Research - Switch Focus or Stay the Course

[The Knife & Gun Club]

Hey all, just wanted some thoughts from others on picking what direction I should head in for research. What do y'all think a med student should prioritize when picking a project?

My specific situation:

TLDR; take the cool/high impact project in a field I know but don't really see myself in, or take the more boring project in a field I haven't explored yet.


Long version:
Basically I have a bunch of experience in transplant research, and have an offer to get involved in some really cool cutting edge stuff with relatively well known people. Only problem is while I love transplant I have trouble believing it's what I actually want to do in the long run (the length of training and lifestyle are just too scary).

Alternatively I could pick up a project in ortho or EM but the wow factor isn't really there for those projects. I'd basically just be cranking out some little projects to have my name on a paper and get exposure to a new field (one that I see as more aligned with my long term career/life goals). Added bonus these projects would probably be way easier/quicker than the transplant project.

Thanks!!

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[SurfingDoctor]

What is your time commitment to the research? Month, years?

Either way, I think it depends what you want to get out of it. Generally speaking, as a student, you would hope to get your name on something. If you are only going to be doing it for a couple months, I personally would pick the path that gets you something on your CV. If you have a longer commitment and still can get something out of it, I would pick the cooler project. All of this should be taken in the context that the more interested you are, the more rewarding the project will be for you. Also, you will probably get asked about your involvement in the project during interviews. It helps when the interviewer can sense your excitement about a project.

 

[OnePunchBiopsy]

Pick the route that is most likely to get you on a paper!

I did research on autism and still had lots of questions about it during my gen surg interviews.

 

[BeddingfieldMD]

Basically I have a bunch of experience in transplant research, and have an offer to get involved in some really cool cutting edge stuff with relatively well known people. Only problem is while I love transplant I have trouble believing it's what I actually want to do in the long run (the length of training and lifestyle are just too scary).

Alternatively I could pick up a project in ortho or EM but the wow factor isn't really there for those projects. I'd basically just be cranking out some little projects to have my name on a paper and get exposure to a new field (one that I see as more aligned with my long term career/life goals). Added bonus these projects would probably be way easier/quicker than the transplant project.

What is your ultimate goal with the research? Do you want to be a research-oriented physician working in academics? Or are you just using this primarily to gain some experience and build your CV?

If the former, then you probably should eventually migrate to something you can see yourself actually doing long-term--over a course of many years and decades. If the latter, I wouldn't worry too much about it as an MS1. Just getting some good research experience right now is fine. You'll make good connections, maybe get a publication or presentation out of it. You still have a year or two to get into a new research group if you change specialty interests and want to do that.

Also, keep in mind that emergency medicine (I think you mentioned that somewhere) isn't the type of specialty that typically requires publications and such to match into it. Of course, it never hurts. But there are plenty of people with good med school ranks and Step 1 scores--but little or no research experience--who match into good EM programs.

Good luck!

 

[failedatlife]

I would quit the research, and start playing football. See if you can win a Rhodes scholarship in arbitrary field and make the NFL. Play in the NFL for one season and then return to medical school. Bam, you will be competitive for lots of programs in even a very competitive field even with NO research and a LOW step 1. True story bro, true story