Horrible at Research

[Milotic]

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I searched all over for threads that are similar to my concerns.

I am currently doing research this summer between M1 and M2 in a specialty I am probably not going to want to match in. I only did this research because I thought it would look better than doing nothing and was hoping to get a publication out of it. It is basic science research.

Unfortunately, I don't think I will be getting a publication out of this due to the lack of time left in the summer and how badly things are going in lab. I just don't believe I have a "knack" for research. I am expected to do everything on my own when I don't even know any of the protocols or the purpose of a lot of laboratory methods. They seem totally endless and all my PI is telling me to do is just read a bunch of literature to figure it out.

Personally, I despise research and I am never the type to sit and wonder what other possibilities I can try in a lab, nor am I even remotely creative enough to come up with my own projects. All I want is to get my name on something for the sake of getting my name on something just because of this new bizarre "requirement" for competitive specialties and residencies since they want their residents to continue research.

At this point, I am hoping that non-published research will at least be more than NOTHING in the summer for my resume. I am also hoping to try doing case studies in 3rd year since I want to reserve MS2 for classes/Step1 ONLY. I handle stress very poorly so I don't want to pile too much on me in MS2.

TDLR: My question is, which specific specialties should I just kiss goodbye to due to my hatred for research? Please be honest and don't say "It depends on the specialty" because everyone and their mom says you need research to match Ophthalmology or ENT.

Thank you.

 

[MadRadLad]

Rad Onc and Urology are probably two of the most research-heavy specialties I can think of. Derm is so competitive that you pretty much seem to need research to match. ENT, Ortho, Plastics, and Neurosurg are also probably uphill battles without some sort of research, although there may be a few programs that don't emphasize research as much.

Also, it sounds like you hate bench research. Have you done any clinical research at all? Completely different sort of work.

 

[Psai]

Why do something you hate for something you aren't going to do? Research is becoming more of a requirement because of try hards like you who are focused on resume boosting rather than doing things you care about

 

[Milotic]

Rad Onc and Urology are probably two of the most research-heavy specialties I can think of. Derm is so competitive that you pretty much seem to need research to match. ENT, Ortho, Plastics, and Neurosurg are also probably uphill battles without some sort of research, although there may be a few programs that don't emphasize research as much.

Also, it sounds like you hate bench research. Have you done any clinical research at all? Completely different sort of work.

I have not. I have tried to get into clinical research, however I was turned down the opportunity this summer. I read around these threads to try contacting residents and physicians and was told they don't need help or that they aren't doing any case reports. Going to try my luck again in third year if I suddenly fall in love with anything "requiring" publications.

Any other suggestions are welcome.

 

[Kaustikos]

Why do something you hate for something you aren't going to do? Research is becoming more of a requirement because of try hards like you who are focused on resume boosting rather than doing things you care about

Also want to add that you need to become more comfortable with research. If your PI is giving you literature, then read it. Believe it or not but there is some benefit in understanding the reasoning and process behind research. It translates very well in medicine. You're essentially figuring out how to disprove a hypothesis, which is the whole point of the assessment assessment and plan of medicine. Yes, it's kind of brutal learning the different experiments you need to use for research, but it's ultimately the same kind of thing you do in medicine.
I dunno, I'm still a research ***** at heart who appreciates it. But my experiences have helped me.

Also, doing research just for a publication is a recipe for disaster.

 

[Milotic]

Why do something you hate for something you aren't going to do? Research is becoming more of a requirement because of try hards like you who are focused on resume boosting rather than doing things you care about

It has become a "requirement" because that's the nature of the beast. I have to do something I hate to keep doors open because that's how this field works for some of us. I hated the MCAT and volunteering in the hospital, but I had to do it anyway. I hated sucking my professors' d**ks for LORs but I had to do it anyway.

 

[Milotic]

Also want to add that you need to become more comfortable with research. If your PI is giving you literature, then read it. Believe it or not but there is some benefit in understanding the reasoning and process behind research. It translates very well in medicine. You're essentially figuring out how to disprove a hypothesis, which is the whole point of the assessment assessment and plan of medicine. Yes, it's kind of brutal learning the different experiments you need to use for research, but it's ultimately the same kind of thing you do in medicine.
I dunno, I'm still a research ***** at heart who appreciates it. But my experiences have helped me.

Also, doing research just for a publication is a recipe for disaster.

True. I am probably a hater of research due to my crappy undergrad experiences with it. In undergrad, my postdoc had me trying to find out for about an entire quarter what was going wrong in our PCR protocol, which was an absolute nightmare.

 

[MadRadLad]

I have not. I have tried to get into clinical research, however I was turned down the opportunity this summer. I read around these threads to try contacting residents and physicians and was told they don't need help or that they aren't doing any case reports. Going to try my luck again in third year if I suddenly fall in love with anything "requiring" publications.

Any other suggestions are welcome.

Try getting involved in a retrospective chart review type project in an area of your interest. Might be a lot more amenable to you than labwork and you generally tend to pick up a lot of tidbits from physician notes.

 

[Milotic]

Try getting involved in a retrospective chart review type project in an area of your interest. Might be a lot more amenable to you than labwork and you generally tend to pick up a lot of tidbits from physician notes.

So to go about this should I keep pestering random physicians and residents? It has been a pretty low yield strategy this summer.

 

[MadRadLad]

So to go about this should I keep pestering random physicians and residents? It has been a pretty low yield strategy this summer.

Is there nobody at your school that is involved in helping students with research opportunities? Or a research department at your university affiliated hospital? Usually both of those places can hook you up.

 

[ValentinNarcisse]

True. I am probably a hater of research due to my crappy undergrad experiences with it. In undergrad, my postdoc had me trying to find out for about an entire quarter what was going wrong in our PCR protocol, which was an absolute nightmare.

That is a totally reasonable project for an undergrad. Really good way to learn problem solving.

 

[MySpirit]

It has become a "requirement" because that's the nature of the beast. I have to do something I hate to keep doors open because that's how this field works for some of us. I hated the MCAT and volunteering in the hospital, but I had to do it anyway. I hated sucking my professors' d**ks for LORs but I had to do it anyway.

What was it about volunteering in the hospital that you didn't like? I can see hating to prep for the MCAT.

You could try another research lab.

 

[doc05]

are you serious? you couldn't find a resident who needed help with a project?? what specialty are you interested in? what school?

I can't tell you how much easier it makes life for a resident/fellow/attending when there's a student who wants to get involved -- sounds like you've been talking to the wrong people.

and please forget about bench research - you're obviously not interested, and it takes too long to get any publish-able data.

 

[Milotic]

are you serious? you couldn't find a resident who needed help with a project?? what specialty are you interested in? what school?

I can't tell you how much easier it makes life for a resident/fellow/attending when there's a student who wants to get involved -- sounds like you've been talking to the wrong people.

and please forget about bench research - you're obviously not interested, and it takes too long to get any publish-able data.

School is a top 10 medical school + Medical Center in a very desirable area. Specialty is a very competitive specialty that basically requires publications.

I only have 3 weeks left of summer. Is it worth trying to totally start anew in something else?

 

[doc05]

if you don't enjoy it, I recommend you just stop and enjoy the next few weeks of summer. maybe take an actual vacation.
I have no idea why you can't share your specialty of interest, but for most competitive specialties, your interest/involvement are much more important than bench research.

your time would be best served getting involved with your department of interest now, rather than wait till third year... find a resident/fellow, ask if they need help with their research projects (hint: they ALL need help). write up a few case reports.

if you start now, you'll have a ton of involvement before you hit third year. you'll also have time to get to know the attendings, who can then make phone calls on your behalf when it's time to find a residency spot.

 

[Milotic]

if you don't enjoy it, I recommend you just stop and enjoy the next few weeks of summer. maybe take an actual vacation.
I have no idea why you can't share your specialty of interest, but for most competitive specialties, your interest/involvement are much more important than bench research.

your time would be best served getting involved with your department of interest now, rather than wait till third year... find a resident/fellow, ask if they need help with their research projects (hint: they ALL need help). write up a few case reports.

if you start now, you'll have a ton of involvement before you hit third year. you'll also have time to get to know the attendings, who can then make phone calls on your behalf when it's time to find a residency spot.

I agree and will try to do this. I am just worried of dedicating too much time to this stuff instead of focusing on class rank and Step 1. I am NOT good at juggling multiple things at the same time. I also have ZERO interest in doing research as a resident/physician because I want to be able to spend every waking moment outside of work with the wife/kids at that point in life. I really am not a workaholic.