Volunteering at a Research Lab after MS1 year

[SD3321]

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Hi everyone,

I just wanted some other opinion on this matter. I'm close to my summer off and have no big plans yet. I know research is pretty important for residencies, however throughout my undergrad up to now I've never done any research at all. Just recently I've been offered to volunteer at a research lab most likely doing bench work and what not. My question is would this be worth to do in my summer off, given that it's not like a program where you get to present in the end. I'm also not to sure how volunteer researching looks from a resume standpoint. From the looks of what I read on SDN, the chances of getting published is pretty slim if you just volunteer and have had no experience in the past. My break is only 10 weeks long. I was also wondering if I don't do this , are there any other realistic times where I can get involved with research. Thanks for any advice.

 

[Psai]

Pick a specialty, find a mentor that has a bunch of data that you can write up and get to work. Little effort compared to bench research and people aren't going to go around reading your papers. Just don't do research reviews where they analyze large databases of patient data or do a metaanalysis of other papers because that's just lazy imo

 

[massmocha]

Pick a specialty, find a mentor that has a bunch of data that you can write up and get to work. Little effort compared to bench research and people aren't going to go around reading your papers. Just don't do research reviews where they analyze large databases of patient data or do a metaanalysis of other papers because that's just lazy imo

Agree, this is especially important if you know what specialty you'd like to go into already (don't feel bad if you don't) so you can publish in that area. Your chance of publishing is MUCH higher if you do clinical over the summer. And in the end, the residency app cares about poster presentations and publications (esp. first authors). So let a potential lab know this is your goal upfront.

 

[masaraksh]

sounds like a plan

 

[Pacna]

I've found great success in hitting up residents in a specialty I'm interested in. They're usually happy to have someone help them.

 

[SD3321]

I've found great success in hitting up residents in a specialty I'm interested in. They're usually happy to have someone help them.

Thanks for the input everyone, with regards to asking residencts. I do have a specialty in mind that I'd want to do. Did you just ask cold email residents if they had any clinical research/projects you could help out in?

 

[Pacna]

Thanks for the input everyone, with regards to asking residencts. I do have a specialty in mind that I'd want to do. Did you just ask cold email residents if they had any clinical research/projects you could help out in?

In my (admittedly limited) experience, I called the 'research director' associated with the program. She emailed all of the residents in my stead. I got many offers that way, and I got to pick the best one. 🙂

 

[sunealoneal]

Pick a specialty, find a mentor that has a bunch of data that you can write up and get to work. Little effort compared to bench research and people aren't going to go around reading your papers. Just don't do research reviews where they analyze large databases of patient data or do a metaanalysis of other papers because that's just lazy imo

Do you mind expanding a little? I'm in the same boat as OP. What's the difference between writing up the data from the mentor vs analyzing large databases of patient data? Were you alluding to a retrospective in your first example and a meta-analysis of other papers in your latter examples?

 

[cs24]

find a mentor that has a bunch of data that you can write up and get to work.

Just don't do research reviews where they analyze large databases of patient data or do a metaanalysis of other papers because that's just lazy imo

Wut. Literally the same thing.

 

[cs24]

find a mentor that has a bunch of data that you can write up and get to work.

Just don't do research reviews where they analyze large databases of patient data or do a metaanalysis of other papers because that's just lazy imo

.

 

[cs24]

Do you mind expanding a little? I'm in the same boat as OP. What's the difference between writing up the data from the mentor vs analyzing large databases of patient data? Were you alluding to a retrospective in your first example and a meta-analysis of other papers in your latter examples?

They appeared to be referring to a retrospective chart review as a "not lazy" research experience, and large database research/meta-analysis/systematic review as "lazy". I disagree with that perspective. A bench scientist could just as easily call them lazy for doing clinical projects rather than pure bench lab work, and it would be just as silly of a comparison. Each part has its place, when done well. Ultimately, when looking for research projects you should look for mentor quality, timeline to publication, authorship, funding, whether or not you find the project interesting, etc as has been discussed ad nauseum on this site. If you can find a project where you get significant responsibility, have a good PI, and that has authorship and publication potential within a reasonable timeline, you should go for it no matter what type of paper it is.

 

[Pacna]

Thanks for the input everyone, with regards to asking residencts. I do have a specialty in mind that I'd want to do. Did you just ask cold email residents if they had any clinical research/projects you could help out in?

In my (admittedly limited) experience, I called the 'research director' associated with the program. She emailed all of the residents in my stead. I got many offers that way, and I got to pick the best one. 🙂

 

[JP2740]

In my (admittedly limited) experience, I called the 'research director' associated with the program. She emailed all of the residents in my stead. I got many offers that way, and I got to pick the best one. 🙂

I feel like I'm experiencing déjà vu

 

[Merely]

What is happening in this thread lol people are just talking in circles. Can someone explain what that person means when referring to some research as lazy?