Heading into lab...

[M Tobaggen MD]

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Heading into lab after step 1 and a brief vacation. Any sage advice or I wish I knew back then type deals?

Btw, lab is in Cancer cell bio if that helps

 

[Ombret]

Figure out what methods your lab excels at and make sure your project relies heavily on those. If I could get back all the time I spent setting up new assays that no one in the lab understood, without the support to make them work, I would be... several years younger.

Be organized.

Start writing the paper as soon as you start each project. Every section will help make the project better in its own way. You have to review the field anyway, so write your introduction; you want to keep track of your methods, so write those down; you need publication-quality figures for talks; your results section will help you make sure you don't forget controls; and when you are done the paper will already be written.

In a few years, start some kind of clinical shadowing once a month, but for now, forget that med school ever existed.

 

[M Tobaggen MD]

Thanks so much for the advice, that makes alot of sense

 

[Neuronix]

I've become a believer that where possible, try to pick a MD/PhD mentor in the specialty area to which you plan on doing residency at this point.

There's a lot of benefits to this. First, you can get connections to your clinical field. Second, research tailored to the residency area is looked upon much more favorably be residency directors. Third, MD/PhD advisors understand the unique challenges faced by MD/PhD students.

That being said, it's not necessary and many have succeeded without this advice. Possible downsides are watching the personal struggles and possible failure of someone above you. That can be especially traumatic if the person is a younger faculty member.

Pick your thesis committee wisely. Pick a project that is pretty certain to work. Keep your eye on the prize--graduating in 7 years total with at least one solid publication.

 

[n3xa]

Thanks so much for the advice, that makes alot of sense

Makes so much sense, but it's so easy to let organization fall by the wayside. Seen it time and time again and working with people who never were organized in the first place can be a total nightmare. Back up your files. I've had a friend's thesis destroyed thanks to an ex-bf's anger management issues.

Best of luck to you!

 

[M Tobaggen MD]

I've had a friend's thesis destroyed thanks to an ex-bf's anger management issues.

Times like that you wish castration was still a viable form of punishment

 

[nothingman]

Once your project begins to take shape, have frequent meeting with your mentor and at least 6-monthly meetings with your committee to hammer out goals for graduation and a realistic timeline. Remind the above individuals of set goals, progress, and timeline often, so that there are no surprises as your project nears completion.

Also, I'd recommend finding another scientist within the department with whom you get along on a personal level to establish a career mentoring relationship. Check in every few months with that person. It helps to have another faculty advocate without direct involvement in your work, especially if problems develop in the course of your thesis project.