Get involved in clinical research now (before STEP1) or wait till after?

[little_giant]

I did basic science research M1-M2 summer and got a lot out of it (abstracts and maybe 1-2 pubs) but I wanted to learn how to do clinical research esp since im an MD only student. Dedicated for STEP is coming up in maybe 2 months and I haven't really done much to study for it.

I tried reaching out to mentors for clinical research since last fall and havent had much luck with them (I agreed to work on a project but then the mentor stopped responding all of a sudden).

My question is should I continue to try to start a new project as an M2 now right before dedicated period? Or should I wait until 3rd year? I'm just worried I'll be a lot busier 3rd year than now and not have as much time to start a new project or learn how this clinical research stuff works.

My goal is to become an academic physician and go to an academic residency in a competitive location so research would help me a lot, but if it means sacrificing a good STEP2 score then probably not worth. Anyone have any experience with this?

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[collegestud2013]

Focus on Step 1 first, especially if you haven't done much to study for it. Even if its P/F now, you still need to pass.

M3 year will likely very busy on most rotations throughout the year. And with now the increased focus on Step 2 as replacing Step 1 for residency matching purposes, I would focus on Step 2 before research. You may be able to squeeze in some time on the side for clinical research if it mostly involves analyzing data (eg analyzing clinical data and not much scut work like collecting the data), but I wouldn't commit to it during M3 until you're pretty sure of which specialty you want to go into, and only it is one of the more competitive specialties that expects a good amount of research in their specialty Otherwise it may be lower yield for residency matching purposes if you already have some basic science research.

And if you end up pursuing one of the research-heavy specialties, you may have to take a gap year to get the amount of research needed anyways if your school does not have any dedicated research time. And since those specialties also require a good Step 2 score, I would try to not commit to a research year until you get your Step 2 score back and confirm that it is reasonably competitive.

 

[little_giant]

Focus on Step 1 first, especially if you haven't done much to study for it. Even if its P/F now, you still need to pass.

M3 year will likely very busy on most rotations throughout the year. And with now the increased focus on Step 2 as replacing Step 1 for residency matching purposes, I would focus on Step 2 before research. You may be able to squeeze in some time on the side for clinical research if it mostly involves analyzing data (eg analyzing clinical data and not much scut work like collecting the data), but I wouldn't commit to it during M3 until you're pretty sure of which specialty you want to go into, and only it is one of the more competitive specialties that expects a good amount of research in their specialty Otherwise it may be lower yield for residency matching purposes if you already have some basic science research.

And if you end up pursuing one of the research-heavy specialties, you may have to take a gap year to get the amount of research needed anyways if your school does not have any dedicated research time. And since those specialties also require a good Step 2 score, I would try to not commit to a research year until you get your Step 2 score back and confirm that it is reasonably competitive.

Thank you so much! I am just worried since I basically know nothing about clinical research and how to do it but you're right STEP comes first

 

[pazzer2]

Hi there. I'm an MD and have been doing clinical research for 20+ years. In contrast to basic science/animal work, human studies take a LOT longer. Years typically. Only the phase 1 studies last a few weeks. So your chances of getting involved and getting a publication out of it are more limited. Especially since clinical studies cost a lot of money.

Are you good with computers/statistics? Lots of existing clinical trial datasets out there for you to mine on your own. If you have interesting hypotheses, they can be tested retrospectively. Other options include: case series, meta-analyses and chart reviews. You'll need to learn how to navigate IRB approvals.

 

[little_giant]

Hi there. I'm an MD and have been doing clinical research for 20+ years. In contrast to basic science/animal work, human studies take a LOT longer. Years typically. Only the phase 1 studies last a few weeks. So your chances of getting involved and getting a publication out of it are more limited. Especially since clinical studies cost a lot of money.

Are you good with computers/statistics? Lots of existing clinical trial datasets out there for you to mine on your own. If you have interesting hypotheses, they can be tested retrospectively. Other options include: case series, meta-analyses and chart reviews. You'll need to learn how to navigate IRB approvals.

Yes these retrospective or database studies are the type of research I am talking about especially since I have limited time. Would it be reasonable to try to complete one of these projects in maybe 1 year?

 

[Phloston]

I did basic science research M1-M2 summer and got a lot out of it (abstracts and maybe 1-2 pubs) but I wanted to learn how to do clinical research esp since im an MD only student. Dedicated for STEP is coming up in maybe 2 months and I haven't really done much to study for it.

I tried reaching out to mentors for clinical research since last fall and havent had much luck with them (I agreed to work on a project but then the mentor stopped responding all of a sudden).

My question is should I continue to try to start a new project as an M2 now right before dedicated period? Or should I wait until 3rd year? I'm just worried I'll be a lot busier 3rd year than now and not have as much time to start a new project or learn how this clinical research stuff works.

My goal is to become an academic physician and go to an academic residency in a competitive location so research would help me a lot, but if it means sacrificing a good STEP2 score then probably not worth. Anyone have any experience with this?

Nothing will matter more than your 2CK score when applying for residency. What you do with research you'll sort out. Just make sure your 2CK is the focus.

 

[Browns99]

Phloston, stop giving the wrong advice that that numbers are the only thing residencies are interested in. You said this in another thread and it is wrong. Residencies look at applicants' letters of rec (Strong), evaluations, performance on sub-i's, clinical, interviews, etc. Sure, numbers are part of it, but to say that's all they look at is completely false.

 

[pazzer2]

Yes these retrospective or database studies are the type of research I am talking about especially since I have limited time. Would it be reasonable to try to complete one of these projects in maybe 1 year?

Definitely can be done in under a year. About 1-2 months for hypothesis generation, 2-3 months for data analysis/writeup and 3-4 months for submission/peer-review/acceptance. The higher tier journals take a lot longer time. There are lower tier journals that are easier to get accepted. Unfortunately most of these involve an open-access fee (upwards of $2K). But as long as you get something that is indexed in Pubmed, it should be fine for residency applications.

Another thing you can do is simultaneously send your research to a conference as a poster. This can be cited on your resume once it is accepted. There is a lower hurdle for posters/abstracts. The key to success here is to have an interesting hypothesis, and then gather co-authors. Often having senior academic people on the author list will make it easier during peer review.

 

[little_giant]

Definitely can be done in under a year. About 1-2 months for hypothesis generation, 2-3 months for data analysis/writeup and 3-4 months for submission/peer-review/acceptance. The higher tier journals take a lot longer time. There are lower tier journals that are easier to get accepted. Unfortunately most of these involve an open-access fee (upwards of $2K). But as long as you get something that is indexed in Pubmed, it should be fine for residency applications.

Another thing you can do is simultaneously send your research to a conference as a poster. This can be cited on your resume once it is accepted. There is a lower hurdle for posters/abstracts. The key to success here is to have an interesting hypothesis, and then gather co-authors. Often having senior academic people on the author list will make it easier during peer review.

Thank you so much! And for these projects I would have to write up an IRB?

 

[pazzer2]

Thank you so much! And for these projects I would have to write up an IRB?

An IRB is an institutional review board. So an IRB review needs to happen for all research involving human subjects. Even retrospective studies. If you are a medical student, then go to your schools' IRB website for more details. If you involve an author at another institution, also fine to use his/her IRB instead. But either way you'll need IRB approval before you publish.

For retrospective datasets, there is much less paperwork. Typically the IRB's biggest concerns are around protecting patient data and privacy, etc.