Useless summer research

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Hey guys, I'm an M2 and I'm hoping to get some advice from you.

I'm interested in a competitive, research-heavy specialty, so I know that summer research and getting published is important. I got nothing out of my summer research project because it's not medically related and I don't see it being published, but the PI I'm working with is awesome, a great teacher, is well-known, and I hope to continue shadowing him and have him as a letter of rec if I decide to go into his specialty.

I'd like to get published and do research during the year. Should I...
- Look for another PI who might have a project that would be more interesting and publishable?
- Suck it up and do this project to maintain relationship with my current PI and maybe have it published?
- Not do any research, just focus on school, and start studying for the boards now (because if I don't get a high enough board score then I can kiss my hopes of going into this specialty goodbye, no matter how much research I do)?

I would appreciate any thoughts you can give. Thanks in advance.

look for another PI

why would you do a research project that would not both help you learn AND help you further your career?

I'm confused. The summer is nearly over. When are you planning on doing research if you continue with this PI or switch?

Originally Posted by Dr Love

I'm confused. The summer is nearly over. When are you planning on doing research if you continue with this PI or switch?

Oh I should have clarified that I'm interested in continuing research during the school year.

Originally Posted by iliketurt1es

Oh I should have clarified that I'm interested in continuing research during the school year.

Well, there are two decisions to make. The first is do you want to do research throughout the year? Your priority should be the boards, and if you think research will hurt your performance there or in coursework then don't do it. The second is which lab. It's hard to say depending on which specialty you are interested in. Some want research specifically in their field. You should also be aware that although clinical research is fairly easy to publish in, it has less prestige than basic science work. Personally, I would take one basic science paper over 5 case reports.

Originally Posted by Dr Love

You should also be aware that although clinical research is fairly easy to publish in, it has less prestige than basic science work. Personally, I would take one basic science paper over 5 case reports.

The weight that a given specialty puts on basic science vs. clinical research probably varies quite widely from one specialty to the next. I can't really imagine that EM or peds put a lot of weight on the plasmid transfer from retinal blah blah blah, unless you're applying to a very academic program.

Originally Posted by TheProwler

The weight that a given specialty puts on basic science vs. clinical research probably varies quite widely from one specialty to the next. I can't really imagine that EM or peds put a lot of weight on the plasmid transfer from retinal blah blah blah, unless you're applying to a very academic program.

That's true too.