Research for EM

[orangeman25]

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So I understand that EM is not necessarily a field where applicants need research to match, but I have a decent amount of research experience and would like to do some in medical school.


With that said, in your opinion what are some popular fields of research students go into that are interested in EM? Is it basically just contacting the EM department and getting involved in some project?

 

[Serous Demilune]

So I understand that EM is not necessarily a field where applicants need research to match, but I have a decent amount of research experience and would like to do some in medical school.


With that said, in your opinion what are some popular fields of research students go into that are interested in EM? Is it basically just contacting the EM department and getting involved in some project?

Definitely depends on the region. My school is urban, so the focus in my EM department tends to be research on how to decrease wait times (lol). If you're school is rural, I would imagine there'd be a lot of cool wilderness medicine research. But the truth is if you were adventurous enough you could tailor a project to your own interests no matter where you are. And yes, it really is as easy as emailing an attending involved in research. Doctors generally teach in medical schools because they like students and want to help them succeed.

 

[DermViser]

I didn't know there could be research on the fastest/easiest way to call the real admitting service or consulting specialist to take care of a patient - iPhone, pager, rotary phone, or touchtone phone. I kid, I kid (well mostly).

 

[TraumaLlamaMD]

My school's EM department does a lot of resuscitation research.

 

[Porfirio]

TBI research is pretty big at my school's EM department.

 

[alpinism]

Unfortunately, most EM departments aren't big into research with a few exceptions. However, you can usually find at least a 3 or 4 faculty who do research on a regular basis.

If you're lucky you might also be at a research powerhouse:
http://www.brimr.org/NIH_Awards/2012/NIH_Awards_2012.htm

I'd just email the department research coordinator or clerkship director and ask about faculty with current or future projects in the works.

That said, things like trauma, sepsis, stroke, airway management, med student/resident education, and social media are also big these days.

 

[orangeman25]

I didn't know there could be research on the fastest/easiest way to call the real admitting service or consulting specialist to take care of a patient - iPhone, pager, rotary phone, or touchtone phone. I kid, I kid (well mostly).

Haha fair enough. But you're a dermatologist, don't you just work 3 times a week 4 hours a day? Stop working so hard man

 

[DermViser]

Haha fair enough. But you're a dermatologist, don't you just work 3 times a week 4 hours a day? Stop working so hard man

Only those on the mommy track.

 

[tantacles]

Definitely depends on the region. My school is urban, so the focus in my EM department tends to be research on how to decrease wait times (lol). If you're school is rural, I would imagine there'd be a lot of cool wilderness medicine research. But the truth is if you were adventurous enough you could tailor a project to your own interests no matter where you are. And yes, it really is as easy as emailing an attending involved in research. Doctors generally teach in medical schools because they like students and want to help them succeed.

Yeah, one of the EM programs we rotate through has similar studies, and I encourage everyone to avoid it. The other, a large county hospital, focuses a lot on tox studies and has some studies that integrate different specialties.

Keep in mind that in terms of e-mailing attendings, different attendings have different levels of responsiveness. Put read receipts on your e-mails, and if they're not opening them, keep trying. If you can't get anything, just call the department and leave a message.

 

[Osteoth]

Yeah, one of the EM programs we rotate through has similar studies, and I encourage everyone to avoid it. The other, a large county hospital, focuses a lot on tox studies and has some studies that integrate different specialties.

Keep in mind that in terms of e-mailing attendings, different attendings have different levels of responsiveness. Put read receipts on your e-mails, and if they're not opening them, keep trying. If you can't get anything, just call the department and leave a message.

What's wrong with the wait time management studies?

Alot of EM departments I've seen publish alot of case reports, though I'm not sure if there's much room there for med students to get involved.

 

[tantacles]

What's wrong with the wait time management studies?

Alot of EM departments I've seen publish alot of case reports, though I'm not sure if there's much room there for med students to get involved.

There's nothing wrong with them research-wise. They're just boring as all getout.

 

[LostinLift]

There's nothing wrong with them research-wise. They're just boring as all getout.

Anything is better than bench research.

 

[DermViser]

Anything is better than bench research.

Bench lab research is a REALLY low bar to compare to.

 

[AlmostAnMD]

In terms of enjoyment, yes

but bench research publications will always and forever carry more weight. PD's know I can take a really big s*** and a case report can come out. If I sneeze a few times I might be able to get a case series out too.

Bench work takes time and effort.

 

[Serous Demilune]

In terms of enjoyment, yes

but bench research publications will always and forever carry more weight. PD's know I can take a really big s*** and a case report can come out. If I sneeze a few times I might be able to get a case series out too.

Bench work takes time and effort.

Why don't PD's know that 90% of us don't actually like research and won't touch it ever again the second we graduate from residencies? That's the real question.

 

[AlmostAnMD]

Some people like it--personally, I want an academic career. But I realize I'm a minority.

I think it's just a game. It's like community service when applying for medical school. Everyone did many, many hours of community service to get in and 95% of us stopped after getting an acceptance (including myself).

Just another excuse to differentiate people other than step 1 scores (my theory).

 

[LostinLift]

In terms of enjoyment, yes

but bench research publications will always and forever carry more weight. PD's know I can take a really big s*** and a case report can come out. If I sneeze a few times I might be able to get a case series out too.

Bench work takes time and effort.

I don't know what kind of research the more academic EM programs prefer, but I would assume it's clinical.

 

[BurghStudent]

I thought this was some awesome ER research:

Killing a Patient to Save His Life - The New York Times

Gotta love Pitt