Attn Fellows: Research advice for new intern

[ucladukes]

Hello all,
I had a question for those of you who are cardiology fellows, or who are going through the process now. I start my internship this June and am planning to get on a project as soon as I arrive (my program schedule is relatively mellow). I had a question though regarding research.

Is it better to:

A) get on a project(s) with a famous faculty member(s), be his/her/their
work-horse, and getting 2nd or 3rd (maybe lower) author on their pubs,
and get a solid letter(s)
OR

B) Coming up with my own project/funding etc. and getting first author.
(which would require considerably more pain in the ass)

That being said, I do plan on working my ass off, and making a solid impression clinically, but I am concerned about filling our the rest of the application.

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[P Diddy]

Is it better to:

A) get on a project(s) with a famous faculty member(s), be his/her/their
work-horse, and getting 2nd or 3rd (maybe lower) author on their pubs,
and get a solid letter(s)
OR

B) Coming up with my own project/funding etc. and getting first author.
(which would require considerably more pain in the ass)

first of all i would like to state that the last sentence above could have ended more gracefully.

it isn't cut and dried. you might publish in NEJM as 3rd author with a famous faculty member vs some throwaway journal by yourself; the former would be preferred. on the flip side you might publish in some throwaway journal as 3rd author with a famous faculty member vs making a meaningful contribution in a respectable journal by yourself; the latter would be preferred.

my personal bias would be toward coming up with your own project, but it might be difficult to get a timely result in the short time span of residency. i just think thinking through the research process and formulating your own question is extremely valuable and what you will be doing if you choose academic medicine. might as well start now. some programs have built in funding and research time for resident projects (ie Wash U) so take that into consideration. it is easier, however, to jump in on an established project/database with a faculty member or write a review article with one. it's no strike against you if you do this and I suspect most cardiology applicants take this route.

i think one of your concerns is whether doing a project with a 'famous' faculty member will get you a better letter than doing your own project. it is good to have a well know name bat for you, but you don't have to do a research project for that to happen. doing well clinically on rotations with cardiology faculty will also lead to great letters. realize that even if you do a project on your 'own' there will be some faculty guidance, allowing for them to get to know you and write a great letter.

in summary, impress the cardiology faculty through your clinical acumen and research collaborations and their support for your cardiology fellowship will follow.

p diddy

 

[ucladukes]

My apolgies, I will work on the grace. Thanks for the response and the good advice.

 

[P Diddy]

My apolgies, I will work on the grace. Thanks for the response and the good advice.

i was joking about the grace. it's just the way you wrote it seemed funny, like doing a project on your own requires 'pain in your ass'. actually, now that I think of it, the fellowship application process does entail quite a bit of bending over, so maybe you weren't too far off the mark...

p diddy

 

[SLUser11]

Is it better to:

A) get on a project(s) with a famous faculty member(s), be his/her/their
work-horse, and getting 2nd or 3rd (maybe lower) author on their pubs,
and get a solid letter(s)
OR

B) Coming up with my own project/funding etc. and getting first author.
(which would require considerably more pain in the ass)

That being said, I do plan on working my ass off, and making a solid impression clinically, but I am concerned about filling our the rest of the application.

WAY too many modifier(s) in that post....made me dizzy. And, I noticed that you managed to refer to your ass twice....that's a lot of ass(es).