most derm research "fellowships/experiences" unpaid?

[abcxyz0123]

after just reading the most recent post about someone who is taking a year off to do research in derm in an unpaid research experience, i was just wondering: outside of the HHMI/doris duke fellowships, are most "year off" experiences taken after 2nd or 3rd year unpaid? If so...........this may drastically change my possibility of applying since I definitely need to take at least 1 year of research after 3rd year in order to be somewhat competitive. However, I would never be able to do that while not getting paid.

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[Dral]

If you're so inclined, you can apply for your own grants under a PI at your institution. Alternatively, you can try to land a position in a lab where the PI will pay you from their grant to do research in their lab.

As far as the latter option, if your school offers an accelerated MPH degree, you can do that and integrate research in a lab with an MPH project while hopefully getting some money from the lab you are doing the research in...think kill 2 birds with one stone, or I guess technically 3...boosting your app, getting paid, getting an MPH under your belt. Just a thought to kick around.

 

[moinmoin]

You should talk to someone in your medical school office. I know mine has a list of several possible paid fellowships and grants for medical students who want to do research for a year. I applied for a few, including HHMI, and ended up getting one that pays me a stipend for my derm research and is paying my tuition for me to get an MS in epidemiology. Maybe it depends on the school you go to, but at my school at least there are more avenues to getting some money than just Doris Duke and HHMI.

 

[IzzyMD09]

There are some grants for Research but these are institutional grants that go to the program and not the student, if those grants are divided up amongs med students working then you may get some piece of the pie, based on what I have seen and know, medical students are not given grant money, and it almost 100% of the time goes to funding the residency program, or funding an additional residency position.

Applying for personal grants for Dermatology Research is difficult, unless you are doing research in Skin Cancer, particularly melanoma, or aging, you won't be receiving any NIH grants.

There are 3 other research students who just started and will all take over when I leave derm research, and none of them are funded, 2 are from the school of origin, one is from Columbia, one student before me also was unfunded. More people are trying to get research where I am at not because its funded but because the PI is well known by all.

It is more than just to solidify your interests in academic medicine, you really have to make a lot of sacrifices if dermatology is what you are going for. Of course that is unless you got a 250+, your dad is a Mohs surgeon somehwere, or you cured atopic dermatitis

I would say go for the year of research, because it seems like it is becoming the standard of "how to get in". I dont know any medical student who had done a year of research before residency that wasnt given a ton of interviews.

Izzy

 

[cancerman51]

you will find that even after residency, doing research is very challenging. post doc pay scales are 30-50K, signficantly below PGYY scales.

 

[dermRus]

OP,

Funding will depend on where you are. Believe it or not, a lot of schools have funding opportunities for students that are going to take a year off for med school. I would start by going to the administration (especially if you have a student research office) to see what they offer or what kind of medical student grants they offer. Another step would be to head to the financial aid office and they might be able to tell you if students of gotten research funding in the past. PM me if you wanted to talk more in detail...

 

[N-Surge]

you will find that even after residency, doing research is very challenging. post doc pay scales are 30-50K, signficantly below PGYY scales.

As a post doc I started at 37k (this was a the high end of starting back then, from what I recall). 5 yrs later, as a PGY1, I am making around 46k. Sorry, but it is pretty much the same pay scale.

 

[Dral]

Yeah, 50k below PGY scale is pretty much $0. ???

 

[dermRus]

Cancerman51 put a comma in the sentence to indicate that postdocs make about 30-50K to say that this is about the same as a resident.