Research Required for Future Residency?

[AVermonteer]

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Hello all! Long time SDN lurker and I finally decided to make an account.

Here's the situation: I am currently in a volunteer research position, which to be honest, is pretty crappy and I would rather not go if it is not totally necessary. I have been accepted to an allopathic medical school and I am wondering if I still need to continue volunteering my time to do research. As of right now, I am planning on applying to surgical residency positions. I plan on doing clinical research during the summer between MS1 and MS2.

My contribution to research is essentially data collection and entry since I am only a volunteer, so I'm not sure how impressive my research will look towards residency directors come time to apply for competitive residency positions. I also work nights full time so I am devoting a very large chunk of my time during the week towards research. I have an opportunity to move to day shift which would be great and also great for my fiance who I don't see much during the week. Should I switch shifts or stay dedicated to research?

Basically, is not having research publications before medical school going hurt my chances at a competitive surgical residency? I know that this is a long time from now but I don't want to regret something later on.

I would also appreciate any feedback on other specialties (besides the obvious, like derm, ENT, ortho, etc.) that require research pubs before starting MS1.

Thanks for all your help in advance!

 

[LebronManning]

I don't think many surgical residents have pre medical school research experience, although I'm sure some do. It's definitely not expected as far as I know, you can definitely do it over the summer. If you're gonna leave your position, I would just do it carefully to leave a good impression so you can get a good recommendation for your future research endeavors.

 

[Med Ed]

Hello all! Long time SDN lurker and I finally decided to make an account.

Here's the situation: I am currently in a volunteer research position, which to be honest, is pretty crappy and I would rather not go if it is not totally necessary. I have been accepted to an allopathic medical school and I am wondering if I still need to continue volunteering my time to do research. As of right now, I am planning on applying to surgical residency positions. I plan on doing clinical research during the summer between MS1 and MS2.

My contribution to research is essentially data collection and entry since I am only a volunteer, so I'm not sure how impressive my research will look towards residency directors come time to apply for competitive residency positions. I also work nights full time so I am devoting a very large chunk of my time during the week towards research. I have an opportunity to move to day shift which would be great and also great for my fiance who I don't see much during the week. Should I switch shifts or stay dedicated to research?

Basically, is not having research publications before medical school going hurt my chances at a competitive surgical residency? I know that this is a long time from now but I don't want to regret something later on.

I would also appreciate any feedback on other specialties (besides the obvious, like derm, ENT, ortho, etc.) that require research pubs before starting MS1.

Thanks for all your help in advance!

No speciality requires publications prior to starting medical school. For some there is an unwritten requirement that you do productive research while in medical school.

You are right, a volunteer research gig doing data entry is not that impressive, although it does take drive to keep at it. However, if you have the opportunity to significantly enhance your life and relationship by leaving the role, I would strongly suggest you do that. There will be plenty of chances to get on other projects once you are in school.

 

[TelemarketingEnigma]

I can't speak to its usefulness for residency, but do you actually have any publications on the horizon right now? If you've been accepted, that means you have at most about 7 months left in this position (probably less assuming you take some time off before starting school). I don't know what kind of research you're involved in, but if you were doing work that looked like it might culminate with your name on a paper, you would probably have a sense of it by now, even if you're not actively writing yet. Based on what you know about the productivity of the lab and the work you are doing, you can figure out whether it's really worth it to stick around.

 

[GodComplex]

Drop the research and do what makes you're life more enjoyable over the next 7 months. There are no specialties that require or generally even care about research prior to medical school.

If you decide to pursue a competitive specialty that essentially requires productive research (plastics, dermatology, neurosurgery, etc) then you will have plenty of time to perform research in medical school. Additionally, the networking that often occurs while performing such research while in medical school is often just as important (and sometimes more important) than the research itself.

 

[AVermonteer]

Thanks for the advice everyone!

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Basically, is not having research publications before medical school going hurt my chances at a competitive surgical residency?

No. Many surgical fields will have unwritten requirements for research but theu won’t give two hoots about why you did/didn’t do before medical school.

 

[boogiecousins94]

No. Many surgical fields will have unwritten requirements for research but theu won’t give two hoots about why you did/didn’t do before medical school.

What if its in the same field? Like obviously the stuff would be 3-5 years old at the time of residency apps, but assuming you continue to do the research in med school wouldn't the prior research still help (in terms if you have pubs etc.)?