Research Rotation

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megsMS

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Can you do a research rotation? If so, is it clinical research, bench research, or what? Can you get credit, i.e. publications, etc. with a research rotation?
Also, if you know of a specialty you want to go into, can you request to do research in that area?
 
to briefly answer your question... yes. It also depends VERY MUCH where you go to school and if the medical department you are interested in offers research rotations for credit. This might vary from school to school.
 
Does doing a research rotation (4weeks) help for any of the competitive residencies that people tend to say research is an undisclosed pre-req.?
I relize that one would be hard pressed to get any valuable research done on such a short elective. Would such a thing really help?
 
bla_3x said:
Does doing a research rotation (4weeks) help for any of the competitive residencies that people tend to say research is an undisclosed pre-req.?
I relize that one would be hard pressed to get any valuable research done on such a short elective. Would such a thing really help?

Abso-friggin-lutely. Ask the guy from my class (AZCOM 04) who matched into Urology at U of Minnesota. He did a month at NIH with some well known dick-doc, who wrote him a great letter.

At one interview, he was told that that letter was the only reason they interviewed him (Top 5 in our class, 240-something/99 on USMLE, 99th percentile on COMLEX). They said something along the lines of, "Usually, when we get apps from DO students, they go directly in the trash. But, since you were recommended by whatever-the-hell-his-name-is, we decided to take a closer look."

So, yes, it helps.
 
megsMS said:
Can you do a research rotation? If so, is it clinical research, bench research, or what? Can you get credit, i.e. publications, etc. with a research rotation?
Also, if you know of a specialty you want to go into, can you request to do research in that area?

At my school you can do an individually designed (ID) elective in a non-clincal area (research) just by filling out the forms and getting it approved. I'm deferring a 3rd year clerkship to do this and a couple of other things in hopes of making myself more competitive in the match.
 
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