Clarification

[kronickm]

So I would just like some good old input/knowledge from you experienced folks.

I am a technician in a blood bank/donor center at a major teaching hospital. In transfusion medicine rounds one day the attending was telling the fellow some ideas for abstract submissions to the A.A.B.B. (American Association of Blood Banks) conference. I decided that I was going to attempt to submit something. With the help of said attending I had a topic and was on my way.

I did all of the research, mostly statistical analysis and such. Note that this did not involve any human subjects and was in the category of blood donor recruitment and retention which is a very important topic in the blood bank industry. The abstract was submitted with me as the primary author and others including this attending in tow.

I should also note that this has not yet been accepted so I am just asking this out of sheer curiosity.

If accepted I will give either an oral or poster presentation at the conference. On top of this the abstracts, and only the abstracts, are printed in a supplement in Transfusion, the journal of transfusion medicine.

I realize that there is a great deal of pomp and circumstance with regard to research and stuff. Basically how would you classify such research on a C.V. or AMCAS or something. Is it just a poster/oral presentation at a conference? Was it published in Transfusion even if it was just the abstract/was just in a supplement and not a real issue? Also, will this stand out as a shining accomplishment to a med school adcom, or just a piece of meaningless application fodder?

I realize that none of this matters until it is accepted by the abstract review committee, but I plan on trying again next year if it is not and I am really just curious about the subject. So, layeth on me your insght.

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[Pinkertinkle]

What percentage of abstracts to this conference would you say are accepted?

In any case, it would be listed under the abstracts and presentations section. It would not be considered a full paper.

In terms of application it'll definitely be good.

 

[RxnMan]

A year ago my name was on two conference papers (a.k.a. abstracts). One was submitted for a presentation, but instead they both were accepted as posters. I went to the conference (it was an international one, and located in Amsterdam) and presented my work. Later, one of these posters was published in the proceedings, the other was not.

I include the two posters, listed as posters, under the "Posters and Presentation" section on my CV:

John Q. Public, Title of Science Project, International Conference (Poster)

Had the one abstract been a presentation, I would list it in the parenthesis as such. The published abstract is also listed, but under my "Publications" section, using the PubMed reference:

Public, John, et al, Title of Science Project, Nature, Supplemental 1(2) 2006 (Abstract)

 

[DropkickMurphy]

I realize that there is a great deal of pomp and circumstance with regard to research and stuff.

Not really......you'd be quite surprised how little pomp there is. Unless you're dealing with premeds who think one article published with them as the 11th author is a big goddamn deal.

RxnMan explained how to cite posters and presentations quite well. Just so you know, if you get an article out of your project(s), this is how it would be cited (although there is some variability between styles)
Darrel DB, Page J, Van Halen E: The effects of exceeding bad ass guitar playing on frequency of migraines in the elderly exposed to rock music at volumes that would drown out a spooled up 747 at takeoff: a meta-analysis. J Heavy Metal 2002; 12(1): 6006.

 

[oldbearprofessor]

Darrel DB, Page J, Van Halen E: The effects of exceeding bad ass guitar playing on frequency of migraines in the elderly exposed to rock music at volumes that would drown out a spooled up 747 at takeoff: a meta-analysis. J Heavy Metal 2002; 12(1): 6006.

Darrel DB, Page J, Van Halen E, Murphy DK, Professor OB: The effects of exceedingly bad guitar playing on frequency of migraines in the elderly exposed to rock music at volumes that would drown out a spooled up 747 at takeoff: a meta-analysis. J Heav Met. 2002;12:6006-9.

Is actually a bit closer to the most common journal format. Include the beginning and end page numbers (for papers, not abstracts) and omit the issue number. Don't usually use italics (some styles do) and use the formal abbreviation of the journal which can be looked up in pubmed.

 

[RxnMan]

You guys are taking this much more seriously than I

OP - Does this all answer your questions? Good luck with your writing.

 

[kronickm]

Yes my questions have been answered.

And perhaps pomp and circumstance were not the proper words. If you browse this forum you will see numerous posts regarding the cut-throatness of research and authorship and all that jazz to which I was referring to.

I just didn't want to appear amateurish during an interview, knowing is half the battle remember!


go joe!

 

[DropkickMurphy]

Research is only cutthroat if you involve yourself with those who view it that way. Find a niche and then seek out the people in that field that are collegial rather than elitist.

I have had very few problems with anyone regarding my research projects from those to whom I have brought up ideas, including Ken Mattox, a trauma surgeon (THE trauma surgeon if you ask Ken ) who is widely regarded as an enfant terrible by nearly everyone who has the pleasure (or displeasure, depending on whom you ask) of dealing with him. He can be prickly and hard to deal with at first but once you get past that he is a nice guy. Most researchers are like that. They may come across as cutthroat or antisocial but once you get to know them, most are levelheaded and often quite pleasurable persons to get to associate with.

 

[kronickm]

Doctors (and researchers included) are just like everyone else.

There are good eggs and bad ones and every type in between.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

Doctors (and researchers included) are just like everyone else.

There are good eggs and bad ones and every type in between.

Exactly, and some of us who get pegged as egotistical, condescending bastards who feast on the sorrow of our underlings and wash it all down with their tears are actually just misunderstood.

However, if you tell anyone about this, I will cut you.