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[Pinkertinkle]

Of course its possible, many students do research. Most during 1st and 2nd year, a few during 3rd even. Especially possible if you have p/np grading.

 

[qmcat]

From my perspective, it depends.

A lot of my friends are going to schools that require you to do research, even if you're in the regular MD program, so they build in some time into your schedule for you to do that. At other schools, they make classes only from 8-12 everyday, so you'll have the afternoon to do research or volunteer or whatever else you want to do.

At my school, however, there isn't really any time to do research during school. Our class schedule is from 8 am - 4 pm everyday.

 

[RxnMan]

It is possible. I have done research throughout my time as a med student.

The best first step to take is to make sure you can handle MS1 before taking on extra responsibilities - which includes research.

 

[OPPforlife]

I have secretly been waiting for this thread lol. I am a Biomedical Engineer by education and will be attending medical school in August. As an undergrad I did a significant amount of independent research at my previous school. Recently I actually recived an email from one my professors, stating that he has a paid apprenticeship for the summer after MSI(summer 2010) that he wants me to apply for (If I say yes, I am 90% sure he will reserve it for me). This opportunity is actually at my previous university, not the current medical university I will be attending. The question that I have for this forum is: Should I go ahead and apply for the opportunity at my previous school (as far as the research topic is concerned, it relates with cardiovascular tissue engineering/regenrative medicine, stuff I am super interested in)? or...should I wait and see how things will be at the medical school I will be attending (the medical school is THE top notch medical facility present in my state) however, I do not know a single professor there or what kind of research they are conducting. The offer from my previous school is not extremely time sensitive, but I do respect my professor a lot and would not like to leave him hanging for too long. Any help/advice/comments will be appreciated. Has any other member here, done research at a university other than the medical school they are attending?

 

[RxnMan]

Do you guys recommend the best times to do research? Weekends the best? And to all of the people who have done research, how many hours per week do you guys do?

Any time I could fit it in. A couple hours here and there. Every now and again, I had to reserve a day to test subjects, so I had to work hard to make time.

...Recently I actually recived an email from one my professors, stating that he has a paid apprenticeship for the summer after MSI(summer 2010) that he wants me to apply for (If I say yes, I am 90% sure he will reserve it for me)....stuff I am super interested in)?...

If the prof is a known good mentor, and this opportunity happens to examine the stuff you're interested in, well, I'd say this is a no-brainer.

 

[TexasTriathlete]

I have secretly been waiting for this thread lol. I am a Biomedical Engineer by education and will be attending medical school in August. As an undergrad I did a significant amount of independent research at my previous school. Recently I actually recived an email from one my professors, stating that he has a paid apprenticeship for the summer after MSI(summer 2010) that he wants me to apply for (If I say yes, I am 90% sure he will reserve it for me). This opportunity is actually at my previous university, not the current medical university I will be attending. The question that I have for this forum is: Should I go ahead and apply for the opportunity at my previous school (as far as the research topic is concerned, it relates with cardiovascular tissue engineering/regenrative medicine, stuff I am super interested in)? or...should I wait and see how things will be at the medical school I will be attending (the medical school is THE top notch medical facility present in my state) however, I do not know a single professor there or what kind of research they are conducting. The offer from my previous school is not extremely time sensitive, but I do respect my professor a lot and would not like to leave him hanging for too long. Any help/advice/comments will be appreciated. Has any other member here, done research at a university other than the medical school they are attending?

I am currently doing research at a school other than the one I am attending, and will continue to do so once MS2 starts, at least on a limited basis. We shall see how it goes.

 

[OPPforlife]

I am currently doing research at a school other than the one I am attending, and will continue to do so once MS2 starts, at least on a limited basis. We shall see how it goes.

Are you doing research over the summer or also during the school year? also is it mostly lab related research or clinical? and one last question...does your professor treat you like any other graduate student, or is the workload adjusted since you are a medical student with MUCH more class work than graduate students?

 

[TexasTriathlete]

Are you doing research over the summer or also during the school year? also is it mostly lab related research or clinical? and one last question...does your professor treat you like any other graduate student, or is the workload adjusted since you are a medical student with MUCH more class work than graduate students?

I'm doing research in the hospital, and the project is primarily over the summer, but it will bleed over into the school year. I'm actually about to start another one with another doc too, and I'm not entirely sure what the time frame for this is going to be. And I pretty much set my own workload. But I probably do more work on this project than anyone else on a regular basis.

 

[OPPforlife]

I'm doing research in the hospital, and the project is primarily over the summer, but it will bleed over into the school year. I'm actually about to start another one with another doc too, and I'm not entirely sure what the time frame for this is going to be. And I pretty much set my own workload. But I probably do more work on this project than anyone else on a regular basis.

So...when applying for resedencies, is clinical research experience considered more worthwhile compared to laboratory research? or does it totally depend on the specialty you want to pursue?

 

[TexasTriathlete]

So...when applying for resedencies, is clinical research experience considered more worthwhile compared to laboratory research? or does it totally depend on the specialty you want to pursue?

I'm not entirely sure. But here's what I am seeing, that will hopefully help this whole concept of "why do residency programs care if you have research?" make a little more sense...

At big academic places, like where I am doing my research, a lot of the attendings are into something. Some of them are into many things. The toxicologist I'm working for on one project is running 2-3 studies at once, counting mine. The other doc I'm working for is fellowship-trained in emergency ultrasound, and is very much on the cutting edge of that topic.

These guys have always got a project in mind, and they always want people with experience doing research. Actual experience and exposure to the research itself is a plus. As is knowing how to use the database software, knowing how to create documents for the research, knowing how to do all the little things, etc..

So if you go into a residency interview, and you've got a publication or two under your belt, you claim to enjoy the work, and you know how to use SPSS or something, then they are going to see that as a big plus.

The more academic the program, the more valuable these skills probably are. Because of the number of public health and CDC-types in the EM program at Emory, this is probably one of the more academic EM programs out there, although I could be wrong about that. But there is quite a bit of research going on. In other types of programs at big academic places, you're probably going to see most of the attendings doing all kinds of cool research, and they are going to want residents who can legitimately contribute.

 

[RxnMan]

So...when applying for resedencies, is clinical research experience considered more worthwhile compared to laboratory research? or does it totally depend on the specialty you want to pursue?

Read the Research Forum FAQ (link in my sig). Seriously.

 

[OPPforlife]

I'm not entirely sure. But here's what I am seeing, that will hopefully help this whole concept of "why do residency programs care if you have research?" make a little more sense...

At big academic places, like where I am doing my research, a lot of the attendings are into something. Some of them are into many things. The toxicologist I'm working for on one project is running 2-3 studies at once, counting mine. The other doc I'm working for is fellowship-trained in emergency ultrasound, and is very much on the cutting edge of that topic.

The more academic the program, the more valuable these skills probably are. Because of the number of public health and CDC-types in the EM program at Emory, this is probably one of the more academic EM programs out there, although I could be wrong about that. But there is quite a bit of research going on. In other types of programs at big academic places, you're probably going to see most of the attendings doing all kinds of cool research, and they are going to want residents who can legitimately contribute.

Thanks for the reply yo. I dont think my program is quiet as academic as the one you are attending but for my state it is by far the leader. This is one of the reasons why I am hesitant to go back to my old school since I think it will be a wasted opportunity to not do research at an institution dedicated to medicine and health care, as opposed to my previous school which is mostly known for its engineering school. But I see what you are saying, especially because I DO want to pursue a more academic program once I apply for residencies, which is why I want to get some research experience as a med student.

Read the Research Forum FAQ (link in my sig). Seriously.

Thanks for the source. Ill be honest with you I didnt read the whole thing but I did read the relevant information and tried to look for answers. I understand that you are a doctor and SURELY have tons of WAY more important things to do. That being said, haha I still was not able to find the answer to the question I was asking. Maybe I need to re-word it since admitedly enough it does not convey my actual query. What I would like your opinion on is basically on this dilemma: should I look for more conservative opportunities in the field of research such as the ones mentioned in your blog, or do you think it would still be meaningful if I was working in a biomedical engineering lab? In other words should I work for a physician scientist or a pure scientist/Biomedical engineer whose care for patients is limited to what the FDA asks of him in order to create a favorable device for the population?

 

[aye]

wow, i'm kinda in the same position as the OP. i'm in the process of contacting my PI from before medical school to see if she has any openings but its a military research facility and not really a hospital/university setting.

i'm debating whether i should take a year off after MS3 to do research there or do you guys think its not worth it since she's a PhD and not research oriented MD?