When to do research?

[uzzyman]

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So I'm a MS-2. I guess I missed the boat on doing any significant research during my MS-1 summer and I won't have time between now and 3rd year bc I'll be preparing for and taking step 1. I can't imagine having time during 3rd year, so when will I find time to get published and make my application competitive should I decide to apply to one of the more competitive specialties? Do you guys recommend taking a year off and applying to some of the 1 year research opportunities? It's probably too late for this cycle right? So should I do it between 3rd and 4th year? How would this work with my residency application process? Will I have enough time to get published before applying?

Sorry for all the questions at once... just had to clear this up. Thanks in advance.

 

[clinick82]

Hi uzzyman;
It really depends on your interest in research and what your residency interests are. The more competitive residencies (dermatology, plastic surgery, ophthalmology, etc.) will want you to have some research experience, however, if you are interested in less competitive residencies, having publications is less important. That being said, there are a few different ways you can get publications while in med school. If you do not want to take a year off, you can ask people in the department you are interested in if they have any ongoing projects that you can help with. You can do this during your free time during your third year. Also, during your third year you will occasionally have unique patients, and you can write up case reports. This isn't guaranteed and frequently these are difficult to get published, but it's another option. If you are interested in taking a year off, there are several paid one year research fellowships for medical students. Applications for these fellowships are due in January. People usually do this between their 2nd and 3rd year or between their 3rd and 4th year, but a handful chose to defer graduation and do it after their 4th year is over. I am currently taking a year off for research between my 3rd and 4th year because I wanted to complete step 1 and step 2 before I started my fellowship year. Personally, I am very happy with this decision and am having a fantastic research year. If you have any other questions about taking a year off, please let me know - I have a word document with detailed information on many of the different paid research fellowships that are available. Good luck! -C

 

[thesauce]

I'm also in a 1 year research fellowship and am having a blast. Besides being a rewarding opportunity, it's a great way to recharge your batteries. PM me if you want to know more. Good luck.

 

[Zweisamkeit]

So I'm a MS-2. I guess I missed the boat on doing any significant research during my MS-1 summer and I won't have time between now and 3rd year bc I'll be preparing for and taking step 1. I can't imagine having time during 3rd year, so when will I find time to get published and make my application competitive should I decide to apply to one of the more competitive specialties? Do you guys recommend taking a year off and applying to some of the 1 year research opportunities? It's probably too late for this cycle right? So should I do it between 3rd and 4th year? How would this work with my residency application process? Will I have enough time to get published before applying?

Sorry for all the questions at once... just had to clear this up. Thanks in advance.

Don't think that you missed out on not doing research during your MS-1 summer. There's not enough time to get anything significantly accomplished and from my understanding, you're extremely lucky if you can get published by doing research in only that allotted amount of time.

Whether or not you have enough time to get published before applying really depends. Your best bet is to take a year off and get involved in a very active lab.