Importance of research?

[DocHolliday85]

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Hi All,

I'm a first year med student and was wondering about the importance of research if you want to get a competitive residency.

-Is research more important than say - volunteering? Or the other way around?

-How important is being a first author vs other number?

-If you've done research in a field other than one you are applying for - does it still matter?

-If your name is on accepted abstracts - does that matter and can you put that down on the residency app somewhere?

-Does research from before medical school "count" (both undergrad and post-undergrad)?

Obviously that's a lot of questions so please don't feel like you have to answer them all. If a few people could just speak to what they can/feel like answering that'd be great. . .

Thanks/Peace out

 

[Isoprop]

Research is more important than volunteering. First author is better than second... etc except for last author. Research is better in the field you want to go into but you can often spin projects. Yes, abstracts "matter" as in it's better than nothing. And all research counts.

Also, different PDs from different institutions and different specialties place different emphasis on research. Academic rad onc will value research experience more than prelim surgery.

 

[VisionaryTics]

Hi All,

I'm a first year med student and was wondering about the importance of research if you want to get a competitive residency.

-Is research more important than say - volunteering? Or the other way around?

Research is more important. When you're a member of the housestaff, are you going to be doing research or volunteering?

-How important is being a first author vs other number?

It helps, but is not essential.

-If you've done research in a field other than one you are applying for - does it still matter?

Likewise, in your intended field is best. But any research still helps. Putting together a really great project/getting funding/gathering data/writing a report in an unrelated field will probably be better than being 28th author on a chart review in your intended field.

-If your name is on accepted abstracts - does that matter and can you put that down on the residency app somewhere?

Yes.

-Does research from before medical school "count" (both undergrad and post-undergrad)?

Yes.

Obviously that's a lot of questions so please don't feel like you have to answer them all. If a few people could just speak to what they can/feel like answering that'd be great. . .

Thanks/Peace out

Otherwise, here are some stats. Pages 11/12 show some research data for applicants.

https://www.aamc.org/students/download/62400/data/chartingoutcomes.pdf

 

[OveractiveBrain]

Our Uro department hosts a "getting into a competitive residency" talk for first years. Its really about getting into Uro, but the lessens learned apply broadly.

Five things matter

-AOA
-Class Rank
-Step I
-Research
-Aways

For different specialties, "Step I" might mean "Steps I and II," or instead of "Aways" its "Letters of Recommendation," but its pretty much the same across the board, having discussed this topic with multiple PDs.

For research any research > no research, but you should really try to do research in your intended field. This is especially true for competitive specialties. Its not so much the work you do. Its getting your name out there, interacting with residents and attendings at your own school. Going to conferences and networking with other PDs at other institutions. Its about showing you know about research, not necessarily that you're going to open up and run a new project your first year at residency.

As an anecdote, I can tell you about myself. I did some basic science renal research, got a couple of first author pubs, and a crap-ton of posters. You know what I got asked? "Do you still want to be a nephrologist?" **** no! I did research that was awesome, with a ton of autonomy, that wasn't chart pulling. But it mattered.

First Author at a crap pub > "name on a list" at awesome pub > Poster > Abstract > Null result

Bottom line: get on a project now. If you know what you want to do, do it in that field.

 

[Hemichordate]

Do they really care about research before med school?

 

[hot sauce]

For highly competitive residencies it matters as pretty much everything matters because you are going to up against other medical students that have everything. In some fields research is more of a must than others but for competitive fields you don't want any holes.

For many fields research >> volunteering but a rural family medicine program might be more interested in a cool volunteer project than a basic science research project. Research in your field is best because it will catch the interest of the people interviewing you but they know you not have always know you want to be in their field so any research still counts.

Undergrad research can count if you have a publication or abstract otherwise it probably won't make much difference. And even if you do have pubs from undergrad I would still advice doing medical school research as my impression is that unless it was something pretty big undergrad research doesn't mean as much.