Non-Trad with aspirations in research, no way to show it. What are my options?

[tri99]

A little background I'm a non-trad student currently finishing up a career changer post-bacc and preparing my application for the upcoming cycle. My undergrad was in business and I worked as a personal trainer full-time before making the change towards the medical field. With my focus the past 12 months being on my post-bacc classes, work, additional clinical experiences, and MCAT I have not been able to find a research spot that was flexible enough to fit in on top of this. I have also recently accepted a position as a full-time primary care medical assistant that will start after the program is finished that is too good of an opportunity to pass up.

Research has always been something that has interested me and is something I am passionate about undertaking during medical school. However I feel that with my lack of sustained professional experience, applying to research-based schools or speaking to this in my personal statement / interviews will be a waste of time and could harm my application. Are there any research options to pursue aside from taking an additional gap year to gain work experience?

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[907914]

A little background I'm a non-trad student currently finishing up a career changer post-bacc and preparing my application for the upcoming cycle. My undergrad was in business and I worked as a personal trainer full-time before making the change towards the medical field. With my focus the past 12 months being on my post-bacc classes, work, additional clinical experiences, and MCAT I have not been able to find a research spot that was flexible enough to fit in on top of this. I have also recently accepted a position as a full-time primary care medical assistant that will start after the program is finished that is too good of an opportunity to pass up.

Research has always been something that has interested me and is something I am passionate about undertaking during medical school. However I feel that with my lack of sustained professional experience, applying to research-based schools or speaking to this in my personal statement / interviews will be a waste of time and could harm my application. Are there any research options to pursue aside from taking an additional gap year to gain work experience?

At this point in your application, you should either take another gap year to add in research or aim your direction elsewhere in the app. Talking about research and your ‘passion’ for it just comes off as silly considering you haven’t actually done anything with it. Were I you, I would not mention research in the app and aim ‘lower’ on the schools (not the T20 research intensive types).

Research is by no means a requirement to get in to medical school and you will still have plenty of opportunity to conduct research in medical school without any undergrad experiences. But as it stands, it should not be anywhere in your application.

 

[965978]

I would suggest taking another year to add research to your application. Even if it’s just a summer internship.

 

[Catalystik]

Research has always been something that has interested me and is something I am passionate about undertaking during medical school.
1) However I feel that with my lack of sustained professional experience, applying to research-based schools or speaking to this in my personal statement / interviews will be a waste of time and could harm my application.
2) Are there any research options to pursue aside from taking an additional gap year to gain work experience?

1) I agree with you. There is no point to 'talking the talk' in med school application essays, without having 'walked the walk' first.
2) If you wish to target research-oriented schools, you might be able to appeal to them with extraordinary accomplishment in some other field of endeavor besides research. Or significant, sustained leadership that "made a difference." However, regardless of where you are accepted, you might look into a stipended research opportunity during the first summer between the M1-M2 year at your school, and then continue to stay involved throughout med school on a less regular basis if you want it to have an impact on residency applications.

 

[Postdoc2MD]

At this point in your application, you should either take another gap year to add in research or aim your direction elsewhere in the app. Talking about research and your ‘passion’ for it just comes off as silly considering you haven’t actually done anything with it. Were I you, I would not mention research in the app and aim ‘lower’ on the schools (not the T20 research intensive types).

Research is by no means a requirement to get in to medical school and you will still have plenty of opportunity to conduct research in medical school without any undergrad experiences. But as it stands, it should not be anywhere in your application.

This. Unfortunately, you will not be competitive for top research based schools. The good news is that nearly all medical schools have tons of research that you can be involved with as a med student. As a non-trad you'll have a unique career background, and looks like your gaining plenty of clinical experience. A lack of research will not keep you out of med school, and you'd probably have to take another gap year to gain any meaningful experience.

 

[907914]

This. Unfortunately, you will not be competitive for top research based schools. The good news is that nearly all medical schools have tons of research that you can be involved with as a med student. As a non-trad you'll have a unique career background, and looks like your gaining plenty of clinical experience. A lack of research will not keep you out of med school, and you'd probably have to take another gap year to gain any meaningful experience.

*But if you don’t want to/can’t afford to take a gap year, your app does not need research*

 

[freelancePsychic]

What kind of research career do you want? If you are hoping to be a high-powered basic research PI with multiple R01s at a top school, then you should get some research experience and skip a cycle to have the best chance at elite schools. If you want to improve human knowledge through clinical research and don’t care about the academia rat race, then pretty much every medical school will have projects you can get involved with and opportunities to get good clinical research training. As long as the rest of your application is strong you’d be good to go now.

 

[965978]

1) I agree with you. There is no point to 'talking the talk' in med school application essays, without having 'walked the walk' first.
2) If you wish to target research-oriented schools, you might be able to appeal to them with extraordinary accomplishment in some other field of endeavor besides research. Or significant, sustained leadership that "made a difference." However, regardless of where you are accepted, you might look into a stipended research opportunity during the first summer between the M1-M2 year at your school, and then continue to stay involved throughout med school on a less regular basis if you want it to have an impact on residency applications.

How common is it to do research as an M1?

 

[Catalystik]

How common is it to do research as an M1?

Depends on the school.

 

[907914]

Except with MD/PhD candidates, I don't see research involvement among MS-1s. But then, I really don't look very hard and private arrangements are possible.

I have heard of many students using their M1 Summer to partake in research that continues part time in to M2, but that sounds like it save for the gunners as far as I have gleaned from current med students.

 

[tri99]

Thanks to everyone for the input!

I don't plan on applying to any (maybe 1 baring MCAT) T20 schools during this upcoming cycle, nor do I feel an additional gap year would be worth the possibility of improving my app to a school that is already extremely selective.

When I said I am "passionate" about research I didn't so much mean I want to work as a research PI, however conducting research and contributing to the overall body of knowledge is a personal aspiration of mine. I am just unsure of how difficult it is to get my foot in the door and begin research during M1 with little to no chance of attending a "research intensive" school or completing an MD/PhD.

 

[965978]

I have heard of many students using their M1 Summer to partake in research that continues part time in to M2, but that sounds like it save for the gunners as far as I have gleaned from current med students.

The only thing is that this would likely require the summer research to be done at the institution of where you go to med school.

 

[Catalystik]

I have heard of many students using their M1 Summer to partake in research that continues part time in to M2, but that sounds like it save for the gunners as far as I have gleaned from current med students.

Yes, that timeframe is more common, but involvement may be limited by the number of competitive, funded positions that a given med school has to offer for the post-M1 summer. Those continuing on a less-frequent (and unpaid) basis into the M2 year and beyond may be those with a curricular expectation to do research, those aiming for a competitive specialty, those seeking a nomination to AOA, those who have a great relationship with the lab, or those who love research for its own sake.

 

[Catalystik]

The only thing is that this would likely require the summer research to be done at the institution of where you go to med school.

Or, at least in the same city.

 

[freelancePsychic]

Thanks to everyone for the input!

I don't plan on applying to any (maybe 1 baring MCAT) T20 schools during this upcoming cycle, nor do I feel an additional gap year would be worth the possibility of improving my app to a school that is already extremely selective.

When I said I am "passionate" about research I didn't so much mean I want to work as a research PI, however conducting research and contributing to the overall body of knowledge is a personal aspiration of mine. I am just unsure of how difficult it is to get my foot in the door and begin research during M1 with little to no chance of attending a "research intensive" school or completing an MD/PhD.

The only difficulty is other competing time commitments like studying. People make time for it though and you don’t need to have previous experience to get started.

 

[965978]

Yes, that timeframe is more common, but involvement may be limited by the number of competitive, funded positions that a given med school has to offer for the post-M1 summer. Those continuing on a less-frequent basis into the M2 year and beyond may be those aiming for a competitive specialty, those who have a great relationship with the lab, or those who love research for its own sake.

Or, at least in the same city.

Would a faculty researcher be willing to give a paid research position to someone who went to another med school?

 

[Catalystik]

conducting research and contributing to the overall body of knowledge is a personal aspiration of mine. I am just unsure of how difficult it is to get my foot in the door and begin research during M1 .

Once you are a med student, it is typical that research-involved faculty within your school would welcome you, experienced or not. Depending on school curriculum type, though, you might find difficulty adding a research a commitment to a heavy M-1 courseload.

 

[Catalystik]

Would a faculty researcher be willing to give a paid research position to someone who went to another med school?

I don't see it happen, but that doesn't keep you from volunteering your time.

 

[907914]

I don't see it happen, but that doesn't keep you from volunteering your time.

Many professors from my undergraduate university partners with one of the medical schools in my area I will be applying to - is it possible if I attend this medical school to be able to continue research on one of my undergraduate research projects (I have already put 2 years in to it, would be cool to have another couple years and a pub out of it...)

 

[965978]

Many professors from my undergraduate university partners with one of the medical schools in my area I will be applying to - is it possible if I attend this medical school to be able to continue research on one of my undergraduate research projects (I have already put 2 years in to it, would be cool to have another couple years and a pub out of it...)

That’s a question to ask your PI or someone at your medical school’s admin.

 

[Catalystik]

Many professors from my undergraduate university partners with one of the medical schools in my area I will be applying to - is it possible if I attend this medical school to be able to continue research on one of my undergraduate research projects (I have already put 2 years in to it, would be cool to have another couple years and a pub out of it...)

Yes, it's possible provided it's OK with your PI when you are no longer a registered student. There are issues of liability or institutional policy that some PIs regard and others will ignore. And if it's a paid position (which covers liability concerns) you'd have to clear it with the med school as many prohibit employment during their academic year.

 

[907914]

That’s a question to ask your PI or someone at your medical school’s admin.

Lol No clue who knows what. Figured faculty would know more than I would. Silly and very situation specific question, in retrospect.

 

[smukke]

If you can't get any research experience, then statistics and the ability to use a stats software like SAS, SPSS, R etc will give you a good leg up when an opportunity opens. You don't neseccarily need to be able to do all the work yourself but knowing what sort of data you'll need and how to work with a statatician to analyze the data will make you very useful to most projects.

I went to a non-research heavy school and found that there was a lot of "low hanging fruit" projects that were easy to get involved with by word of mouth since there wasn't much competition from my classmates.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

How common is it to do research as an M1?

Probably school dependent. I know many people at the school I’ll be attending have multiple offers to do research as an M1.

 

[iloveham47]

Probably school dependent. I know many people at the school I’ll be attending have multiple offers to do research as an M1.

It is certainly school dependent - I am at a "research-intensive" school and almost all first and second years are involved in some form of research (many throughout the entire school year).