Taking an LOA for research?

[de_mon_vivant]

Hello all,

I am an incoming first year starting in August, and I was wondering if I could receive some advice on whether I should take an LOA for research after my FIRST year.

After graduating from college, I have been working as a research tech in a basic science lab (immunology) for a few years. My time there has fortunately been fruitful, as I was able to submit a paper to a mid-to-high impact score journal, which hopefully will be published within this year. There are a few projects going on in the lab, and I hope to help out next year after my first year in med school.

However, it would mean I’d have to take an LOA for a year, and I was wondering if it would be worth it. Not sure if this information would help, but the specialty of interest at the moment is Heme/Onc. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

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[GoSpursGo]

A number of schools have a "research track" where you can do a research year and you don't have to take an LOA. If this lab is associated with your incoming school, then this seems like a good possibility, or they may even be able to let you do a research year with a mentor outside of your med school.

If it can't get worked in as part of some formal track, I probably wouldn't bother.

 

[de_mon_vivant]

A number of schools have a "research track" where you can do a research year and you don't have to take an LOA. If this lab is associated with your incoming school, then this seems like a good possibility, or they may even be able to let you do a research year with a mentor outside of your med school.

If it can't get worked in as part of some formal track, I probably wouldn't bother.

Thank you for your reply. I agree that it wouldn’t be the best idea to take an LOA for a research year. Are schools usually lenient in granting a non-LOA year for students like me if they don’t have such tracks/programs already available?

 

[BorntobeDO?]

Thank you for your reply. I agree that it wouldn’t be the best idea to take an LOA for a research year. Are schools usually lenient in granting a non-LOA year for students like me if they don’t have such tracks/programs already available?

What your describing doesn't sound like a LOA, its a research year. Your school should let you. Make someone in admin likes you tho, these things can be more fickle than expected at our fine Osteopathic institution.