Hi, I'd like research with a side of publications please.

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Does it make a difference in derm?

Is research without publications basically useless?

Everyone says research is key in getting into any competitive specialty.

Do they mean just research to "get your feet wet"?

Or research as in "publish something" research?

 

[gclax30]

Does it make a difference in derm?

Is research without publications basically useless?

Everyone says research is key in getting into any competitive specialty.

Do they mean just research to "get your feet wet"?

Or research as in "publish something" research?

Granted that I won't be applying for residency until the summer (and not in derm) but having done a moderate amount of research in school, here is my opinion-

Everyone who does research obviously wants to publish and doing so is a huge accomplishment. Having that gem on your CV will definitely draw the adcom's attention and might bump you up on their list of candidates.

But even without a publication a great research experience is certainly not useless. There is more to be gained from research than just data tables and figures. Anyone can join a lab for a few months, pipette a few things into some other things, run a gel, get their name on a manuscript, and submit it to a crappy journal. But if they were only another "set of hands" in the lab they probably didn't grow much as a scientist or critical thinker, and this will show when asked about their project.

Then again you might be in a world-class lab and be doing world-class research with a great PI. And yet, because of the nature of research, your experiments simply don't work out or your results completely dispute your *exciting* hypothesis and no one wants to publish it. I would not call that a waste. You set out to ask and answer a scientific question and you did it!

I won't hesitate to put any of my research experiences on my CV regardless of having zero pubs because they've all taught me a great deal. If that keeps me out of a competitive program over someone else because they published a study with a N=2 in a throw-away journal, well you know what they can do with their program spot.

 

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Granted that I won't be applying for residency until the summer (and not in derm) but having done a moderate amount of research in school, here is my opinion-

Everyone who does research obviously wants to publish and doing so is a huge accomplishment. Having that gem on your CV will definitely draw the adcom's attention and might bump you up on their list of candidates.

But even without a publication a great research experience is certainly not useless. There is more to be gained from research than just data tables and figures. Anyone can join a lab for a few months, pipette a few things into some other things, run a gel, get their name on a manuscript, and submit it to a crappy journal. But if they were only another "set of hands" in the lab they probably didn't grow much as a scientist or critical thinker, and this will show when asked about their project.

Then again you might be in a world-class lab and be doing world-class research with a great PI. And yet, because of the nature of research, your experiments simply don't work out or your results completely dispute your *exciting* hypothesis and no one wants to publish it. I would not call that a waste. You set out to ask and answer a scientific question and you did it!

I won't hesitate to put any of my research experiences on my CV regardless of having zero pubs because they've all taught me a great deal. If that keeps me out of a competitive program over someone else because they published a study with a N=2 in a throw-away journal, well you know what they can do with their program spot.

Hmm...I never thought of it that way before.

Thanks for the info!

 

[gclax30]

Hmm...I never thought of it that way before.

Thanks for the info!

Something else that really helps focus your efforts in the lab (or wherever) is to write a list of goals before your project begins and discuss them with your PI. If you want to learn particular lab techniques/experiments, give a talk to your colleagues, present a poster at a national meeting, publish a paper, etc. Keep going back to them from time to time to see what you have accomplished and think about how you can work some of them in. Your time is valuable- know what you want and make a plan!