Need advise about research

[SamuelTesla]

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M2 here.

I have not done any serious research and have 0 publications. So far my only experience is I helped a resident with his research. He made a poster and presented it at a conference. I'm third author on it. Does this count as research?? What is the basic amount of research needed for noncompetitive residencies, and how do I achieve it?

 

[hop2it]

M2 here.

I have not done any serious research and have 0 publications. So far my only experience is I helped a resident with his research. He made a poster and presented it at a conference. I'm third author on it. Does this count as research?? What is the basic amount of research needed for noncompetitive residencies, and how do I achieve it?

Honestly, it probably "counts" as research if you are able to present it that way. What did you do for this project? Did you perform experiments, analyze data, or just print out his poster for him?

The amount of research needed for non-competitive residencies is a difficult question to answer and will vary based on the program and what you consider to be non-competitive.

In order to get research experience, contact PIs you'd be interested in and see if they have any openings for you. Since you're an M2, you might want to focus on more clinical research projects/data analysis rather than basic science lab work. Additionally, there are numerous fellowships/opportunities to take time off from med school to do research, but I don't think this would be what you're looking for.

TL;DR - just email or talk to some people to find research opportunities.

 

[AnthrMedStdnt]

M2 here.

I have not done any serious research and have 0 publications. So far my only experience is I helped a resident with his research. He made a poster and presented it at a conference. I'm third author on it. Does this count as research?? What is the basic amount of research needed for noncompetitive residencies, and how do I achieve it?

Getting third author on a poster presentation definitely qualifies as research. However, you must be clear about the extent of your involvement with the project.

To answer your other questions, research for noncompetitive residencies is not really required. You can land a great residency without doing any research (I know many students who have done so)

But admittedly, you can improve your app if you do research, no question. An easy way to get a publication is to write a case report. This has a minimal time commitment and is something manageable for someone not interested in taking on a large project. Talk your advisor for opportunities like that at your school.

 

[Law2Doc]

M2 here.

I have not done any serious research and have 0 publications. So far my only experience is I helped a resident with his research. He made a poster and presented it at a conference. I'm third author on it. Does this count as research?? What is the basic amount of research needed for noncompetitive residencies, and how do I achieve it?

Yes it counts, but the weight is not great. Third author on a poster is the kind of thing that folks who are serious about research tend to bury, rather than highlight, in their CV. Posters look good if they are peer reviewed and presented at national meetings, but the people who get bang for that buck are the lead author and the presenter, not the lesser authors.

Some specialty residencies don't care about research, others put it high on the list of criteria. Still others won't care at the residency level, but it will play in heavily at the fellowship application level. There is no "basic amount" -- if you are hoping to go into a field where research is important, you should try and keep some project(s) going in the background for whenever you have lighter schedules, and strive to be attached to several papers, posters or presentations by the time you apply.