Research as a resident

[Hemichordate]

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Are residents expected to be able to run a research project all by themselves (including statistical analysis), or do they usually tag themselves onto existing projects and work under an attending? I'm curious because there are no official courses in med school or residency that I know of that teaches us how to properly run studies, so what kind of preparation do people get if they want to do academia in the future?

 

[brotherman]

most residents, unless they come from a research background, typically attach themselves to a project that an attending is already doing.

 

[deleted50541]

It would be helpful to find out what others residents in your program have done before you, i.e. there's no need to reinvent the wheel. Unless you have your own specific project in mind, from what I've seen residents usually connect with an attending who's conducting research. From there, they help further an existing project and often branch out to test their own hypotheses about questions that arise during their research time.

As far as prep work goes, you always have to go through some rudimentary educational training on research (online mostly) to be attached to an IRB-approved protocol. Learning to critically read and critique the literature is also fundamental, particularly the methods, when you're starting to delve into research. Unless you're taking time to attend some graduate courses in research, it's mostly self-taught.

That said, I've found research to be a very exciting and rewarding experience when you put in the time and effort. It's a very different beast from the clinical world, requiring a lot more patience to see the fruits of your labor.