Research during medical school?

[diosa428]

Do students have time to do research during the actual school year as an MS1 and MS2? If not, when do students get all this "research experience"? Just during the summer after MS1? Also, I have no idea what specialty I want to go into, so if I did research as an MS1/MS2 it could end up being totally unrelated to whatever area I would end up in... how is that viewed when you apply for residency? Obviously it's better to have research in the area that you're applying for, but would it help just to have some in general?

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[Scottish Chap]

Do students have time to do research during the actual school year as an MS1 and MS2? If not, when do students get all this "research experience"? Just during the summer after MS1? Also, I have no idea what specialty I want to go into, so if I did research as an MS1/MS2 it could end up being totally unrelated to whatever area I would end up in... how is that viewed when you apply for residency? Obviously it's better to have research in the area that you're applying for, but would it help just to have some in general?

It's not advisable to do research during the MSI/II school year. Even if you are experienced, your classes will suffer. Most medical students (in a 4-year M.D.) do research between years 1 and 2, while others use a lot of their 4th year elective time. Overall, it's really the experience and the contacts for references that make the difference; medical school training is not conducive to gaining serious research training. At best, you’ll be competent in one or two techniques. If you want serious research training, do MD/PhD or at least take a year out of medical school to do focused research (the Sarnoff research program is prestigious): http://www.sarnoffendowment.org/fellowship.shtml. Good luck!
Edit: I refer to basic science in this post which, if driven independently (i.e. you're not just a spare pair of hands), is hard to do well unless you are very focused and put in extensive hours or you are very experienced.

 

[tigershark]

I did research all through med school years 1-4 and my classes didnt suffer, in fact I think it enchanced my experience. I worked in a large animal physiology lab doing clinically relevant work and it was all relevant/helpful for my med school classes.

I had more time than I knew what to do with 1st and 2nd year, obviously you have to adjust your priorities based on your personal abilities, but I spent ~30 hours/week in the lab just because it was interesting and I had nothing else productive to do.

I strongly advise against an MD/PhD, the motivated student could get all the research training they wanted in med school, and you dont need that PhD for anything.

 

[MJM - Editor]

You can absolutely do research in the first two years of med school, and as long as you keep your priorities in mind you can certainly keep it from interfering with your classes (in fact in some cases it can even help solidify your classroom/lab learning).

There are plenty of options available, from the most basic and general to very specific. There are also many different possibilities as far as time investment goes, so don't feel like all research needs to take many months and 100s of hours - you can always start small by helping out on a project or case report. And publishing doesn't always have to be the be all and end all - feel free to just dabble at first and see what, and if, you enjoy.

"Research" is really a pretty hugely wide-open field, and you can make of it what you'd like.

(For more detailed discussion, you can always drop by the Student Research and Publishing forum!)

 

[njbmd]

Do students have time to do research during the actual school year as an MS1 and MS2? If not, when do students get all this "research experience"? Just during the summer after MS1? Also, I have no idea what specialty I want to go into, so if I did research as an MS1/MS2 it could end up being totally unrelated to whatever area I would end up in... how is that viewed when you apply for residency? Obviously it's better to have research in the area that you're applying for, but would it help just to have some in general?

Hi there,
Research can be done during the summer after your first year. I was a peer tutor during this summer teaching Gross Anatomy, Biochemistry and Immunology but I found enough time to get a good anatomy research project underway. During my second year, I was able to work on my project on the weekends and during the week for a couple of hours.

I had a fellowship between my second and third year but finished my research before I started third year. Your research need not be related to your eventual specialty. It needs to be meaningful and you need to take an active role in completing the project. (Mine was basic science).

Any research is better than none when applying for residency. If you are a marginial medical student, research is not going to make you a "darling" for a residency PD unless you do something major (cure cancer). If you are not particularly interested in research, that will show through also so make sure that you want to spend the time before you sign up.

Many schools (my school included) have outstanding researchers who always need help. Go to your Research office and find a PI (Principal Investigator) who has a grant that can add you on and mentor you. You PI and also tailor a project to the amount of time that you have.

If you find that you need extra time to keep your grades up, then limit yourself to something that you can get almost complete during the summer and work on slightly during the regular year. If you have never done any medical school courses, wait and see how your time goes before you sign up for a research project. Again, your main job in medical school is to master the material and get the grades.

njbmd

 

[trouta]

I was able to squeeze research in during my first and second year as were several other people in my class. Obviously you cant take on a huge project, but case reports and chart reviews are easily doable without hurting your performance in class.

Research really helps when it comes time for residency, so if you think you can be involved while still doing well in class and not stress yourself out to much, then I would recommend it.

 

[newdude]

So what are your thoughts on which type of research is looked upon favorably for residency application:


(no publication for either): Clinical research vs. basic science research

and what about


(publication in both): Clinical research vs. basic science research


which one would look better


if this sounds confusing what i mean is:

from residency director point of view :if you have clinical research with no publication vs. basic science research with no publication, which one would look better.

same thing with publication

 

[marooner]

why? don't you have research in your curriculum? i have. so i'm forced to do it.... even though i don't want it! geeezz!

 

[Brainsucker]

So what are your thoughts on which type of research is looked upon favorably for residency application:


(no publication for either): Clinical research vs. basic science research

and what about


(publication in both): Clinical research vs. basic science research


which one would look better


if this sounds confusing what i mean is:

from residency director point of view :if you have clinical research with no publication vs. basic science research with no publication, which one would look better.

same thing with publication

Depends on the program and your research, I guess, but basic science is much more impressive. I'm doing clinical this summer so I can hopefully publish what I do. It'd be a lot harder to publish basic science in 10 weeks. If I take a year, which I probably will, I'll do basic.

 

[ILLmatic]

with regard to research and residencies, do programs only care about research/publications that you do during medical school only? does research experience or publications from before med school count at all? i am currently finishing up my MS thesis, hoping to get a publication out of it as well, basic science

 

[OddNath]

I strongly advise against an MD/PhD, the motivated student could get all the research training they wanted in med school, and you dont need that PhD for anything.

Well, for those of us who aren't efficient enough in our pre-clinical studies to have 30 hours/week with nothing better to do, having a few years of designated PhD time to do research is really nice. And..there's that handy complete tuition/fees waiver and extra $20,000 a year (at least) for its entirety. A pretty good deal, I think.

 

[cdql]

I think tigershark is not recommending the MD/PhD program if your only goal is to use the research as a resume booster.

You should only enter such a program if you have a genuine interest in research. Entering such a program to get into a better residency is probably not a very time-effective strategy!

 

[JDAD]

I'm doing research off and on this year (MS1) and it is going pretty well. I got involved with a stellar lab, and if I can get on just one publication, I will pretty much be set for residency at my school. (as long as my grades/steps don't completely suck)

You either have to do clinical research in the area you want to practice in clinically, or do basic science with a big name. You would be suprised at how much name dropping helps in the long run.

 

[ILLmatic]

i posted this question yesterday but didn't really get an answer.
does only research/publications you do during medical school count towards residency, or can things you do before then be considered? thanks

 

[diosa428]

i posted this question yesterday but didn't really get an answer.
does only research/publications you do during medical school count towards residency, or can things you do before then be considered? thanks

I am also currently getting a Master's and I completely plan on putting this on residency applications. It is research that goes above and beyond undergrad stuff and shows your interest in academics. Also, if you are first or second author on a publication than I would also definitely put that on my residency application. I would think that taking an entire year (or more) to get a Master's is definitely a recognizable achievement.

 

[Brainsucker]

I am also currently getting a Master's and I completely plan on putting this on residency applications. It is research that goes above and beyond undergrad stuff and shows your interest in academics. Also, if you are first or second author on a publication than I would also definitely put that on my residency application. I would think that taking an entire year (or more) to get a Master's is definitely a recognizable achievement.

It'll definitely help you, but maybe not quite as much. Research during the year is impressive because you did it while you had other responsibilities. Basically, they want to know if you'll be productive pumping out papers for them during your residency. (Obviously this only applies to academic residencies.)