Opportunity for research beginning MS4

[shmerndawg]

Hi guys,

I am a third year medical student at Georgetown very interested in the field of radiation oncology. Recently I met with the chairman of our department and he remarked that to be a complete applicant for this field I would need to boost the research aspect of my application.

I'll give my stats:
Step I: 247
Grades: H/HP in most of rotations and pre-clinical grades
Research: Chart review of cyberknife of the orbit resulting in presentation by my resident (not me) at the most recent cyberknife users meeting. But my name is on the abstract and talk.

In my discussion with the chairman, we decided that three months or so of basic science research at the beginning of my fourth year would be very helpful. I am very interested in translational research as it is. My question is, should I stay at Georgetown and do radiobiology research, go to NIH, go someplace else?

I have also entertained the idea of doing research for a year. My chairman remarked that it would be best for me to do this between my third and fourth years of school but NOT after med school. But he says he believes there is little utility in doing this and that I should stick with doing research electives during my fourth year.
Any comments for me? I feel pretty stressed about how competitive this field has become. I would like to match somewhere on the west coast to get closer to my family.

Thanks a lot.

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[qwert]

Advise: I would do your RadOnc rotations first (in places you'd wanna match in). Then you can start the research roatation, and still be able to list your work as "ongoing" in the residency application.

Hi guys,

I am a third year medical student at Georgetown very interested in the field of radiation oncology. Recently I met with the chairman of our department and he remarked that to be a complete applicant for this field I would need to boost the research aspect of my application.

I'll give my stats:
Step I: 247
Grades: H/HP in most of rotations and pre-clinical grades
Research: Chart review of cyberknife of the orbit resulting in presentation by my resident (not me) at the most recent cyberknife users meeting. But my name is on the abstract and talk.

In my discussion with the chairman, we decided that three months or so of basic science research at the beginning of my fourth year would be very helpful. I am very interested in translational research as it is. My question is, should I stay at Georgetown and do radiobiology research, go to NIH, go someplace else?

I have also entertained the idea of doing research for a year. My chairman remarked that it would be best for me to do this between my third and fourth years of school but NOT after med school. But he says he believes there is little utility in doing this and that I should stick with doing research electives during my fourth year.
Any comments for me? I feel pretty stressed about how competitive this field has become. I would like to match somewhere on the west coast to get closer to my family.

Thanks a lot.

 

[Cancerdancer]

Doing a year of research between 3rd & 4th year is quite common gauging from people I've met on the interview trail. Would highly recommend it if you're serious about being in academics, as your application going out in fall of 4th year will then be chock full of all the work you have COMPLETED during that research year (abstracts, submitted papers, meetings etc). This will make you a desirable residency candidate, and you'll get interviews at top-tier programs, as the rest of your profile seems strong.

Compare this versus a year of research after graduation, in which your application goes out 3-4 months into your research stint, so all you can really say is that you're doing research. Assuming you're productive in the year, it's much better to have abstracts/publications on the app. than simply ongoing work. If waiting 'til after graduation to do research, best to commit to two years, else it's really not worth it for building the application.

 

[Mulletfluf]

In my discussion with the chairman, we decided that three months or so of basic science research at the beginning of my fourth year would be very helpful. I am very interested in translational research as it is. My question is, should I stay at Georgetown and do radiobiology research, go to NIH, go someplace else?

I have also entertained the idea of doing research for a year. My chairman remarked that it would be best for me to do this between my third and fourth years of school but NOT after med school. But he says he believes there is little utility in doing this and that I should stick with doing research electives during my fourth year.

While three months is a significant amount of time, I am not entirely sure that you'd be able to generate novel publishable basic science data. If the project is on-going and well established then I would imagine data collection/analysis would be much easier. The major difference between the two will be the order of your name on the abstract/manuscript. However, given three months you'd be able to really crank out chart review/retrospective papers.

I think it'd be wise to look into research opportunites where you'd ultimately like to do residency (i.e western US). This would give them a chance to be more familiar with you and your work ethic. That way you'd be a face rather than just a name when residency application time comes.

 

[cdf95cro]

If you only have 3 months in MS4 (as others have stated this makes it incredibly difficult to have completed a manuscript/project/abstract before interviews) try to get the research funded by some external agent. RSNA has a a good grant mechanism for this ( http://www.rsna.org/Foundation/ResearchMedicalStudentGrant.cfm ). That way, even though you might not have polished data to present you can show there was some external validation of the legitimacy of the work you did (plus you get paid).

 

[Pewl]

If you only have 3 months in MS4 (as others have stated this makes it incredibly difficult to have completed a manuscript/project/abstract before interviews) try to get the research funded by some external agent. RSNA has a a good grant mechanism for this ( http://www.rsna.org/Foundation/ResearchMedicalStudentGrant.cfm ). That way, even though you might not have polished data to present you can show there was some external validation of the legitimacy of the work you did (plus you get paid).

How difficult is to get this grant? Do you know how many of these $3,000 grants the RSNA has available each year, on average? It seems like it is rather competitive. I know of some classmates who have done it, and they seem to enjoy it.

 

[shmerndawg]

thanks so much for your help, this is great.

 

[cgk]

I am a MSII also interested in ultimately doing a residency in Rad/Onc. I spent 2 years at the NCI doing research which culminated in a first authorship published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Also I spent a year at UMass medical school doing translational research which culminated in a paper published in a scientific journal where I was listed as a second author. Do these premedical research stints matter to residency program directors or are they simply interested in research done during medical school years. please advise. Thanks!

 

[Cancerdancer]

These pubs will help. They show that you have an interest in research, have been successful at it already, and demonstrate that you are more likely to have the interests and capabilities necessary to become a successful academician. A first authorship in JCO is a major feather in your cap--congrats, but also get involved in some research projects asap to keep building your CV and to demonstrate a continued interest in research. You are way ahead of the curve.