Will med schools look down on students who have obtained research experience as a volunteer in a hospital rather than doing it at an undergrad institution? I'm thinking of doing research in a hospital nearby me and working as a research volunteer where some of the duties would involve doing DNA sequencing, cell culture preparation, blotting, etc, and I plan on doing this for some time. I know most students are able to get research experience by working alongside a professor in college but will it matter where you gained research experience?
Research experience..
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It shouldn't matter where you get the research done. Any chance of being an author on any publications at this hospital?
Maybe. However, if I'm not able to am I at a disadvantage?
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Research is good anywhere you do it. If you get a publication out of it, it's even better.
Most people applying to medical school don't get published. However if you're looking for MD/PhD, people usually have a publication or two under their belt (it's sort of an unspoken rule).
But there's always the exception to the rule. What's most important is getting valuable experience and knowledge from your rsch work and using it in your narrative as to why you want to pursue MD or a combo program.
I did rsch for 3 yrs and still got a combo program, even though plans for a published paper fell through due to unforseen circumstances in the last few months before my grad.
I did rsch for 3 yrs and still got a combo program, even though plans for a published paper fell through due to unforseen circumstances in the last few months before my grad.
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Working for free = crap. Volunteering in a clinical environment is a win/win because it teaches you about your future profession. You won't be doing pcr or western blot, you will be cleaning beakers.
If you are there long enough to publish, you better be getting paid (hint: not going to happen in less than a year, probably more).
get a paid job in the healthcare field.
don't let people use you.
p.s. I authored/co-authored twice and have a third on the way with a collaboration with an ivy institution
If you are there long enough to publish, you better be getting paid (hint: not going to happen in less than a year, probably more).
get a paid job in the healthcare field.
don't let people use you.
p.s. I authored/co-authored twice and have a third on the way with a collaboration with an ivy institution
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These are my personal thoughts but doing research for an extended period of time (1 year plus) and having nothing substantial to show for it equates more or less to a meaningless addition to the E.C. category on your AMCAS application.
If it is simply an added plus to your primary purpose of volunteering then I see no problem with it. If you're focusing on research and expecting something positive to come of it come application time, i would look into trying to get your name on a publication, abstract or presentation. At the very least get a positive LOR from your PI because saying you did 1-2 years of research and having nothing substantial to show for it doesn't seem like it would gain any favors from Adcoms imo.
If it is simply an added plus to your primary purpose of volunteering then I see no problem with it. If you're focusing on research and expecting something positive to come of it come application time, i would look into trying to get your name on a publication, abstract or presentation. At the very least get a positive LOR from your PI because saying you did 1-2 years of research and having nothing substantial to show for it doesn't seem like it would gain any favors from Adcoms imo.
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Not necessarily. The paper might not be published while you are there, but your contributions will definitely be noted in the next paper.
If this is not possible.. as many require specific certifications... then volunteer research is an excellent alternative. Not all labs can afford to hire right now, but the experiences is more important than making some beer money.
Not relevant to the conversation.
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1. great, your beaker-washing contribution will be recognized after you have already put in your application and don't have any publication to show for it. If you at least have a good grasp of the project you can talk about it with the adcom, but unless you have a real depth of understanding of the material, it will be obvious.
2. If you are going to volunteer, do so at a children's hospital, a VA hospital, a physical therapy/wound care department at a hospital... something that adds LIFE experience and puts real perspective on your views of health care.
3. My experience makes my comment relevant to the conversation, douschebag.
Go ahead and spend time you could be using to contribute to the wellbeing of patients, to contribute to someone else's leg work doing an experiment you won't really grasp or care about. Maybe it'll work out and you'll be a 5th author before you apply... If you really want to do research, do it for your university for credit. At least you will get a GPA booster out of it and the professor will trust you with more than some PI who doesn't need you.
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excellent spelling of douchebag
anyway
1. Nobody said the pub wouldn't be out or under review by the time the app is in. Also, the lack of a publication doesn't mean you can't talk about the project. Different labs work at different rates and its extremely close-minded to think that hard, integrated research for under a year is not meaningful because the PI was not prepared to produce a paper during your stay. Furthermore, nobody was suggesting that this person would be 'beaker-washing' and thus unable to comment on the work. At one of the labs I have worked in for over a year did not produce a paper with my contributions in it until later because they had several post-docs working on several independent projects. Nevertheless I had a firm grasp on the focus of the research and what role my contribution played.... its up to the student/PI to establish this and a paper doesn't guarantee this. In fact, lab assistants get their names on papers all the time and don't know really what was going on.. search the threads.
2. I agree, volunteer work should be in a clinical setting if possible. However, always take a paid clinical position over a volunteer one, not for the money but because you learn more and are given more responsibility.
3. Its not relevant because everyone commenting has research experience. The fact that you did not do what the OP asked specifically, means you don't have any more information than the rest of us. Thus we don't need everyones' resume.
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haha, as long as there is an 's' in the spelling, then yes, i just may be a douschebag...
