Research Buyer's Remorse

[threepwood]

I eagerly signed on to a research project recently, my first one at med school, with stars in my eyes about doing some impactful clinical research. However, the more I've learned about the project after doing background reading, the more I realize this project isn't particularly impactful in the field. It just seems like busy work frankly in order to push out a publication. My role is data collection primarily for the retrospective chart review. By this point I'm pretty locked into helping though.

Is it normal to feel a little bit burned by one's first medical school research experience? Am I being too idealistic? I guess I'm feeling a bit disillusioned and wondering how I can become involved in research I feel better about. I don't need to be involved in earth shaking research, I realize I'm going to be doing grunt work for a while, and I gotta get those pubs, but some sort of novel research would be nice. Can anyone relate to this/offer some tips (or cold reality)?

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[tombreaz]

I eagerly signed on to a research project recently, my first one at med school, with stars in my eyes about doing some impactful clinical research. However, the more I've learned about the project after doing background reading, the more I realize this project isn't particularly impactful in the field. It just seems like busy work frankly in order to push out a publication. My role is data collection primarily for the retrospective chart review. By this point I'm pretty locked into helping though.

Is it normal to feel a little bit burned by one's first medical school research experience? Am I being too idealistic? I guess I'm feeling a bit disillusioned and wondering how I can become involved in research I feel better about. I don't need to be involved in earth shaking research, I realize I'm going to be doing grunt work for a while, and I gotta get those pubs, but some sort of novel research would be nice. Can anyone relate to this/offer some tips (or cold reality)?

I did two years of research in undergrad. Going into it, I thought it was going to be amazing and I turned out hating it. Grunt work, data collection, analyzing. It wasn't all horrible. We studied mitochondria in mice retinas and had to dissect them which was a great experience. My assumptions about research really got pressed. My thoughts now are that you probably need to "research" something that you have an interest or passion in for it to be more fun/worthwhile feeling.

 

[threepwood]

I appreciate your response. I find the subject matter of the study very interesting, just not the study we are doing on it per se. It seems like what we are researching has been done before thoroughly. Maybe that gives a clearer picture of the situation as I see it. Did you find your "something" that you have a passion for later?

 

[Dantes]

However, the more I've learned about the project after doing background reading, the more I realize this project isn't particularly impactful in the field. It just seems like busy work frankly in order to push out a publication.

Welcome to the rat race of research.

I would work through it and see what skills you can learn even from a boring project. Eventually you might get your foot in the door for more interesting stuff.

 

[tombreaz]

I appreciate your response. I find the subject matter of the study very interesting, just not the study we are doing on it per se. It seems like what we are researching has been done before thoroughly. Maybe that gives a clearer picture of the situation as I see it. Did you find your "something" that you have a passion for later?

My wife and I have lost 2 children in utero to "unknown reasons" even after seeing multiple specialists and tons of lab work. I like to think I'd be motivated and enjoy researching solutions to such things. I haven't got the chance to get into that type of research and understand it's probably a small field and very hard to enter.

 

[threepwood]

My condolences, that's a very difficult and certainly life-changing situation. I hope you do get the chance.

 

[tombreaz]

My condolences, that's a very difficult and certainly life-changing situation. I hope you do get the chance.

Thank you!

 

[srirachamayonnaise]

I eagerly signed on to a research project recently, my first one at med school, with stars in my eyes about doing some impactful clinical research. However, the more I've learned about the project after doing background reading, the more I realize this project isn't particularly impactful in the field. It just seems like busy work frankly in order to push out a publication. My role is data collection primarily for the retrospective chart review. By this point I'm pretty locked into helping though.

Is it normal to feel a little bit burned by one's first medical school research experience? Am I being too idealistic? I guess I'm feeling a bit disillusioned and wondering how I can become involved in research I feel better about. I don't need to be involved in earth shaking research, I realize I'm going to be doing grunt work for a while, and I gotta get those pubs, but some sort of novel research would be nice. Can anyone relate to this/offer some tips (or cold reality)?

Very typical. Most so called clinical research has little to no impact. Just focus on getting published.

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

Quit early and quit often

 

[DO2015CA]

It’s also depends where you are getting in on the goal. Plenty of early studies will outline the problem and set the stage for the more original things. A lot of times, you’ll feel like “why can’t we use these other studies as our background and start the unique stuff?” But a lot of time it will be different institutions with different protocols and different populations. Many times you have to see if your institution falls in line prior to jumping into the more novel stuff.

 

[DO2015CA]

My wife and I have lost 2 children in utero to "unknown reasons" even after seeing multiple specialists and tons of lab work. I like to think I'd be motivated and enjoy researching solutions to such things. I haven't got the chance to get into that type of research and understand it's probably a small field and very hard to enter.

Join the peds world! Genetics and metabolic subspecialty are right at the cusp of a boom

 

[Terrainport]

the key to research has always and will forever be your mentors. if they are good people, you will be set.

 

[operaman]

Unfortunately the kind of projects that are highly interesting and cutting edge take a lot longer to reach the publication stage. For a new project, that might even be after you graduate. The retrospective chart reviews can usually get pushed out much faster even if they’re not as interesting. They’re also usually publishable regardless of result whereas novel cutting edge things only get published if the results are significant.

Even so, there are often valuable skills to learn such as the basics of navigating the IRB for what’s usually expedited/exempt, data collection, stats, lit review, and navigating the manuscript submission and review process. All very valuable skills that can be used for future projects.

 

[aldol16]

You'll find that a lot of biomedical research is just very small advances that may not feel like real breakthroughs. It's really hard to get involved in high impact stuff because that sort of research is usually the clinical trials of the world that go through a ton of bureaucratic hoops and have dedicated staff. That said, you should definitely find research that's interesting to you so that no matter how small the advance, the subject matter is interesting.

You should probably finish this project since you signed onto it and then move on in the manner described above. These projects shouldn't take too much time and there will be time to re-direct your efforts.