does anyone do research while in med school??

[trapperjohn]

i'm about to start m1 year, and i've been getting mixed responses on this subject. almost all competitive specialties seem to want some kind of research or publication, but almost every older med student/resident i've talked to said course work is too demanding to spend time doing research during med school. i have decided not to do research my M1 year and apply to do research over the summer afterward. but i know that 3 months wouldnt be NEARLY enough time to establish anything significant or get in on a publication and i assume my M2, 3, and 4th years will be just as (if not more) time consuming then M1 year. my question is, who actually does research during medical school, how do you find the time, and in the overall big picture is it really worth it?

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[karirunner]

this is something I've been wondering about too.....also, do they consider research that you did prior to medical school when they look at you for residencies? I'll be on a couple of papers, but they'll all be for work I did as a tech before med school.

 

[DW3843]

this is something I've been wondering about too.....also, do they consider research that you did prior to medical school when they look at you for residencies? I'll be on a couple of papers, but they'll all be for work I did as a tech before med school.

they sure as hell better count pre- med school research. I have my name on 6 papers that I worked on in the year that I took off between college and med school.

I would suggest doing something productive (ie worthy of going on your CV) during the M1-M2 summer. That does not have to be research in the traditional sense, but you should show that you are committed to something medical-related in that time.

This is especially true if you are thinking about any specialty that is above average in its level of competitiveness.

However, keep this in mind: It's the same logic you can use to buckle down and do well on Step 1. At this point, you probably haven't seen enough to really know what you want to do for the rest of your life, so the most important thing you can do is to keep all options open for yourself by working to make yourself a great medical student as well as a competitive applicant when it comes time for the Match. Just do as well as you can, and the benefits will be worth it. Trust me on this.

I personally don't see a lot of time for significant research during the M1-M3 years, other than something easy like chart review clinical stuff. Many schools offer the possibility of a research rotation as one of the electives that you take during the M4 year. I'm currently interested in one or two fairly competitive fields, so I am thinking that a month of research early in the 4th year will help me when it comes time to start interviewing for residency spots.

One more thing: don't do any research just to pad your resume. Pick something that you find interesting, and it will be worth the misery that can often accompany research. You'll learn a lot more if you're interested, motivated, and excited.

Good luck.

 

[MexiGirl]

my question is, who actually does research during medical school, how do you find the time, and in the overall big picture is it really worth it?

I work in a lab with an MD/PhD student that did research her entire M1 year. Her grades did suffer slightly, as well as her sleep, but she got a years worth of research towards her PhD during M1. So it is possible!!!

 

[Miami_med]

It is definitely done. It depends on your goals as to whether or not it matters if you do it or not.

 

[PickyBicky]

It is definitely done. It depends on your goals as to whether or not it matters if you do it or not.

You should also consider doing a year off research program, such as Howard Hughes, Doris Duke, Sarnoff, etc, if you have a desire to pursue a research project in some depth (i.e., geater than a 3 month summer experience). There are many posts on this subject if you are interested.

-PB

 

[vtucci]

Yes- I am working on about 9 articles now as an M1 (some of which are on related issues).

 

[mendel121]

my question is, who actually does research during medical school, how do you find the time, and in the overall big picture is it really worth it?

As someone else said, it's worth it if it's important to you. I have done it all through M1 because I'd like to work as a physician scientist. To do stuff like this, it's important to demonstrate an ability to get things accomplished and published, and more importantly the ability to get funded for your work. I did research as an M1 to get preliminary results to write for money to fund me this summer - there are many private organizations out there that will give you money for a summer project but they are competitive, which is why the preliminary results are important - it's also a nice piece to put on your CV. It's really just a matter of managing expectations, don't expect to get a first author paper in Science out of research as an M1.

As far as time, I worked about 20 hrs/week all the way through M1, and I also have a wife and 2 kids. You just find the time if it's important, things usually find their level. It wasn't easy, but it wasn't impossible - it's just hard work, if you're used to working hard than it really shouldn't be a problem. You also have to be willing to make sacrifices, I think I probably went out with friends only a handful of times from August until now, I needed to use free time to study.

As far as grades go I'm a comfortably above average student at my school. I did well most places and honored one course (P/F/H school). I won't be AOA or anything, but I hope my CV will make up for that.

The bottomline is that it has to be something that you are motivated to do, and you have to be willing to work very hard and make some sacrifices - if all those fit, then go for it.

 

[Law2Doc]

i'm about to start m1 year, and i've been getting mixed responses on this subject. almost all competitive specialties seem to want some kind of research or publication, but almost every older med student/resident i've talked to said course work is too demanding to spend time doing research during med school. i have decided not to do research my M1 year and apply to do research over the summer afterward. but i know that 3 months wouldnt be NEARLY enough time to establish anything significant or get in on a publication and i assume my M2, 3, and 4th years will be just as (if not more) time consuming then M1 year. my question is, who actually does research during medical school, how do you find the time, and in the overall big picture is it really worth it?

Some folks do research during the academic year, but certainly the majority don't. Probably the best suggestion anyone can give is to start your first year and see how it goes. If by winter you find that you have tons of free time you'd like to spend more productively, then it should be pretty easy to line something up on short notice. If not, then use your summer after your first year to research. As a prior poster mentioned, there are always options for taking a year off ot research at various stages as well.

 

[Cinnameg]

Yes- I am working on about 9 articles now as an M1 (some of which are on related issues).

Can you give any specifics as to:
1) how you got involved
2) how you organize your time to work on the research papers
3) how you maintain your grades?

Thank you!

 

[vtucci]

Can you give any specifics as to:
1) how you got involved
2) how you organize your time to work on the research papers
3) how you maintain your grades?

Thank you!

Sure. First off, I would not say that I am the best student in the class. This year I will probably be in the lower 1/2 of the class. I am a non-trad and did not have the best science background. Grades are very dependent on how good you are at memorizing things. I will save you all the suspense and just admit that I suck at memorizing things. My average will be somewhere around a low B. Classes that require less memorization (e.g. Ethics and Behavioral Medicine) I will have Honors in. Classes that are all about memorization (anatomy, physio, neuro), I will be lucky to scrap by with a pass.

However, I was a lawyer before going to med school and I can write so I am looking for a few items that I can enjoy doing and that may also help improve my CV and chances with residency down the road.

Think about what interests you and talk to your professors about their interests and see if there is an overlap. Many projects, particularly if they are well planned, can generate numerous articles. One topic=three papers.

I have discussed the papers with the faculty during the year and got approvals when necessary from IRB and a lot of things will be sent out over the summer and my write-ups will be finished over the summer.

It really depends on what type of research you want to do- I am working on a couple of review articles, case reports and a few original papers (original research takes the longest to put together).

 

[Wee Free Woman]

vtucci are you doing clinical research?