Difference between clinical research and research?

[dz88]

What's the difference between the two? anyone care to elaborate? Do medical schools care about what kind of research someone does? Will getting a publication from either type be looked upon as a similar accomplishment?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[gujuDoc]

What's the difference between the two? anyone care to elaborate? Do medical schools care about what kind of research someone does? Will getting a publication from either type be looked upon as a similar accomplishment?

There are two kinds of research in the science of medicine:

Basic Science Research: This is what straight PhD's do.
and
Clinical Research: This requires your MD and involves direct interaction with patients.

Basic science research tests a lot of the theoretical stuff. For instance, when a chemist finds a new compound that is biochemically active this would be an example of bench research. The preparation of this into a drug and the study of its pharmacological properties would be a basic science research topic.

But once you've developed the new drug and passed the Phase I and Phase II trials via animal research models, you enter the realm of clinical research by getting subjects who are willing to try the new drug and see how it works in actual human beings.

By the time things reach clinical stage, it has been tested numerous times on animal models to make sure its safe.

This is just an example which shows the differences in the two types of research, but there are many more which can be made as well.

Essentially, clinical research will give more patient contact while basic science research gives more bench work dealing with animal models at the most.

 

[eggy]

You can do plenty of clinical research before medical school (no MD required). I have been working as a clinical research coordinator for the past year and a half. The medical schools that I have interviewed at were very interested and impressed by my work. I think it is much more practical to publish in bench type research before medical school. You can't really publish in clinical research if you are not an MD (at least that is my understanding). If you have any more specific questions about clinical research, let me know.

 

[dz88]

well, i read a lot about people with research publications before they applied to medical school. Some mentioned clinical and some just mentioned research. So basic bench research is more publishable and more impressionable to adcoms?

or is it the other way around?

 

[gujuDoc]

You can do plenty of clinical research before medical school (no MD required). I have been working as a clinical research coordinator for the past year and a half. The medical schools that I have interviewed at were very interested and impressed by my work. I think it is much more practical to publish in bench type research before medical school. You can't really publish in clinical research if you are not an MD (at least that is my understanding). If you have any more specific questions about clinical research, let me know.

Yeah but that's like saying you can do science research before the PhD or Masters. The point I was making was that in practice (not undergrad experience) most people who actually do clinical research are in a clinical related job whether it is nursing, therapists, doctors. Maybe I should have clarified that some.

 

[gujuDoc]

well, i read a lot about people with research publications before they applied to medical school. Some mentioned clinical and some just mentioned research. So basic bench research is more publishable and more impressionable to adcoms?

or is it the other way around?

I'd imagine both are equally impressionable. The point of research is to show them that you have an understanding of what research is and that you are even remotely interested in research because top schools are trying to draw in people who will be willing to go into academic medicine.

 

[George_Clooney]

You can do plenty of clinical research before medical school (no MD required). I have been working as a clinical research coordinator for the past year and a half. The medical schools that I have interviewed at were very interested and impressed by my work. I think it is much more practical to publish in bench type research before medical school. You can't really publish in clinical research if you are not an MD (at least that is my understanding). If you have any more specific questions about clinical research, let me know.

Why not?

If you are thinking of you might be interested in research, you should just decide what types of questions you want to be able to ask.... if you are interested in social science or clinical trials, then go for clinical research. Even in the specifics of project aren't something you are super interested in, it will still give you exposure to the hurdles in clinical research (i.e. IRBs, informed consent, statistical analysis of data, etc). If you think you are more interested in biological questions, pathogenesis, mechanisms, etc. then try to work at the bench (there, you are more likely to learn molecular techniques, trouble-shooting, and the humility that comes with repeating experiments over and over, etc.). You can get pubs from both routes if you invest enough time.