Poster?!

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Merlin0082

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Hey guys,

I'm an M3 and got thrown into a research project. My attending asked me to do a poster for the project, but I'm not sure if he'll put me on any papers or anything.

Does doing a poster count as "research" according to residency apps?
 
Hey guys,

I'm an M3 and got thrown into a research project. My attending asked me to do a poster for the project, but I'm not sure if he'll put me on any papers or anything.

Does doing a poster count as "research" according to residency apps?

posters count. pursue it and you can write it up later.
 
Definitely do it. A poster is an abstract. It will also be a great opportunity to go to ARVO/AAO convention and network
 
Definitely do it. A poster is an abstract. It will also be a great opportunity to go to ARVO/AAO convention and network

I've heard some people telling me its great to try to present at ARVO. Is it possible/likely to do so as an M3/M4? or is this more for residents/attendings?
 
any research project worthy of a poster is likely worthy of a paper, thus, do it then work on the paper. It absolutely counts a research project and a definite feather in you cap during the application process.
 
Med students can and often do posters. Presenting a paper talk is a different story
 

I've presented both papers and posters at ARVO. They are radically different experiences.

Presenting a poster is pretty easy. You make the poster, mount it for display and you have to stand by it for a couple hours while folks ask you questions. 👍

Presenting a paper requires you to time a 10 min presentation in front of an audience of hundreds of people who subsequently grill you on the merits or flaws of your findings. Your powerpoint has to both captivate and hold their attention and your descriptions and statements need to be spot on. It was an awesome experience and a real adrenaline rush to present a paper as a med student at ARVO.

90% or more of abstracts will be accepted as posters. Only the most well funded and innovative research gets presented as a paper.
 
I've presented both papers and posters at ARVO. They are radically different experiences.

Presenting a poster is pretty easy. You make the poster, mount it for display and you have to stand by it for a couple hours while folks ask you questions. 👍

Presenting a paper requires you to time a 10 min presentation in front of an audience of hundreds of people who subsequently grill you on the merits or flaws of your findings. Your powerpoint has to both captivate and hold their attention and your descriptions and statements need to be spot on. It was an awesome experience and a real adrenaline rush to present a paper as a med student at ARVO.

90% or more of abstracts will be accepted as posters. Only the most well funded and innovative research gets presented as a paper.

That does sound like an awesome experience, and I'd definitely like to get a chance to do it. You mentioned that they are selective about the projects that they accept for paper presentations..do they tend to favor basic science or clinical research? And how "innovative" does the research have to be? I'm guessing basic chart reviews and retrospective studies are not exactly what they're looking for.
 
That does sound like an awesome experience, and I'd definitely like to get a chance to do it. You mentioned that they are selective about the projects that they accept for paper presentations..do they tend to favor basic science or clinical research? And how "innovative" does the research have to be? I'm guessing basic chart reviews and retrospective studies are not exactly what they're looking for.

basic chart reviews on an interesting topic would work and in fact account for quite a few presentations. Prospective studies on a topic that has been looked at before may actually not merit a paper presentation. I think the keys are innovative, meaning, new technique or niche that has not been explored before or that represents some point for future research. Well funded studies (ie. pharma or NIH sponsored studies) usually warrant papers, but those will not typically be presented by med students (or even residents or fellows for that matter).

The study I presented as a paper at a large retina meeting was on a new instrument used on a large series of patients. It was a retrospective review with lots of weaknesses in study design but was interesting and novel, thus, got a paper approval.
 
That does sound like an awesome experience, and I'd definitely like to get a chance to do it. You mentioned that they are selective about the projects that they accept for paper presentations..do they tend to favor basic science or clinical research? And how "innovative" does the research have to be? I'm guessing basic chart reviews and retrospective studies are not exactly what they're looking for.

I would say it depends on the category of research. There is fantastic clinical research out there, but it doesn't always merit a paper presentation. Sometimes the material is self explanatory and a paper isn't necessary. I'm not sure the breakdown between clinical and basic science research, but if you check the past ARVO schedules you can see what was presented. My field was OCT imaging and everything that was presented was outstanding.
 
I presented a paper at ARVO BEFORE I entered medical school, but AFTER I graduated from undergrad, so it didn't count for my medical school application, but hopefully would count for residency.

I was wondering if this would have less merit in my application because I didn't do it during medical school, any thoughts?
 
Hey guys,

I'm an M3 and got thrown into a research project. My attending asked me to do a poster for the project, but I'm not sure if he'll put me on any papers or anything.

Does doing a poster count as "research" according to residency apps?

How did you manage to do research as an M3? Aren't you too busy?
 
How did you manage to do research as an M3? Aren't you too busy?

You have got to find time. You are pretty busty M1-M3, not sure M3 is any different. Find time, as it is really important to make connections for letters of recommendation down the road and for publications/presentations to make your application more competitive.
 
Has anyone presented a poster at an AAO meeting? Can someone comment on how selective they are in choosing poster presentations? I know for ARVO, they allow pretty much anyone and everyone to present a poster, but is it more selective to present a poster for AAO? A faculty member told me that the AAO abstract has to be pretty innovative to be chosen, and I became confused. Thanks!
 
On a related note, I'm contemplating whether I should even submit an abstract for the AAO meeting in November. I will be applying for residency the next academic year, and think I will be busy with interviews in November. Any thoughts?
 
Yes. AAO is the hardest to get something accepted too. There is no reason to not try though.
 
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