Hello everyone,
I am a current first year medical student. I came into medical school unsure of what I wanted to do, but I have become fascinated with ortho and I think that it is at the top of my list so far. I understand that there is still a long way to go before selecting a field, but I want to be a competitive applicant for this if I get all my other ducks in order (good STEP, grades)
My main question is regarding research. For this upcoming summer, I am doing clinical research in a completely unrelated field. I have secured a competitive grant for it, but I am now committed and bound to doing something unrelated to ortho.
Does this hurt me when it comes to ortho applications? Will they see me as someone who is a confused applicant? Given that it is early in my medical school career, is it 'forgiven' to do research in an unrelated field as long as I am productive?