I think you were given poor advice... your credentials are solid. There is no need to take a year off to do research. Moreover, one of the programs you speak of would require you to take an additional year off from residency for research.
Try to pick up a research project as an MS3 or 4, just something to get your feet wet and get you known to your home department. Since many of the Cali programs are fairly academic, you'll get points for having done something research-wise in the field of ortho. But I would strongly suggest avoiding a year of dedicated research unless you truly want to do it for reasons other than increasing your chances of "getting in."

Feel free to PM me if you'ld like more specifics

I agree with Trigen. My opinion on research is that it's a yes or no issue; either you have some research or you don't. Most programs will look at your application and if you have one or two publications or projects, then you are good. The obvious exceptions are major research oriented programs, but even there I would doubt it would be a make or break issue with your scores.

It's not too late to get on a clinical paper during your third year. Third year grades are your top priority, but you can always bang out a paper in a few months. Get in touch with the RESIDENTS in your program, and tell them you are interested in helping out with a paper. They are the guys who will know what is going on and, at least at my med school, they were always looking for some help in getting stuff out. I'm not sure where you are, but you'd be surprised at how many projects are going on at one time at any given program. So if you can get on a project or two in your last two years, then you have that box filled on your application. It's really binary in my opinion.

So I think with your Step 1 score and grades, and probable AOA with what you said your possible class rank was, you'll be a strong applicant on paper. If you get even one paper out you should be even better. That said, a year of research won't hurt you in any way other than an extra year in training. But I doubt it's necessary. The other thing with taking a year off is that lab research is notoriously tough. Things take a lot longer than you'd think, and you could easily spend a year in a lab with little to show if you don't pick your projects well.

Also, I think doing well on away rotations at a few programs in California will obviously help. If you are strong on your aways, get along with the residents, show them you're a normal guy who works really hard, then your chances are great.

Let me know if you have any specific questions. Ortho is a tough match, but don't get scared by all the things you read on this board. I'd say very few people who match have a dedicated year of research, even with lesser scores.

I took a year off for research in the middle of medschool, and I think there are advantages to it.
The main advantage in taking a year to do research is the potential to meet influential people in a program where you may want to end up. Many people take a year to do research after not matching hoping that connections, as well as research, will improve their situation. You already have credentials on paper, so if you were to apply, you will most certainly match somewhere. But if you do research at a program where you want to go, and work with influential people there, it will no doubt improve your chances at that program. Since you're there for the year, you could take a few months and do clinical rotations as well. Also, I would suggest not limiting yourself to basic science projects - clinical projects can be quicker (like chart review), and may get you presentations at the academy.

I wonder if you could apply anyway, and then if you didn't match, maybe do a year of research then. Then you wouldn't loose a year unless you needed it. But, I wonder if not matching one year makes you something of a black sheep.

Anyway, if you have questions, you can pm me and i'll tell you about my research year experience.

i completely agree with the above, don't take the year off unless you want to do that. with a 260 and good grades you will match for sure (unless you have personality issues). i didn't decide on ortho until dec of my 3rd year. i had done 2 gen surg case reports prior to this, but didn't start any ortho research until jan or feb of my 3rd year and got tons of interviews at great programs and matched at my first choice. just get involved in something now and during interviews (any maybe in your PS) say you didn't decide on ortho until later and, thus, didn't get involved in ortho research until later. as stated above, UCSD is a 6 year program. 2 of the 6 at both UCLA and UCSF do 6 years so you may end up doing 2 research years which would really suck, unless you like that stuff.

So do you guys think that I will match in a cali program (preferably UCLA, UCSF, Standford, UCI, or UCSD) if I get involved in a project now that may not produce any publications. I just believe that I am a competitive candidate but not really one that would stand out at these programs. Maybe I have a skewed perception of what the competition out there is like.

I guess I would rather sacrficie one year to be in a happier place where my fiance and I would be happier. I have some other reasons for taking a year off, like the fact that then my fiance and I finish grad school at the same time, but ultimately, I want to stay in cali. Hence, what do you guys think? If I didn't take a year off, and did research but possible not something publishable, where would that put me?

Thanks for your guys advice.

Do you have some family or job attachments to California? There are a lot of great places across the country to spend five years. You can always move back to practice.

Orthodoc,
My fiance and I both have family attachments in California and prefer to stay as close as possible. Furthermore, my girlfriend has job attachments to Los Angeles and San Francisco. Hence the concern to live in cali. any thoughts? year off or not?

One issue to consider with taking a year off after graduation - you'd be applying early next fall, and it can take more than a year to get even the simplest project accepted at a conference, much yet published. So unless you get started on research now during your 4th year, the research you do may not be as helpful.

BobAEPi,
I am actually a third year right now and would take a year off between my third and fourth year.

Taking a year off between 3rd and 4th year is best in my opinion. Doing it that way you can use the extra months before application time in 4th year to finish up the publications you sent in. If you take a year after 2nd year, you have no idea what your Step 1 scores are, so you really don't know where you stand. If you take time off after 4th year you are applying during your research year, so you don't really get that full year of research. You get like a few months in the lab, then you apply, and it really does nothing for your application.

So even though I think you have a strong application so far, if you are going to take time you (or most people really) should do it between 3rd and 4th year. Which is what you said you would do anyway, just making a point to anyone else listening.

The impression I get from your post is that you really don't want to take a year off, but would do so as a sacrifice for matching at one of the above programs. If this is the case I would strongly advise against spending a year of your life doing research. I didn't decide on ortho until March of my 3rd year, started research then, and had 2 projects to talk about on interviews. I had no publications, but I knew my research well, and I matched at one of the CA programs you are looking at.

As posts above mention, a year of research will not change your personality or 'fit' with programs, which is a large part of what separates all of the 'AOA/260/research' ortho applicants. You're great on paper, and you can show you have a genuine interest in orthopaedics by starting some research now and being able to talk intelligently about it on interviews. The personality aspect and 'fit' are up to you and your performance on away rotations.

So, in a nutshell, I would not take the year to do research unless you really want to for your own interest. You would be better served by doing some well chosen away rotations at your program(s) of interest. Best of luck.

WOW! This is the same situation I am in. This thread is awesome. I am at a UC school. I got a 264 on step one ( highest in my class) have academic awards up the wazoo. Honered half my classes 1st and 2nd year. I have ZERO research AND AM trying to decide to take time off for research. All this advice is awesome. Ive only done medicine and family but i cracked a 99 percentile on the medicine shelf and honored it so AOA is in the clutch. My question is though you sound alot like me and im wondering exactly how many students are just like that?

By the way are you at a UC just out of curiosity.

BMP,

I am at a UC institution. If you would like to exchange any other thoughts, feel free to PM me.

wannabeboner