What is the deal with research!?

[genelite]

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I am so confused about research as a medical student. I will start medical school Fall 2016 and I want to get going on this research business that everyone is talking about is important for med students. But I am so lost in how to get a meaningful research experience. The research I have done has been cleaning this and that, and putting together a database, etc etc. There is no way I am getting a publication and in actuality I have no real lab skills out of this kind of research. Also I do not know whether to do clinical or bench research. I want to do research because I am genuinely interested in contributing to a project in a meaningful way and because I want to be a competitive applicant for residencies. Can someone please help me out with this. Where do I look for research? Who do I approach? How do I get experience (to get the position they require experience)? How does a position develop from grunt work to actually working on a project and where do I get the skills from to carry out these projects and studies?
Thank you so much in advance for answering my questions

 

[Psai]

Normally people do research because there's a question they want to answer

 

[Goro]

You find out what that faculty researcher's interest are, and then go ask then if they have room in their lab for you. Also, seek out student researchers and get their advice.


So, do you like neuroscience? Role of oncogenes? Prevention of hypertension? Pick something!

I am so confused about research as a medical student. I will start medical school Fall 2016 and I want to get going on this research business that everyone is talking about is important for med students. But I am so lost in how to get a meaningful research experience. The research I have done has been cleaning this and that, and putting together a database, etc etc. There is no way I am getting a publication and in actuality I have no real lab skills out of this kind of research. Also I do not know whether to do clinical or bench research. I want to do research because I am genuinely interested in contributing to a project in a meaningful way and because I want to be a competitive applicant for residencies. Can someone please help me out with this. Where do I look for research? Who do I approach? How do I get experience (to get the position they require experience)? How does a position develop from grunt work to actually working on a project and where do I get the skills from to carry out these projects and studies?
Thank you so much in advance for answering my questions

 

[FindMeOnTheLinks]

Step by Step Guide:

1. Answer the question "What specialty am I interested in?" *

2. Find faculty who do research in the specialty you decided in step 1, do this by going on the department website at your school. Google search "XSOM Cardiology (or whatever specialty you want)" and then find the faculty bio page

3. Read faculty bios, and look at their publications sections. Read a few of the titles of their pubs, and see if it looks interesting to you. If yes, proceed to step 4.

4. Send email to that faculty, politely stating that you are interested in their research and you are wondering if you could help out. Many are very willing to have students help them out. If they don't respond or they say no, just email somebody else until they say yes. Somebody will say yes.

5. Meet with said faculty, figure out which projects they have going and how you can help, then get to work**

6. After finishing work, reevaluate your position - did you like the research? did you like your mentor? do you want to continue doing more research in this area? is your work going to be published? do you want to learn more about research methods so you can gain more responsibility and contribute more?

7. profit

8. ?????

Alternatively, if you are scared to send cold emails to faculty asking for research, you could contact the department head or residency program coordinator to ask them whats going on in the department. Your school may also have a student affairs office or something like that who can get you in touch with research mentors. Check around, ask older students, etc.


*if you don't know exactly what you want to do, that's okay, just pick something that is widely applicable ie something cancer related, or something that falls under the realm of IM. If you think you might have the slightest chance of wanting to do something competitive like ortho or derm or whatever it is, its better start research in that field early

**the best type of research for most beginning medical students will be retrospective (chart reviews). Basically, you will look in a bunch of patients' charts, find a few pieces of information, then put them in a big spreadsheet for later analysis. It takes essentially no expertise, it is pretty mindless work. Your mentor will (should) show you exactly how to login to the EHR to look at the charts, what information you are looking for, and how to find it. Then you type it into excel or whatever. Later on, maybe you will get to help with doing the stats or writing the actual manuscript. But at first you will most likely just be extracting data from the charts.

Like I said above, you will probably be wanting to do clinical research, because it is more easily published and much less time consuming than bench research.

You will likely have a biostats course in your first year of med school, this is where you will get the basics on research methods that might help you later on as you progress.

 

[Anicetus]

Normally people do research because there's a question they want to answer

Or the fact that now in 2016, it is a requirement for anything remotely competitive.

 

[jsquared91]

Step by Step Guide:

1. Answer the question "What specialty am I interested in?" *

2. Find faculty who do research in the specialty you decided in step 1, do this by going on the department website at your school. Google search "XSOM Cardiology (or whatever specialty you want)" and then find the faculty bio page

3. Read faculty bios, and look at their publications sections. Read a few of the titles of their pubs, and see if it looks interesting to you. If yes, proceed to step 4.

4. Send email to that faculty, politely stating that you are interested in their research and you are wondering if you could help out. Many are very willing to have students help them out. If they don't respond or they say no, just email somebody else until they say yes. Somebody will say yes.

5. Meet with said faculty, figure out which projects they have going and how you can help, then get to work**

6. After finishing work, reevaluate your position - did you like the research? did you like your mentor? do you want to continue doing more research in this area? is your work going to be published? do you want to learn more about research methods so you can gain more responsibility and contribute more?

7. profit

8. ?????

Alternatively, if you are scared to send cold emails to faculty asking for research, you could contact the department head or residency program coordinator to ask them whats going on in the department. Your school may also have a student affairs office or something like that who can get you in touch with research mentors. Check around, ask older students, etc.


*if you don't know exactly what you want to do, that's okay, just pick something that is widely applicable ie something cancer related, or something that falls under the realm of IM. If you think you might have the slightest chance of wanting to do something competitive like ortho or derm or whatever it is, its better start research in that field early

**the best type of research for most beginning medical students will be retrospective (chart reviews). Basically, you will look in a bunch of patients' charts, find a few pieces of information, then put them in a big spreadsheet for later analysis. It takes essentially no expertise, it is pretty mindless work. Your mentor will (should) show you exactly how to login to the EHR to look at the charts, what information you are looking for, and how to find it. Then you type it into excel or whatever. Later on, maybe you will get to help with doing the stats or writing the actual manuscript. But at first you will most likely just be extracting data from the charts.

Like I said above, you will probably be wanting to do clinical research, because it is more easily published and much less time consuming than bench research.

You will likely have a biostats course in your first year of med school, this is where you will get the basics on research methods that might help you later on as you progress.

This is a pretty great overview. And just be willing to do steps 1-7 over again until you find your fit. I stressed a bunch about finding a research project (required for our curriculum), but eventually ended up working on one that fits me and my career goals very well.

And don't discount the value of a PI who is willing to help you hone your research tools. As someone trying to make the jump from environmental microbiology research to community health, it's been incredibly helpful.