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Can anyone offer advice on how to get into medical or clinical research experience?
While I already have long-term clinical extracurriculars, one area in which I lack much experience is in clinical research. I'd like to do some clinical research over the next year or so as I continue to take some upper division courses and study for the MCAT. I do have research experience, but it is not recent and not in a clinical field. Years ago, I did long-term medical ethnographic field research as an undergraduate anthropology major. (Although the work was medically-related (HIV and Hepatitis C, diagnosis and treatment, wound care, phlebotomy) with underserved subpopulations, I was not pre-med at the time.) Later I did a year of organic chemistry research work for my organic chemistry professor at another school because he was impressed with my performance in the organic laboratory portion of the organic chemistry course which he taught. However, skilled as I was in organic chemistry laboratory, I disliked the bench work and I missed street-based work with patients. Furthermore, I am no longer living in the area where I did my undergraduate work, so going back there is not very feasible option as I am well invested in current living and educational situation.
Therefore, I am considering some sort of local clinical research that would combine my interests; however, finding positions has been difficult. There are few in my area of interest and they all seem to want current undergraduate students or more recent experience than I have. So, should I just suck it up and go for any clinical research just to get the experience or keep looking?
I should add that one area of clinical research that does interest me and is outside of the anthropology field work, is cancer. I am currently taking a cancer biology course and it is the most fascinating biology class that I taken in years.
TIA
While I already have long-term clinical extracurriculars, one area in which I lack much experience is in clinical research. I'd like to do some clinical research over the next year or so as I continue to take some upper division courses and study for the MCAT. I do have research experience, but it is not recent and not in a clinical field. Years ago, I did long-term medical ethnographic field research as an undergraduate anthropology major. (Although the work was medically-related (HIV and Hepatitis C, diagnosis and treatment, wound care, phlebotomy) with underserved subpopulations, I was not pre-med at the time.) Later I did a year of organic chemistry research work for my organic chemistry professor at another school because he was impressed with my performance in the organic laboratory portion of the organic chemistry course which he taught. However, skilled as I was in organic chemistry laboratory, I disliked the bench work and I missed street-based work with patients. Furthermore, I am no longer living in the area where I did my undergraduate work, so going back there is not very feasible option as I am well invested in current living and educational situation.
Therefore, I am considering some sort of local clinical research that would combine my interests; however, finding positions has been difficult. There are few in my area of interest and they all seem to want current undergraduate students or more recent experience than I have. So, should I just suck it up and go for any clinical research just to get the experience or keep looking?
I should add that one area of clinical research that does interest me and is outside of the anthropology field work, is cancer. I am currently taking a cancer biology course and it is the most fascinating biology class that I taken in years.
TIA
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