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took down original message because nearly no one (except for one helpful poster) is doing anything but criticize
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Help! I hate research, though clinical research may still be promising
- Thread starter PakiMDDreamer
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You don't like bench research because you have only been able to do the technical work? If you like dealing with new and unexpected problems, that is exactly what research is. YOu need to tough it out to get to a point where you can design your own experiments and form your own hypothesis. Research is NOT simply performing western blots or cell culturing. These are simply a small part of the groundwork you need to get to where actual research is.
If you really want clinical reseasrch, I find the oncology field has a bunch of clinical research going on. Moreover, wherever there is a new drug being developed, regardless of the medical field, there will be clinical research.
If you really want clinical reseasrch, I find the oncology field has a bunch of clinical research going on. Moreover, wherever there is a new drug being developed, regardless of the medical field, there will be clinical research.
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I know what you mean about new and unexpected problems, but I don't want to deal with them regarding adjusting protocol or altering hypotheses. Granted that I did enjoy during my experience, but I am much more interested in the "think fast, you have only a few minutes" aspect associated with medicine but not the biomedical sciences.
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What makes you think clinical research would be drastically different? You'll still have to follow protocols, and depending on the field/project you do, you most likely won't have patient interaction either.
There are protocols and guidelines in medicine too, even in emergencies. The "think fast, you have only a few minutes" thing is sensationalized in TV shows and isn't as common as you might think. I hope you have more driving your desire to be a doctor than just the desire to deal with new and unexpected problems every day, because I think you'll be disappointed. Yeah sometimes you'll get the zebra cases or the uncommon presentation or an emergency that requires quick thinking and action. But generally, in most specialties, you see a lot of the same thing day in and day out.
There are protocols and guidelines in medicine too, even in emergencies. The "think fast, you have only a few minutes" thing is sensationalized in TV shows and isn't as common as you might think. I hope you have more driving your desire to be a doctor than just the desire to deal with new and unexpected problems every day, because I think you'll be disappointed. Yeah sometimes you'll get the zebra cases or the uncommon presentation or an emergency that requires quick thinking and action. But generally, in most specialties, you see a lot of the same thing day in and day out.
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Ahhh.... Cocky undergrad premeds. So refreshing. While I won't question your actual enjoyment, or lack thereof, of bench science I would recommend reassimg what you perceive your understanding of the field that lab researches is. Perhaps an ego check would result in a more rewarding and educational experience.
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If I'm in a hospital environment to do the clinical research, I very well could have patient interaction if it involves educating subjects on studies and maybe being responsible for surveys, or even just getting the chance to understand a disease and its presentation in the hospital (shadowing, so maybe not interaction) that a project is related to would be amazing. I think being in a clinical atmosphere and maybe realizing who the people are that I may impact with my research would help? I'm not sure, I'm still trying to figure it out.
My parents are both doctors, one in critical care and the other an internist, so I understand that medicine includes "the same thing day in and day out" as well as the "zebra cases" and no, what you're saying is sensationalized in TV is not the only thing driving me to be a doctor.
...I simply meant the info that was needed to understand the tasks I was given and the responsibilities I was given...I didn't mean to say I knew everything about the subject because there was obviously no way I could...
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This just shows that you don't have a realistic grasp of all that the umbrella term "clinical research" encompasses.
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great, thanks for the help.
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If anyone cares to hear...I'm getting positive response from an infectious disease specialists (HIV research), a cardiologist, and a clinical care specialist. I also think emergency medicine can be hoppin' with several projects too. You can always checkout their pubmed activity to see how often they are working on projects and the physicans in those mentioned fields seemed to publish often. So try there...if you are someone like me looking for clinical research. I also think asking your home institution physicians is best, I was on another campus this summer where I'm not a student and had almost no response. Physicians at your affiliated med school feel more inclined (makes sense).
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It's been said above, but I'll reiterate: You don't have a clear understanding of what "clinical research" means. Sure, you may get to work in the hospital, but don't count on getting to see patients. The majority of clinical research involves data mining, chart review, and statistical analyses. It's very likely that any doctor you do research with will just make you do all the grunt work.
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people people PEOPLEEEEE!!! I don't know why it seems like I am completely unaware of clinical research. I know it's data analysis, statistics, grunt work. But guess what! It's more applicable to what I'm very interested in with medicine. With basic research...I kind of lose sight of the ultimate purpose quickly but with clinical I don't seem to because its on the side of research closer to how physicans are actually interacting with patients. This summer I had to look through physician notes to collect prescription dates on patients, and looking through the notes was so cool to me! I got to here about H & P, summaries of previous visits, discussion amongst several specialties , etc. This is much more interesting to me, because these research projects cover topics that keep me enticed. I hope that makes sense. I am certainly not saying I completely understand clinical research, but please don't sya I know nothing. The questions they address interest me more.
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as long as you like it and are interested in it. that's what it matters. Good job on taking the initiative in asking around for opportunities
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People are saying what they are because you seem to be working under the assumption that all clinical research involves prospective trials and patient enrollment. The bulk of it is retrospective. That data might have come from a prospective trial in the past, but it's no longer part of the original study.
Been working both clinical and bench research for years throughout college and now postgrad and THERE IS NO MONEY, I work at Harvard medical through MGH and if they barely have anything to pay me I can imagine it's worse else ware, unfortunately I'm gonna have to say research sucks right now
And yah it is about the money. If you have to work for what you have , like I did, then you'd understand that it is about the money, I'm in debt from applications and get no aid because I'm not URM but not like I have enough to drop on the medschool app cycle so I get a great full time research position , but pays very very little... Research unless it's on a very hot topic is not in a good place right now.
