experience needed to do research?

[Bomikepa]

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i got just accepted to medical school, but i have never done any research before. Does this mean that it will be harder for me to get into a study?

is it like a job where they want previous experience?

 

[mimelim]

You do not need prior experience to land research positions. Getting and maintaining a research position is about production. If you have useful skills and you can produce something, people will want you and keep you around. If you need constant direction and coddling, things won't exactly go well.

 

[DrEnderW]

Agreed.

While I had a ton of background experience, I worked on two different projects during and M1/ M1-M2 summer and had multiple colleagues with no research experience. That was for molec bio/neuroscience and surgical subspecialty clinical research and they had no problem on either the basic science or clinical side getting a spot. Having the experience will obviously help, but expressing your commitment and desire to be apart of the team and then producing results goes a long way as well.

My personal advice would be to wait until you do well on a few tests and get comfortably adjusted before taking on a research commitment. Good luck!

 

[Bomikepa]

Agreed.

While I had a ton of background experience, I worked on two different projects during and M1/ M1-M2 summer and had multiple colleagues with no research experience. That was for molec bio/neuroscience and surgical subspecialty clinical research and they had no problem on either the basic science or clinical side getting a spot. Having the experience will obviously help, but expressing your commitment and desire to be apart of the team and then producing results goes a long way as well.

My personal advice would be to wait until you do well on a few tests and get comfortably adjusted before taking on a research commitment. Good luck!

good advice all, thanks

 

[SBR249]

Expectations are not high, especially for medical students/first time research assistants. 90% of research is being willing to work hard and be enthusiastic. The other 10% is not being a total idiot (as in remembering to breathe, which hand is the left hand, and how to tell when the lab is on fire or when your boss is angry, that sort of thing). If you can remember to breathe and show up for work on time with a smile, you are pretty much going to do great with research.

 

[AnonymousD.O.]

i got just accepted to medical school, but i have never done any research before. Does this mean that it will be harder for me to get into a study?

is it like a job where they want previous experience?

Totally depends on the research and the PI. I'm doing a summer and fall project that started late last year. Its very involved and is with mice. My only previous research experience was w/ rats in Psych lab. You need to search around

 

[AnonymousD.O.]

Expectations are not high, especially for medical students/first time research assistants. 90% of research is being willing to work hard and be enthusiastic. The other 10% is not being a total idiot (as in remembering to breathe, which hand is the left hand, and how to tell when the lab is on fire or when your boss is angry, that sort of thing). If you can remember to breathe and show up for work on time with a smile, you are pretty much going to do great with research.

After the first couple months of my research experience thus far, I would completely agree. I feel bad for the grad students though. Glad I went to med school instead, mad props to Ph.Ds.