MS1 considering summer options. Feasible to write up case studies while in clinics abroad?

[jayhiller21]

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My Spanish level is intermediate but not to the level I want it to be at come 3rd/4th year and residency. This summer is probably my last chance to really focus on improving my skills. I've found a bunch of awesome Spanish schools in Latin America that are very affordable with 20-25 hours/week of one-on-one Spanish instruction, many that include clinical rotations/shadowing. My only hesitation is that I really don't know how feasible it will be to find/have the time to work on research projects after this summer. As of now, I'm not interested in very competitive specialties. I'm thinking PM&R, neuro, or maybe peds, IM, or FM (but would like to match in CA as of now).

To kind of get the best of both worlds, I'm wondering if anyone thinks it would be feasible to write a case study or 2 about an interesting patient/pathology I see in a clinic abroad? I've been seeing that this is common for 3rd/4th years during rotations, but not sure if this is common for a) a rising 2nd year and b) completing while on a clinical experience abroad. Can anyone comment as to whether there would be an appropriate journal/venue to submit/publish/present such case write-ups? I'd be there for 7-8 weeks so I think I'd have time to build relationships with physicians and ensure that they are OK with it.

Am I in over my head as just a first year or are these ideas realistic? Obviously this wouldn't be the same as pursuing a research project here in the states, but I think the task would interest me and its completion would look good for residencies.

 

[operaman]

Personally I think the Spanish skills are probably more valuable than the write ups. Case reports are easy to write but can be very hard to publish just given the sheer volume that journals receive and the amount of literature already out there. If you happen to see a really interesting case while you're down there or can come up with something worth doing, then go for it. Personally, I'd go work on the Spagnolo and worry about pubs when you get back to the states.

You could also consider working a project into your time there. You could look at differences in care that spanish speaking patients receive when their physician is a fluent speaker versus when an interpreter is used. I know that my own quality drops, or at least feels like it does, when I'm using an interpreter. You'd need something to measure -- maybe overall number of questions, number of follow up questions, number of systems reviewed, etc. You could gather this data while there and then gather similar data in a similar practice setting at your school. That's probably already been done, but maybe something along those lines. Just a thought.

 

[jayhiller21]

Personally I think the Spanish skills are probably more valuable than the write ups. Case reports are easy to write but can be very hard to publish just given the sheer volume that journals receive and the amount of literature already out there. If you happen to see a really interesting case while you're down there or can come up with something worth doing, then go for it. Personally, I'd go work on the Spagnolo and worry about pubs when you get back to the states.

You could also consider working a project into your time there. You could look at differences in care that spanish speaking patients receive when their physician is a fluent speaker versus when an interpreter is used. I know that my own quality drops, or at least feels like it does, when I'm using an interpreter. You'd need something to measure -- maybe overall number of questions, number of follow up questions, number of systems reviewed, etc. You could gather this data while there and then gather similar data in a similar practice setting at your school. That's probably already been done, but maybe something along those lines. Just a thought.

I like that idea a lot, thank you for your reply! I'll definitely start thinking of some ideas along those lines

 

[DerpStore]

you could write a case report while taking a dump the fruit couldn't be lower