Research During Med School

[anfleisch]

So as many people will tell you, it helps a lot especially in some fields to do research during medical school. But often students don't decide the field they wold like to match until clinical rotations. My question is when would one do the research that is so important, especially in ROAD residencies. Would it be a good idea to do a lot of shadowing or something clinical in different fields before medical school and find a field to do research in, even if you most likely will chose a different field later.

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[slowbutsteady]

I did research the summer after first year and first authored a paper and was asked to present it at a national conference of physicians. Great experience!

It was in a field that I might choose, but not sure yet.

 

[thesauce]

Common times are during the summer after 1st year, taking a year off after 2nd or 3rd year, or during 4th year before applications go out.

Research will strengthen your application even if it's not in the field you go into, however it obviously looks better to do it in that field. Some advice that I've heard is that it's better to do research in a more competitive field because it leaves that option open to you while still strengthening you application for a less competitive field. I don't know if this is universally applicable, but makes sense if you're at a lack of ideas.

I wouldn't bother shadowing before medical school.

 

[rem6775]

I don't think this is something that necessitates a lot of over-analyzing and stress, to be honest. I'm looking to go into radiology, and I did some research between first and second and am hoping to do more, but honestly, there are more important things. Knowing the faculty and showing a genuine interest will help, and hopefully get you some good letters or even a phone call to other programs you are interested in from your mentors. If you think you might want a specialty that is more difficult to get into your first priority should be a good Step 1 score. Sacrificing that to do some research is probably counter-productive. But doing any research during your summer break can be helpful.

 

[Ari1584]

i was wondering the same thing about research. as of now, i keep changing my mind about what i want to go into (i start in the fall) but i am considering derm or rads. Should i automatically go into research without knowing for sure what i want to go into? And i should try to aim for derm research? everyone says its fine not to know what you want to do until your third year but if i want to keep my options open for competitive specialties it seems like i need to start preparing my first year..

 

[justdoit31]

I'm doing mine between 1st and 2nd years in the summer... then I know some people who take a whole year off following 2nd or 3rd year to do research or just work in a lab 5-10 hrs/week during 2nd year.

I don't want a ROAD specialty- just peds but I want into an academic residency program.

 

[rem6775]

i was wondering the same thing about research. as of now, i keep changing my mind about what i want to go into (i start in the fall) but i am considering derm or rads. Should i automatically go into research without knowing for sure what i want to go into? And i should try to aim for derm research? everyone says its fine not to know what you want to do until your third year but if i want to keep my options open for competitive specialties it seems like i need to start preparing my first year..

I'm curious how you, before even starting, have settled on rads and derm?

 

[mmmcdowe]

My advice: lay out the things you are interested in and pick the one that is most competitive. Focus any specialty specific ECs on that specialty, if only because its better to have a good resume and go into another field than half nothing and decide you want to go into it.

 

[ILikeDrugs]

I don't think this is something that necessitates a lot of over-analyzing and stress, to be honest. I'm looking to go into radiology, and I did some research between first and second and am hoping to do more, but honestly, there are more important things. Knowing the faculty and showing a genuine interest will help, and hopefully get you some good letters or even a phone call to other programs you are interested in from your mentors. If you think you might want a specialty that is more difficult to get into your first priority should be a good Step 1 score. Sacrificing that to do some research is probably counter-productive. But doing any research during your summer break can be helpful.

Hey, rads is currently 1 of my top 3 choices (neuro and em being the other two) and have done some research over at bubasoft.org. That site says that writing up interesting case reports is most beneficial type of research. Is this what you're doing? How long does it take to write up a proper case report?

 

[rem6775]

Hey, rads is currently 1 of my top 3 choices (neuro and em being the other two) and have done some research over at bubasoft.org. That site says that writing up interesting case reports is most beneficial type of research. Is this what you're doing? How long does it take to write up a proper case report?

I wouldn't say case report is the best, although maybe the quickest and easiest. I did some research on acute stroke imaging accuracy and efficacy. As for how long they take, it shouldn't be a difficult task really.

 

[thesauce]

I wouldn't say case report is the best, although maybe the quickest and easiest. I did some research on acute stroke imaging accuracy and efficacy. As for how long they take, it shouldn't be a difficult task really.

Agreed. Everyone and their dog has a published case report. You can write one in less than a week. The most beneficial would probably be a translational research project in the field you're applying to.

 

[drizzt3117]

I'd take a look at the NRMP data that shows what the average number of research experiences in your given field are for successful applicants. That will give you an idea of what PDs expect.