Research?

[Hottstud0216]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I apologize if this is posted in the wrong area, as I am new to this board. I am currently a freshman in college, and have been interested in this field. I was reading numerous posts, and I came across one that said I should be researching now if I am interested in radiation oncology. So my question is, what kind of research should I be doing, and how do I get involved in it? I guess I am kind of clueless to that aspect of the field. Any response would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[pikachu]

As a freshman in college you should be concentrating on
1) do you even WANT to go to med school
2) how much non-medical knowledge (including getting to know yourself, and enjoying your time in college) can you get out of your college years - you will have more than enough time during med school to turn into a one-dimensional science nerd
NOT about what kind of research to do that will make you the best residency candidate possible for rad onc. Remember you have 4 years of college still ahead of you and 1-3 years of med school before you really have to make up your mind (although I'm increasingly convinced that the earlier in medical school you get involved with radiation oncology, the stronger candidate you will be).

That said, if you're really bent on doing research as a college student, this can certainly help you in the future. I just want to caution you about being so neurotic about your future career that you forget to enjoy the stage of your life you're in now. I wouldn't worry about exactly the nature of the research, anything remotely connected with clinical cancer research or basic science cell bio would be great for you.

Also, volunteer in the rad onc department (or even a medical oncology clinic or inpatient floor). Get to know some patients and try to think about whether you can see yourself working with cancer patients in the future.

 

[stephew]

I apologize if this is posted in the wrong area, as I am new to this board. I am currently a freshman in college, and have been interested in this field. I was reading numerous posts, and I came across one that said I should be researching now if I am interested in radiation oncology. So my question is, what kind of research should I be doing, and how do I get involved in it? I guess I am kind of clueless to that aspect of the field. Any response would be appreciated. Thank you.

if youre in madison wi, contact UWisc radonc. they're great.
BTW its perfectly normal for college froshs to have usernames like "hottstud". Its only disturbing when they're posting that way from med school 🙂

 

[Mulletfluf]

I am somewhat in the same boat. However, I would tend to agree with pikachu that the first decision you need to make is whether or not medicine is right for you.

Second, radiation oncology research is excellent. A greater emphasis is placed upon research in this area more so than other areas of medicine. However, that being said, research opportunities specific to radiation oncology are difficult to come by esp. for non-med students. Radiation oncology encompasses both academic and clinical research. Dont expect to get into a great deal of clinical research if any. I work in the field and Ive been doing my best to break into something, all to no avail.

As an undergrad your best bet would be to work in any research lab. The goal of research is not only to report findings but understand the process of research itself. Yet, whatever you do make sure that you have an active role. ADCOMS will question you on your research and superficial experiences will shine through. Your forward thinking will definitely pay off in the future. Best of luck

 

[stephew]

I am somewhat in the same boat. However, I would tend to agree with pikachu that the first decision you need to make is whether or not medicine is right for you.

Second, radiation oncology research is excellent. A greater emphasis is placed upon research in this area more so than other areas of medicine. However, that being said, research opportunities specific to radiation oncology are difficult to come by esp. for non-med students. Radiation oncology encompasses both academic and clinical research. Dont expect to get into a great deal of clinical research if any. I work in the field and Ive been doing my best to break into something, all to no avail.

As an undergrad your best bet would be to work in any research lab. The goal of research is not only to report findings but understand the process of research itself. Yet, whatever you do make sure that you have an active role. ADCOMS will question you on your research and superficial experiences will shine through. Your forward thinking will definitely pay off in the future. Best of luck

but remember: if you dont want to be in the lab you can get involved with clinical research.

 

[donvicious]

How does one get involved with a year of rad onc research after medical school?

I was not accepted into the summer cancer research projects to which I'd applied. I've settled for an unrelated project and I don't think I'll have another opportunity to do research before I graduate.

 

[jpro]

How does one get involved with a year of rad onc research after medical school?

I was not accepted into the summer cancer research projects to which I'd applied. I've settled for an unrelated project and I don't think I'll have another opportunity to do research before I graduate.

I was told by the PD of rad onc at MD Anderson that it doesn't really matter if you do research specifically in rad onc. The important part is that the research you do gets results and is worthy of being published or presented at conferences ect... Basically its much better to do a great project in diabetes than a crappy project in rad onc. You should have plenty of exposure to rad onc outside of research if you are interested in the field. If you can demonstrate that you can do a great research project than you can probably do great research in rad onc. Does that make sense?

 

[stephew]

i would say that's about right.