How important is NIH $$$ for a medical student with an interest in research?

[linguini]

First of all, if this has been asked before, I apologize!

I plan on pursuing research (most likely clinical) in medical school, whether that be a few months or an entire additional year. I've noticed that big research schools boast the amount of research $$$ they receive (e.g. Duke, Pitt).

As a hopeful MD (not MD/PhD) who wants to pursue research in medical school, is this something I should seriously consider in choosing the right school for me? Do MD students doing research benefit significantly from this funding, or does it primarily get "used up" by faculty and PhD or MD/PhD students?

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[Lukkie]

As a hopeful MD (not MD/PhD) who wants to pursue research in medical school, is this something I should seriously consider in choosing the right school for me?

No

 

[richse]

First of all, if this has been asked before, I apologize!

I plan on pursuing research (most likely clinical) in medical school, whether that be a few months or an entire additional year. I've noticed that big research schools boast the amount of research $$$ they receive (e.g. Duke, Pitt).

As a hopeful MD (not MD/PhD) who wants to pursue research in medical school, is this something I should seriously consider in choosing the right school for me? Do MD students doing research benefit significantly from this funding, or does it primarily get "used up" by faculty and PhD or MD/PhD students?

Funding will definitely play a role in how many research positions are available. It is not only for the faculty and MD/PhD students, you would also use your PI's grant money for any research performed. However, you probably wont have any problem finding a lab that will take you in, med students are cheaper since we pay our own tuition and get no stipend. We are basically the same price as a PhD or MD/PhD student that is doing a roation in the lab. Once they choose a lab for a thesis, they generally become more expensive since the lab's grant money starts funding them. If you are work study, it might be a little more expensive for the lab to support you, but at an institution that does a decent amount of research you still should not have a problem.

 

[CourageKid]

As a hopeful MD (not MD/PhD) who wants to pursue research in medical school, is this something I should seriously consider in choosing the right school for me? Do MD students doing research benefit significantly from this funding, or does it primarily get "used up" by faculty and PhD or MD/PhD students?

The more money a lab has, the more you can spend on reagents, experiments, etc. So that's the benefit of working in a well-funded lab.

But I wouldn't personally have NIH funding itself be a factor in my decision. If you're really concerned with the level of research a school is putting out, pick a few departments you might be interested and look around their websites. See what work is being done and what kind of publications they're producing. Are there any major initiatives being pushed/advertised? Overall, I think that if you are looking to get experience, most schools are going to be totally able to provide this.
The only real distinction I've seen between generally strong schools is that some can be more clinical/translational in focus versus others that do more bench research. Most try to be well rounded though.

 

[scarletgirl777]

First of all, if this has been asked before, I apologize!

I plan on pursuing research (most likely clinical) in medical school, whether that be a few months or an entire additional year. I've noticed that big research schools boast the amount of research $$$ they receive (e.g. Duke, Pitt).

As a hopeful MD (not MD/PhD) who wants to pursue research in medical school, is this something I should seriously consider in choosing the right school for me? Do MD students doing research benefit significantly from this funding, or does it primarily get "used up" by faculty and PhD or MD/PhD students?

I think what's most important is seeing how easily you can access that money. If all that money is distributed to fund PhD students or residents and their stipends, how useful is that? Figure out how easy it is to join a group and get funding for your projects or a stipend for a year off or a summer of work.