Summer between OMS-I and OMS-II

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BrutusTheDO

BrutusTheDO

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Hey Everyone!

I just finished my first semester of medical school and am wondering what I should do during the summer between my first and second years of medical school? I know a few people are doing medical missions, but I was wondering if anyone knew of any other options? Like most medical students, I don't have much money so anything that earns somewhat of an income would be nice.

Thank you very much for your input!
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Please do not make the huge mistake of doing something medical. Do NOTHING!
 
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I would recommend doing a research project, and preferably getting your name on the paper/abstract. This will help tremendously when you have to compete with MD students for good residency spots.

Doing research in 3rd/4th years is much harder b/c there is no more than 1 month of dedicated elective time for research. Most people in 3rd/4th year have to do a 1 month of research and then finish up on their own in the evenings or weekends while on other rotations.
 
Igor4sugry said:
I would recommend doing a research project, and preferably getting your name on the paper/abstract. This will help tremendously when you have to compete with MD students for good residency spots.

Doing research in 3rd/4th years is much harder b/c there is no more than 1 month of dedicated elective time for research. Most people in 3rd/4th year have to do a 1 month of research and then finish up on their own in the evenings or weekends while on other rotations.
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Research! :thumbup:
 
DO NOT bother doing research. Sorry to tell you this but WHO cares if you do 1-3 months of research. Not impressive at all. GO TO EUROPE, go feed the poor in Central America and do something you will never get a chance to do again. Enjoy it!
 
You should prob listen to everyone who's telling you to take a va-ca. I just finished my first semester as well and will most likely want to take a break after this up-coming semester, especially b/c the road will only get more and more difficult as the years pass by.
 
AAMC put out "Charting Outcomes of the 2007 Match" https://services.aamc.org/publicati...ion=Product.displayForm&prd_id=197&prv_id=238

If you look on page 18 of this pdf document, you will see that even 64% of those matching into Family Medicine reported participating in a research experience; and 36% of those matching into family med had a publication/abstract/presentation. Now for the other specialties 50%+ of the applicants had a publication/research/abstract.

Although the paper mentions that research has less effect on a successful match, I feel that research has become similar to being in National Honor Society, etc.; -> its just something you have to do, and put on your record; its part of the game.
 
I'm going to go research the atmospheric effects of European weather on drunk backpacker girls.
 
Igor4sugry said:
AAMC put out "Charting Outcomes of the 2007 Match" https://services.aamc.org/publicati...ion=Product.displayForm&prd_id=197&prv_id=238

If you look on page 18 of this pdf document, you will see that even 64% of those matching into Family Medicine reported participating in a research experience; and 36% of those matching into family med had a publication/abstract/presentation. Now for the other specialties 50%+ of the applicants had a publication/research/abstract.

Although the paper mentions that research has less effect on a successful match, I feel that research has become similar to being in National Honor Society, etc.; -> its just something you have to do, and put on your record; its part of the game.
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The problem is......and I say this as someone who has been in research for 13 years and has many publications, already, with my name on them........... it is completely impossible to do any research of real value in 1 - 3 months and anyone who has ever been involved in any real research project knows this. The only possibillity in a summer would be for you to walk into an already up-and-running project, add a little bit to it (something trumped up by a PI to let you "get your hands wet") and have a PI willing to publish your name in the list, just as an "I-am-willing-to-do-this-to-'help'-your-career-and-not-b/c-you-have-actually-made-any-real-contribution" kind of thing. ..... I have been involved in many projects of the like with undergrads and med students. PIs sit around and dream up little "mini projects" that will not hurt the lab too much and that will maybe (emphasize maybe) allow them to put your name on a publication......kind of a running joke. No offense meant to anyone, cause I had undergrad professors who did the same for me, lol, but ..... so not worth it!!!!!
Significant research projects take years, not months. Most of the intelligent people on selection commitees realize this.



TAKE A VACATION!!!!! I plan to play with my kids all summer and do a bit of travelling. :)
 
Does research before med school count? My full time job is in public health research for 1.5 years by the time I start OMS-I will that help or does only research done as a medical student count?
 
Surgery4FoSho said:
DO NOT bother doing research. Sorry to tell you this but WHO cares if you do 1-3 months of research. Not impressive at all. GO TO EUROPE, go feed the poor in Central America and do something you will never get a chance to do again. Enjoy it!
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go to europe and do research and see if your school will pay for it. my school paid for me to do a project at oxford in the UK. i only worked about 5 hours a day and i got a second author title on an ortho project. the rest of the time i toured the UK and when the project was over i backpacked around europe.

edit: if you dont do research, dont study anything.
 
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Heidiho said:
The problem is......and I say this as someone who has been in research for 13 years and has many publications, already, with my name on them........... it is completely impossible to do any research of real value in 1 - 3 months and anyone who has ever been involved in any real research project knows this. The only possibillity in a summer would be for you to walk into an already up-and-running project, add a little bit to it (something trumped up by a PI to let you "get your hands wet") and have a PI willing to publish your name in the list, just as an "I-am-willing-to-do-this-to-'help'-your-career-and-not-b/c-you-have-actually-made-any-real-contribution" kind of thing. ..... I have been involved in many projects of the like with undergrads and med students. PIs sit around and dream up little "mini projects" that will not hurt the lab too much and that will maybe (emphasize maybe) allow them to put your name on a publication......kind of a running joke. No offense meant to anyone, cause I had undergrad professors who did the same for me, lol, but ..... so not worth it!!!!!
Significant research projects take years, not months. Most of the intelligent people on selection commitees realize this.



TAKE A VACATION!!!!! I plan to play with my kids all summer and do a bit of travelling. :)
Click to expand...

While there is some truth to what you're saying, if you pick the right lab you can get your own project done within that 1-3 month timeframe. I had a project that went from merely an idea to being complete within 8 weeks, and had a paper out and accepted shortly thereafter. It can be done.

I'm inclined myself to find a research project for the summer, but I've got no idea where to start. Sucks we have such short break, so I'm not eligible for most internships.
 
beachblonde said:
While there is some truth to what you're saying, if you pick the right lab you can get your own project done within that 1-3 month timeframe. I had a project that went from merely an idea to being complete within 8 weeks, and had a paper out and accepted shortly thereafter. It can be done.

I'm inclined myself to find a research project for the summer, but I've got no idea where to start. Sucks we have such short break, so I'm not eligible for most internships.
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Cell culture work?
 
Physio Doc 2 Be said:
Cell culture work?
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Nope, but that would fit the bill, wouldn't it?

You probably can't push through clinical stuff that fast unless it's a chart review or journal review. I vote chart review-mind numbing to a degree, yes, but if you're fast you can fly through those things.
 
beachblonde said:
Nope, but that would fit the bill, wouldn't it?

You probably can't push through clinical stuff that fast unless it's a chart review or journal review. I vote chart review-mind numbing to a degree, yes, but if you're fast you can fly through those things.
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I'm impressed if you did an animal study, but I'm also working on a project that requires 12 weeks pre-t(x) before you can touch an animal. Sounds like a pretty sweet setup in the lab and you must have hit the ground running! :thumbup:

Chart review would be tedious but man, could you accumulate a crap load of data really quickly.
 
Bones DO said:
Does research before med school count? My full time job is in public health research for 1.5 years by the time I start OMS-I will that help or does only research done as a medical student count?
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Yea I am wondering the same thing! Does anyone know if this is true?
 
I've been told (by a rather snotty PD from a snotty hospital) that research always seems good on paper, but that they laugh at your application if it only has one month of research on it. I have to agree in some ways. It practically takes an entire month just to be trained on doing half the stuff / understanding the project. I worked at a lab before med school and continued that project during the summer between my OMS-I to II, and dropped by occasionally during spring break / holidays. It was more useful to me as an experience to do this because I could see the project expanding and growing over the year, and I had already been trained in the month prior, and was able to pick up more smoothly and be more independent in the lab after that month of proving myself to not be a ginormous waste of money and resources. :laugh:

If it's only for the sake of having something in your resume, I would forgo the month research.
 
HopefulDoc1984 said:
go to europe and do research and see if your school will pay for it. my school paid for me to do a project at oxford in the UK. i only worked about 5 hours a day and i got a second author title on an ortho project. the rest of the time i toured the UK and when the project was over i backpacked around europe.

edit: if you dont do research, dont study anything.
Click to expand...

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: This is what I am going to try to do. The GF is doing her PhD in England so I have an in at her university. I need to try to convince my school to give me a stipend to do it though :laugh: They have summer research positions at the school but I'm not sure if they will offer the same for someone who wants to research off campus. Mind PMing me how you went about it and where you go?
 
Do you guys know of anything clinical after MS-1

I have two years of research prior to med school with one publication. I have real doubts that research project can be achived in two months, but that's just me..... (please dont lash out on me, i know some people get it done)

So please comment on clinical oportunities after MS-1, btw i want to do anesthesiology. I am just looking for advise and things that people do.

Thanks!!!
 
HopefulDoc1984 said:
go to europe and do research and see if your school will pay for it. my school paid for me to do a project at oxford in the UK. i only worked about 5 hours a day and i got a second author title on an ortho project. the rest of the time i toured the UK and when the project was over i backpacked around europe.

edit: if you dont do research, dont study anything.
Click to expand...

My original plan was to spend 1-2 months backpacking across Europe, but this sounds much better :thumbup:
 
I plan on sleeping in & getting drunk everyday, just sayin
 
I spent my summer in Ghana being first assist on 20 different direct herniorrhaphies. I rotated through different wards of the hospital and had myself an AWESOME time. I'm also the kind of person who likes roughing it. Being pimped, along with 5 other med school friends who joined me on this trip, every morning certainly helped me understand my second year material better.

I've also been a third author, second author and most recently accepted into publication as primary author all through Albert Einstein College of Medicine. I was there, seriously, an ENTIRE YEAR before I matriculated into medical school, so I personally find it difficult to believe that 3 months of even the most admirable work ethics can get your name on a notable research paper... Wait Correction, my work was in the basic sciences for nuclear medicine... HOWEVER, I DO believe that clinical research can be done in that time... So, I would suggest clinical research above the basic science research.

But honestly, do what you are interested in! It's easy to say that you'll do nothing, but doing something that's interesting to you will make you a much more interesting person. This is the LAST SUMMER you'll have to do something interesting FOR YOURSELF for a long time. Good luck with your choices!
 
Rather than starting a new thread, I figured I'd bump this, since it touches on some of the above points.

I'm in my first year and I'm considering my options for the summer. I'd like to do something that will be at least somewhat beneficial when it comes time to apply for residency. I don't plan on going into anything incredibly competitive, but I'd prefer to keep doors open, as well as making it easier to match where I want.

People frequently talk about doing research, but how do you go about getting into it? It's almost completely unheard of at my program, so I'd expect I'd need to pursue it elsewhere. For those of you who have done it, how did you go about setting it up, and where did you look? Is it of next to no value if you're only doing it over the summer, as people indicated earlier in this thread?

I have classmates who are talking about doing a medical mission trip, which sounds like it might be interesting. But they're expensive, and they don't do much for a residency application, do they?

I've also been considering trying to set something up with some of the EM physicians I worked with prior to medical school to see if they'd let me do some shadowing, as well as allowing me to practice the minimal skillset and knowledge base I'd accumulate over the year (H&P and present it to them, for example). Again, I doubt it would be of much help when applying for residency, but it might help a bit with my performance on rotations.

I don't have the means to travel the world, and while I'm planning on doing some of the whole "sleep, get drunk and play video games" thing, I don't want that to be the extent of my summer.
 
Druggernaut said:
Rather than starting a new thread, I figured I'd bump this, since it touches on some of the above points.

I'm in my first year and I'm considering my options for the summer. I'd like to do something that will be at least somewhat beneficial when it comes time to apply for residency. I don't plan on going into anything incredibly competitive, but I'd prefer to keep doors open, as well as making it easier to match where I want.

People frequently talk about doing research, but how do you go about getting into it? It's almost completely unheard of at my program, so I'd expect I'd need to pursue it elsewhere. For those of you who have done it, how did you go about setting it up, and where did you look? Is it of next to no value if you're only doing it over the summer, as people indicated earlier in this thread?

I have classmates who are talking about doing a medical mission trip, which sounds like it might be interesting. But they're expensive, and they don't do much for a residency application, do they?

I've also been considering trying to set something up with some of the EM physicians I worked with prior to medical school to see if they'd let me do some shadowing, as well as allowing me to practice the minimal skillset and knowledge base I'd accumulate over the year (H&P and present it to them, for example). Again, I doubt it would be of much help when applying for residency, but it might help a bit with my performance on rotations.

I don't have the means to travel the world, and while I'm planning on doing some of the whole "sleep, get drunk and play video games" thing, I don't want that to be the extent of my summer.
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Now that I'm a first year, and a neurotic one at that, I'll be going home for the summer and either doing volunteer work there or back here (depending on how much time I spend back home). Of course I'm 99.99% I'll be shooting for FP/Psych with my .01% being internal med. Take that for what it's worth
 
Travel. Find a woman. Propose. Get Engaged. Get Married. Start a Family. Get Divorced. Recover. ????. Resume Medical School!
 
My view on this subject has changed and evolved over the years.

What I used to say: "Don't do anything...enjoy your time off and relax before starting your second year."

What I say now: "Do something important to you that will also be an enjoyable learning experience."
 
There are several summer programs for med students across the country if you google for medical student summer opportunities/medical student summer research - plenty of them have a history of taking DO students. I participated in one over the summer which has produced a poster presentation at a major conference. Yes, I spent my limited summer vacation basically working 8-5 five days a week... I still had weekends, still had fun, and I have something to show for it. Watching some of my classmates trying to fit research experience in now, I'm confident that I made the right choice. You have to do something you like, though. I actually enjoyed the work I did this summer.

Don't feel like if your grades aren't stellar that you can't get into one of these programs. Lord knows I am nowhere near the top of my class (another reason why I made this a priority). Most deadlines for these programs are in early/mid January, so now is the time to get your application together.
 
Daedra22 said:
There are several summer programs for med students across the country if you google for medical student summer opportunities/medical student summer research - plenty of them have a history of taking DO students. I participated in one over the summer which has produced a poster presentation at a major conference. Yes, I spent my limited summer vacation basically working 8-5 five days a week... I still had weekends, still had fun, and I have something to show for it. Watching some of my classmates trying to fit research experience in now, I'm confident that I made the right choice. You have to do something you like, though. I actually enjoyed the work I did this summer.

Don't feel like if your grades aren't stellar that you can't get into one of these programs. Lord knows I am nowhere near the top of my class (another reason why I made this a priority). Most deadlines for these programs are in early/mid January, so now is the time to get your application together.
Click to expand...

I may only be OMS-0 right now (is that a real term? haha) but I like to think ahead on stuff like this. I knew there were summer research programs for undergraduates, but I didn't think there were for med students too. Awesomeee! Thanks for the heads up, time to google stuff
 
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