MD & DO How to do summer research at outside institution?? Help please

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Zombiegirl

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Hi friends, I've recently been invited by a physician to do research at a medical school/hospital closer to my home for the summer (M1/M2), unfortunately the admin there wanted me to fill out a VSAS to have a formal application for their research elective, but I don't have access to VSAS yet as I'm just a first year medical student. For those who did research at a non-home institution: how did you get "permission" to do research there? Did you have to have an official application/credentialing or did you have more of an informal agreement?

I won't be seeing any patients, and I will most likely be doing non-patient facing research like chart reviews and retrospective stuff, and will be unpaid. I did some unpaid research before medical school at some hospitals and never ran into this issue. Also, the doc I'll be working with is well aware I'm a lowly M1. Please help if you have any advice, I'm pretty devastated right now at the thought of losing this opportunity because its in my dream field. Thanks!

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I am class of 2024, but I am currently doing research at a medical school other than my future home institution. The credentialing was very easy (background check, drug screening, CV, all that good stuff). I was hesitant to reach out to the local state medical school seeing as I am an MS0, but they were receptive to my request and it worked out for me. Long story short, I did not have any issues getting credentials to do clinical research.
 
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I am class of 2024, but I am currently doing research at a medical school other than my future home institution. The credentialing was very easy (background check, drug screening, CV, all that good stuff). I was hesitant to reach out to the local state medical school seeing as I am an MS0, but they were receptive to my request and it worked out for me. Long story short, I did not have any issues getting credentials to do clinical research.

That’s exactly what I expected to happen. Can I ask who guided the process with the background check etc? Was it the medical school or the hospital? Also, did you apply for a formal position or was it an informal relationship? Thanks so much for answering.
 
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That’s exactly what I expected to happen. Can I ask who guided the process with the background check etc? Was it the medical school or the hospital? Also, did you apply for a formal position or was it an informal relationship? Thanks so much for answering.

The clinical research coordinator for the department of orthopaedic surgery at the medical school guided the process. I did not apply for the position, I merely cold-called physicians until one agreed to have me join his research team. In my case, persistence was the key.
 
The clinical research coordinator for the department of orthopaedic surgery at the medical school guided the process. I did not apply for the position, I merely cold-called physicians until one agreed to have me join his research team. In my case, persistence was the key.
Awesome, I will suggest this. Thanks again! And congrats on the acceptance!
 
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