Tips for getting involved with clinical research as an M1

[deleted1012224]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hi All,

Incoming M1 at T20 institution. So far interested in either EM or Anes. I understand these aren't particularly research-oriented fields, but was hoping to get involved with clinical research sooner rather than later. Does anyone have specific tips for finding a good mentor(s) and identifying projects where there are opportunities for pubs? I have very little research experience and no pubs, so not entirely sure how to go about this process. Did most of you start by shadowing and having a conversation about their research before asking to join the research team?

Thanks!

 

[Darrow O'Lykos]

You can inquire with faculty that you meet, but you should also start scouting out different research teams at your school and its affiliated hospital sites, much of which is available online. I've worked as a senior research coordinator for a stroke neurology department for 5 years, and the list of studies in which we enroll was available on the hospital's webpage for our department. Each study was listed along with the PI on the study.

Different programs/initiatives within a hospital also tend to have what is called a "program coordinator", i.e.: Stroke Coordinators, Trauma Coordinators. Their scope is vast and not specific to research, but they will be good resources to contact to discover whom within their department is leading clinical research projects in the hospital. I worked semi-regularly with both such types of coordinators when initiating new clinical research projects in our network.

Just as a tip: really learn more about what it is that you are getting yourself into. We had med students inquire with us about ways they could participate, and oftentimes the only thing we needed them for were chart reviews, to which they'd say "oh yes please!" without actually knowing what chart reviews entail. They thought they could jump straight into publication-worthy activities without putting in the grunt work beforehand. A lot of PIs aren't going to entrust you with higher level stuff until you show you actually care and are interested in the goal of the project. A good place to start earning their trust is chart reviews leading up to things like grant submissions, background research, etc. But, you have to walk before you can run and whatnot.

 

[Chelsea FC]

Hi All,

Incoming M1 at T20 institution. So far interested in either EM or Anes. I understand these aren't particularly research-oriented fields, but was hoping to get involved with clinical research sooner rather than later. Does anyone have specific tips for finding a good mentor(s) and identifying projects where there are opportunities for pubs? I have very little research experience and no pubs, so not entirely sure how to go about this process. Did most of you start by shadowing and having a conversation about their research before asking to join the research team?

Thanks!

Why do you wanna do research in the first place? Especially like you know your interest doesn’t line up with research heavy fields ??? It’s normally a big time commitment that could be used doing other things you enjoy.

 

[Darrow O'Lykos]

Why do you wanna do research in the first place? Especially like you know your interest doesn’t line up with research heavy fields ??? It’s normally a big time commitment that could be used doing other things you enjoy.

My two bits: if OP is wanting to do EM, and given the job market prospects of EM, it probably wouldn't hurt matching to a better residency program to help stabilize job security. Having some clinical research experience will help OP potentially stand out for those spots. Not saying the same applies for the majority of EM programs though.

FWIW, 1 of the 2 directors of my department is an EM doc. EM does offer a lot of potential for research if you want it, and can be a great way to "pivot" later in an EM career. Most EM docs don't partake, but there are some like my director who get oodles of money in grants and money from pharma companies as well.

 

[Chelsea FC]

My two bits: if OP is wanting to do EM, and given the job market prospects of EM, it probably wouldn't hurt matching to a better residency program to help stabilize job security. Having some clinical research experience will help OP potentially stand out for those spots. Not saying the same applies for the majority of EM programs though.

FWIW, 1 of the 2 directors of my department is an EM doc. EM does offer a lot of potential for research if you want it, and can be a great way to "pivot" later in an EM career. Most EM docs don't partake, but there are some like my director who get oodles of money in grants and money from pharma companies as well.

Just seems kinda weird. We dont know how EM job market will be by the time they practice 7 years from now. And we have no idea if having clinical research in medical school would be helpful for their marketing prospects. OP already goes to a T20 school and will have a leg up on the competition without the need of a Step 1 score. Just wanted to know why they wanna do research because time is limited in medical school and could be spent doing so much more other things than research .

 

[djiboutiman]

All you need to do is contact people who do research at your school that you find interesting. You can also try to get in contact with your school‘s research department. No need to shadow (although you should to see if you like those fields). MSARF is a more formal program for anesthesiology research that I think will match you with a lab for a summer (Between your first and second year). The rule of thumb if you want publications is to do research with a PI who publishes often(at minimum every 3 years) and who includes medical students on the publication (usually the author without a PhD or MD/DO).

 

[NickNaylor]

Assuming you're at a large medical school within a broader university, there are almost certainly institutional resources to help get medical students connected with research faculty. "Cold calling" as mentioned above is certainly a strategy, but many large institutions to put forth some effort to try and connect students with faculty.

 

[Welshman]

There’s a lot of people dying to get involved in clinical research but don’t sleep on reviews and meta analyses. You essentially get to control the entire pace of the project yourself instead of waiting on coordinators and data collection which is definitely something to keep in mind

 

[aldol16]

Look at faculty bios and at their publication lists. Sometimes these aren't comprehensive so if you see someone with papers on topics you're interested in, you should PubMed them. See how productive they are and how long the author lists are. You should be looking for papers where they are the senior author because there's a fair degree of collaboration where people might get added to papers but didn't run the project themselves. In general, the more people on the paper, the less one-on-one interaction you'll have with the PI since they have a lot of people doing research with them. But at the same time, great opportunity to get your feet wet and get on some papers. On the other hand, PIs with smaller research groups will be less productive overall but you get to determine the pace of your projects and be a real force in the lab. You'll also likely get more 1-on-1 mentorship opportunities.

In terms of reaching out, just reach out to them directly or if they have a research coordinator, reach out via them. Sometimes a single email will get buried so if you don't get a response after a couple of weeks, try another email.

 

[deleted1012224]

Why do you wanna do research in the first place? Especially like you know your interest doesn’t line up with research heavy fields ??? It’s normally a big time commitment that could be used doing other things you enjoy.

Totally understand where your concern is coming from. I'm not wanting to get involved with research just for the sake of getting pubs, bolstering my CV, or becoming a more competitive residency applicant. I more so see it as a means of exploring the field(s) in more depth, gaining mentors along the way, and (hopefully) carving a niche interest for myself so that I can bring a unique skillset and knowledge base to my future colleagues and patients.

 

[deleted1012224]

You can inquire with faculty that you meet, but you should also start scouting out different research teams at your school and its affiliated hospital sites, much of which is available online. I've worked as a senior research coordinator for a stroke neurology department for 5 years, and the list of studies in which we enroll was available on the hospital's webpage for our department. Each study was listed along with the PI on the study.

Different programs/initiatives within a hospital also tend to have what is called a "program coordinator", i.e.: Stroke Coordinators, Trauma Coordinators. Their scope is vast and not specific to research, but they will be good resources to contact to discover whom within their department is leading clinical research projects in the hospital. I worked semi-regularly with both such types of coordinators when initiating new clinical research projects in our network.

Just as a tip: really learn more about what it is that you are getting yourself into. We had med students inquire with us about ways they could participate, and oftentimes the only thing we needed them for were chart reviews, to which they'd say "oh yes please!" without actually knowing what chart reviews entail. They thought they could jump straight into publication-worthy activities without putting in the grunt work beforehand. A lot of PIs aren't going to entrust you with higher level stuff until you show you actually care and are interested in the goal of the project. A good place to start earning their trust is chart reviews leading up to things like grant submissions, background research, etc. But, you have to walk before you can run and whatnot.

Appreciate your thoughtful insight! This is very helpful. Thanks!

 

[Redpancreas]

I understand these aren't particularly research-oriented fields, but was hoping to get involved with clinical research sooner rather than later.

Um...Why?

Totally understand where your concern is coming from. I'm not wanting to get involved with research just for the sake of getting pubs, bolstering my CV, or becoming a more competitive residency applicant. I more so see it as a means of exploring the field(s) in more depth, gaining mentors along the way, and (hopefully) carving a niche interest for myself so that I can bring a unique skillset and knowledge base to my future colleagues and patients.

Agree with Chelsea FC. This is very confusing. You mention that you aren't looking for publication to boost your CV but then seem interested in posts about people telling you how to get publications. Are you looking to research or are you just looking for mentorship because these two are very different. Research for medical students for the most part is basically chart reviewing and entering data into excel sheets under the direction of a mentor and it won't really effectively allow you to explore a field. In fact, you may not even go the attending as they often have research coordinators (fellows/residents they know) who tell you what to do so they don't have to deal with you. On the other hand, developing a longitudinal clinical mentorship with an attending through M1-4 will allow you to experience the field and provide useful clinical correlations to what you're learning. In your M3+ years, you can request to then do clinical work supervised by this mentor and then you can get a letter from said person. None of that requires research, but say through this mentorship you pick up a project that would be a bonus. A clinical mentorship would look like this:

M1 - Shadow them during ED shifts during the summer or during your weeks off.
M2- Continue to shadow, maybe at this point you can find a small research project.
M3-If you can, do your M3 elective with them as an ED/Anesthesia rotation.
M4- Do the rotation this year if you didn't get a chance in M4. Then get a letter.

What I would do is just chill for the first few weeks. It isn’t a race to find mentors immediately and the bigger priority is adjusting to medical school and classes. After a month or two at the earliest you should be settled in and at that point like posters above said your institution will have some form of list of mentors doing research. I don’t even know if that’s what you need but feel free to use that list to get in contact with attending physicians. Tell them you’re interested in their field and would love to gain more exposure in the field and are looking for a mentor. See where that goes.

 

[deleted1012224]

Um...Why?

Agree with Chelsea FC. This is very confusing. You mention that you aren't looking for publication to boost your CV but then seem interested in posts about people telling you how to get publications. Are you looking to research or are you just looking for mentorship because these two are very different. Research for medical students for the most part is basically chart reviewing and entering data into excel sheets under the direction of a mentor and it won't really effectively allow you to explore a field. In fact, you may not even go the attending as they often have research coordinators (fellows/residents they know) who tell you what to do so they don't have to deal with you. On the other hand, developing a longitudinal clinical mentorship with an attending through M1-4 will allow you to experience the field and provide useful clinical correlations to what you're learning. In your M3+ years, you can request to then do clinical work supervised by this mentor and then you can get a letter from said person. None of that requires research, but say through this mentorship you pick up a project that would be a bonus. A clinical mentorship would look like this:

M1 - Shadow them during ED shifts during the summer or during your weeks off.
M2- Continue to shadow, maybe at this point you can find a small research project.
M3-If you can, do your M3 elective with them as an ED/Anesthesia rotation.
M4- Do the rotation this year if you didn't get a chance in M4. Then get a letter.

What I would do is just chill for the first few weeks. It isn’t a race to find mentors immediately and the bigger priority is adjusting to medical school and classes. After a month or two at the earliest you should be settled in and at that point like posters above said your institution will have some form of list of mentors doing research. I don’t even know if that’s what you need but feel free to use that list to get in contact with attending physicians. Tell them you’re interested in their field and would love to gain more exposure in the field and are looking for a mentor. See where that goes.

Totally agree with you! The reason I asked about opportunities for pubs is that I equate those projects with a higher level of involvement and being more hands-on. Again, it would not just be for the sake of getting a pub. Like I said earlier, my research experience is very limited, so it would also partly be to see whether it's something I enjoy doing. The more direct clinical mentorship you describe is definitely what I'm looking for though. While I was thinking clinical research would be a more robust experience, it helps to know that I'd likely be doing mostly scut work without much direct interaction with the attending. Hopefully through shadowing and developing a longitudinal clinical mentorship, I can learn what their interests are and help with case reports or other smaller projects of the sort. Thanks again!

 

[deleted1012224]

Um...Why?

Agree with Chelsea FC. This is very confusing. You mention that you aren't looking for publication to boost your CV but then seem interested in posts about people telling you how to get publications. Are you looking to research or are you just looking for mentorship because these two are very different. Research for medical students for the most part is basically chart reviewing and entering data into excel sheets under the direction of a mentor and it won't really effectively allow you to explore a field. In fact, you may not even go the attending as they often have research coordinators (fellows/residents they know) who tell you what to do so they don't have to deal with you. On the other hand, developing a longitudinal clinical mentorship with an attending through M1-4 will allow you to experience the field and provide useful clinical correlations to what you're learning. In your M3+ years, you can request to then do clinical work supervised by this mentor and then you can get a letter from said person. None of that requires research, but say through this mentorship you pick up a project that would be a bonus. A clinical mentorship would look like this:

M1 - Shadow them during ED shifts during the summer or during your weeks off.
M2- Continue to shadow, maybe at this point you can find a small research project.
M3-If you can, do your M3 elective with them as an ED/Anesthesia rotation.
M4- Do the rotation this year if you didn't get a chance in M4. Then get a letter.

What I would do is just chill for the first few weeks. It isn’t a race to find mentors immediately and the bigger priority is adjusting to medical school and classes. After a month or two at the earliest you should be settled in and at that point like posters above said your institution will have some form of list of mentors doing research. I don’t even know if that’s what you need but feel free to use that list to get in contact with attending physicians. Tell them you’re interested in their field and would love to gain more exposure in the field and are looking for a mentor. See where that goes.

And I'll of course wait until I've gotten my bearings on the schoolwork before jumping into anything. Don't want to spread myself too thin before having a strong handle on my classes haha.

 

[Lawpy]

Good mentorship can help a lot in getting papers.

 

[Redpancreas]

Totally agree with you! The reason I asked about opportunities for pubs is that I equate those projects with a higher level of involvement and being more hands-on. Again, it would not just be for the sake of getting a pub. Like I said earlier, my research experience is very limited, so it would also partly be to see whether it's something I enjoy doing. The more direct clinical mentorship you describe is definitely what I'm looking for though. While I was thinking clinical research would be a more robust experience, it helps to know that I'd likely be doing mostly scut work without much direct interaction with the attending. Hopefully through shadowing and developing a longitudinal clinical mentorship, I can learn what their interests are and help with case reports or other smaller projects of the sort. Thanks again!

They won't be. No problem and good luck with however you choose to do it!