you're going for rads, tell me what this structure is.'

 

your LORs can be from any specialty, but you should have at least 1 rads and 1 core medicine or surgery. ideally, each of your referees should have worked with you for longer than 2 weeks and hold you in very high esteem compared to other students they've worked with. i.e. 'Habstothecup has worked with me for 6 weeks in gen surg and is among the top 10% of students I have taken on in the past. I was particularly impressed by his strong knowledgebase and tireless work ethic. He functioned at the level of a PGY-1 and would make an excellent radiology resident.' Since every specialty can be a potential letter, you ought to do well in every rotation. Clerkship comments, I suspect, can matter too.

 

I suppose if your school is P/F the grades won't make much difference. But as I said you should be studying to shine during clerkship. If your school administers shelf exams, you should release those scores if you did well. In the pre-interview process, programs look at everything to discern if you're in the top X of the applicant pool, where X is how many they can are interviewing.

 

Research helps. Your project supervisor can be a great referee. The projects themselves will look good on your application. It can be fun. You can go to conferences, etc etc. However, research experience is last on my list now because I know a few guys who had next to no research yet still got interviews. So, it won't make or break your chances.

 

there are lots of posts on this if you dig through the forum but hopefully i offered some new info. good luck!

[Lactic Folly]

followed closely by LOCs

 

LOL. They're not that easily bribed...

 

Otherwise, nice analysis

[tooty]

haha! and there i was thinking my post was so great..

[Guest Habstothecup]

Thanks, for your advice and good luck in the whole process. Does LMCC results count in the overall process

[rmorelan]

Thanks, for your advice and good luck in the whole process. Does LMCC results count in the overall process

 

No, those aren't taken until after you already match