Neurology residency questions

[quepasaparadox]

This might be a bit of a naive question, but how competitive is neurology? Would you say you need to have copious amounts of research for it or is little to none okay?

 

Anything special I need to keep in mind if I want to apply to neuro programs?

 

Thanks for any input!

[Big Booty]

It is not competitive, but not along the lines of say family medicine either. It is not uncommon to see a neurology spot left over in the second round. Major academic centres like Toronto can be a different story, but that is true for most "not competitive" specialties.

 

Research can't hurt but is by no means mandatory. Again, this would be more of an advantage at schools like U of T / McGill.

 

The main thing I would recommend is demonstrated interest in the specialty (electives, maybe a bit of research, interest group, whatever), and as a bonus demonstrate your interest in specific programs you are considering by doing electives in those programs. Some programs are known to bias their interviews heavily to students who have done electives at their centre - Calgary, McGill, and Western come to mind.

 

Good luck! If you want to become a neurologist and are flexible, you shouldn't have much difficulty.

[quepasaparadox]

Thanks!!

[runningalong]

From what I've gathered although neuro isn't super competitive, the applicant pool can be pretty self-selective. For this reason major centres (read: Toronto) are tough to get, as well as schools like Western, Calgary, UBC. Though you can get a spot somewhere, if you are set on a more competitive location, things like research, extra-curriculars and connections can be quite helpful.