On June 22nd, 2023, the COMP team hosted a panel session featuring newly matched ophthalmology residents sharing their experiences and opinions surrounding parallel planning when applying to residency programs.
The panelists who generously shared their experiences and insights were:
- Aidan (Queen’s): matched to Queen’s; also applied to pediatrics
- Reem (UBC): matched to UOttawa; also applied to radiation oncology
- Shawn (UBC): matched to UBC; also applied to radiology & family medicine
- Laura (USask): matched to USask; also applied to internal medicine
General parallel planning advice:
- Ophthalmology is a highly competitive specialty and students are encouraged to consider other interests as viable options due to limited spots.
- Start the parallel planning process early and evaluate the competitiveness of alternative choices
- Focus on what genuinely makes you happy, be it lifestyle or a specific field.
- Be open-minded; other fields can be as intriguing as ophthalmology and your interests may develop from unexpected experiences!
- Programs like pediatrics or internal medicine have a second CaRMS for subspecialties. This offers more years after matching to finalize your specialty of choice.
- There's an element of luck in CaRMS, not all of it is in your control. More rounds of applications (i.e. going unmatched and reapplying) inherently increase one's chances.
- If you would rank something in the second iteration, consider doing it in the first.
- All panelists placed an emphasis on the importance of parallel planning: it's vital to select a feasible alternative.
How to navigate parallel planning:
- Don’t explicitly state that a specialty is a "backup".
- Try to avoid mentioning a parallel plan in specialty-specific letters.
- If you have varied interests, be ready to thoughtfully justify them.
- You can consider omitting specific experiences related to ophthalmology when applying to certain parallel plans.
- Interviewers might not always question why a CV is heavily weighted towards ophthalmology (some panelists confirmed they did not get questioned about parallel planning).
- Be honest during the application and interview process.
- Can consider being open about applying to multiple specialties and convey enthusiasm for both/all
- Can consider parallel planning private and reveal it only when necessary or if it would be discovered regardless
Electives strategies with parallel plan:
- Generally, max out ophthalmology and split the rest of your electives time with alternative interests and potential backup plans
- Try to utilize additional elective time to help prepare for the parallel plan.
Going unmatched:
- Should I apply again? Reflect on how many interviews you got: if you get many interviews it may be worth applying again next year, but if you get none, not much change can be expected in your application in another 6 months.
- You know yourself best and know what you are comfortable with.
Parallel planning with family medicine:
- At least one reference letter should be from a family doctor or internal medicine
- If all letters are from ophthalmologists, that may not show you have adequate interest for the field
Writing applications:
- Start early!
- The workload of CaRMS when parallel planning is essentially double
- Internal Medicine (IM) application is relatively straightforward and consistent across programs
- Ophthalmology application is more demanding due to its specific requirements like CVs, essays, and eye tests
Interviews:
- CaRMS interviews can last anywhere from 1-4 hours, you may have more than one a day so be prepared! It is rare to get a lot.
- There is the potential for fatigue from having numerous interviews, especially if parallel planning with a specialty that offers many of them.
- Interviews can be good practice but don’t overdo yourself as it could wear you down over time
- “Interview burnout" is a genuine concern; be selective to avoid burnout before crucial interviews
Research when parallel planning:
- Publications not only benefit CaRMS applications but are also valuable for staff. Helping staff with research can enhance the quality of recommendation letters they write for you.
- If you are parallel planning with a competitive specialty, you should have non-ophthalmology research to adequately show interest
- For family medicine, medical education and non-medical pursuits can be non-specific research areas
- The significance of research is often exaggerated in the application process
- While research can lead to strong recommendation letters, amassing more doesn't necessarily provide a substantial edge
By: Mehrshad Hanafi, Lucy Yang, Sloane Kowal
