Is research an absolute requirement? (People in residency and third and fourth yrs )

[Premedtomed]

is it really necessary. i will be doing research but not in neurosurgery ( first yr. btw) I contacted the dept. at my school about opportunities for students and I have been told that my e-mail was forwarded to the person in charge , who will supposedly contact me when an opportunity arises.
It seems like researchwise there isn't much for first yrs. like me.


Hence the question. Of course my mind/interests may change but nothing is sure.

pls help

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[mpp]

Nowadays research is definitely a necessity to be competitive for neurosurgery. You could match without having some exposure to research but it may leave you out of a lot of programs. Having a neuroscience bent to it is obviously recommended but not necessary and does not have to be with the neurosurgery department but can be with some basic scientists doing neuroscience research.

Also, get to know the neurosurgery department. Find out if there are grand rounds or other types of meetings like a tumor board meeting where students may be welcome to attend. This will help you show your interest (and also help you partly find out if this type of work interests you at all) and you will start learning the language of neurosurgery so you can sound intelligent when talking about the field. You might also make connections in the department, an important aspect to any application.

 

[beponychick]

Nowadays research is definitely a necessity to be competitive for neurosurgery. You could match without having some exposure to research but it may leave you out of a lot of programs. Having a neuroscience bent to it is obviously recommended but not necessary and does not have to be with the neurosurgery department but can be with some basic scientists doing neuroscience research.

Also, get to know the neurosurgery department. Find out if there are grand rounds or other types of meetings like a tumor board meeting where students may be welcome to attend. This will help you show your interest (and also help you partly find out if this type of work interests you at all) and you will start learning the language of neurosurgery so you can sound intelligent when talking about the field. You might also make connections in the department, an important aspect to any application.

Thanks for your advice mpp. I am starting medical school in the fall and wanted to know when you did your research. Was it during the school year (which I can imagine would be very difficult) or during the summers?

Also, I am currently in a masters program in Biology and will complete the degree by the time I enter med school in the fall. Do you think a masters would make me more competitive for some research positions?

Thanks!

 

[mpp]

Yes, a graduate degree will help. Did you have any publications associated with your degree or present at national conferences? This will help and is now almost a necessity.

I did research throughout medical school, even starting some in first year and during my short summer between 1st and 2nd. I continued to help out with projects as time permitted 3rd and 4th year. You'll have to find the time as it can be busy but if your grades don't suffer it can be just as important an aspect to your CV.

I am also lucky to attend a medical school that has a mandatory funded 3 month research block which gives us dedicated time and some funds to do research. People choose to do different things with that time (lab work, clinical trials, retrospective reviews) and sometimes it is more of a vacation. Others work hard; some get several publications in good journals by doing large retrospective reviews.

 

[beponychick]

Yes, a graduate degree will help. Did you have any publications associated with your degree or present at national conferences? This will help and is now almost a necessity.

I did research throughout medical school, even starting some in first year and during my short summer between 1st and 2nd. I continued to help out with projects as time permitted 3rd and 4th year. You'll have to find the time as it can be busy but if your grades don't suffer it can be just as important an aspect to your CV.

I am also lucky to attend a medical school that has a mandatory funded 3 month research block which gives us dedicated time and some funds to do research. People choose to do different things with that time (lab work, clinical trials, retrospective reviews) and sometimes it is more of a vacation. Others work hard; some get several publications in good journals by doing large retrospective reviews.

Well, actually I do not have any publications and did not present at any conferences (in undergrad I did, but it did not result in a publication and the field of research was in vascular surgery). I realize that probably a lot of medical students would want research positions, and hopefully having a masters would be an added bonus when applying for them.

I am currently set on attending Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Do you know by any chance, what their reputation is in terms of neurosurgery? I went on the RWJ University Hospital website and it seems that they do in fact have a neurosurgery department and several of their physicians graduated from unranked medical schools (such as Temple and New York Medical College). Would you know anything about their program.

Thanks Mpp.

 

[mpp]

I don't know too much about that neurosurgery program. Neurosurgery training is strictly regulated such that all programs provide a good level of neurosurgery training. Some are better than others but overall they train competent surgeons.