Research/Publishing

[Smb8041]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

I'm sure this question has been asked before, but I've been researching threads for the last 2 days and have not found a solid answer to my question. So I'm hoping someone could answer it for me.

As far as publishing and research goes, is this more important if an applicant is looking to get into an MD/PhD program only?

I'm a non-trad applicant who will be starting a post bacc program this summer. I am looking to get into an MD only program. I want to spend these next 4 months trying to make myself a more competitive applicant (start looking into volunteer opportunities, shadowing experience, ect.) I'm just wondering if I need to try to get involved in some type of research as well. And if so, how do I go about this if I'm not currently taking classes (I graduated in May with my Nursing degree) I would appreciate any help/advice. Thanks!!!

 

[Sinclaire]

For most medical schools, research is not a requirement for MD-only applicants, it's considered a plus like an extracurricular activity; having patient contact experience is generally more important if you had to choose between the two. Some big name schools like Duke require their medical students to spend their third year doing research, so for schools with research in their curriculum research is generally required for applicants.

Usually don't need to be in class to do research. What you do is find a college nearby and find the contact information for labs you want to work in, e-mail or call the professors in the labs doing research(make sure you read abut what they do first) and say that you're interested in volunteering in their lab and want to do research. A lab that has a lot of past publications from undergraduates would be a plus for you. It may take some calls, since people may have full labs or may not currently be doing research. That's what I did. Also, colleges usually offer undergraduate research as a course under science departments each semester. You should look that up in the school directory/ask department head how that works. Usually it consists of contacting the research professor before enrolling in the research course, which is what I did.

 

[Law2Doc]

I'm sure this question has been asked before, but I've been researching threads for the last 2 days and have not found a solid answer to my question. So I'm hoping someone could answer it for me.

As far as publishing and research goes, is this more important if an applicant is looking to get into an MD/PhD program only?

I'm a non-trad applicant who will be starting a post bacc program this summer. I am looking to get into an MD only program. I want to spend these next 4 months trying to make myself a more competitive applicant (start looking into volunteer opportunities, shadowing experience, ect.) I'm just wondering if I need to try to get involved in some type of research as well. And if so, how do I go about this if I'm not currently taking classes (I graduated in May with my Nursing degree) I would appreciate any help/advice. Thanks!!!

It has nothing to do with MD/PhD programs. As the prior poster indicated, med schools have become progressively more competitive, and so this is an area where folks are able to bolster their application. If you look at the US News research ranking, the programs at the top of that list generate a lot of their money from research grants, and so they express some interest in med students who have an interest in research. Research/publication is by no means required for med school, but these days many people have it somewhere in their application, so some would argue that it's a competitive disadvantage not to have it -- it's a matter of keeping up with the Joneses. Research is valuable as a premed because for a lot of competitive medical specialty residencies research is going to be important, and so getting a start while in undergrad/postbac can give you an easier transition to doing useful research while a med student. If you have only a couple of months and just want to try and tack something onto the resume, I'm not sure I'd bother, though -- the volunteering/shadowing is probably higher yield for you.

 

[MrPolarZero]

conducting researches is really vital for beginners like you. This will give you more knowledge about the real world, thus, making you become more edgy compare to other medical practitioners.

 

[Smb8041]

Thanks for your replies! I'm going to begin contacting colleges in my area to see if I can participate in any research studies. And instead of just doing it for the next 4 months, I'm going to attempt to make this an ongoing commitment. I know that will look much better to ad comm's. Thanks again for all of your advice.

 

[0919mmk]

Thanks for your replies! I'm going to begin contacting colleges in my area to see if I can participate in any research studies. And instead of just doing it for the next 4 months, I'm going to attempt to make this an ongoing commitment. I know that will look much better to ad comm's. Thanks again for all of your advice.

One thing I would strongly advise when looking for research opportunities is to look only in fields that you actually find interesting. While most any lab can provide the experience you're looking for, it will suck the life out of you if you are working on something that bores you to tears. I've worked in 4-5 different labs, and without exception, my best work was done in labs where I actually cared about what we were doing. The thrill of discovery can be a huge motivator. It might even motivate you to do the extra work/invest the time that will get you on a paper as an author. Good luck!

 

[Pons Asinorum]

conducting researches is really vital for beginners like you. This will give you more knowledge about the real world, thus, making you become more edgy compare to other medical practitioners.

wtf?