How should I go about contacting local docs/residents to get involved in research? (incoming M1)

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CCmetal94

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Incoming M1 at KCU interested in emergency medicine with no prior research experience. I've have a list and contact info of EM DO's on faculty at local MDs school. I planned on shooting them emails, but wasn't exactly sure how I should word it and what I should (or shouldn't) say.

I planned on including my resume (3 years of clinical work in the ER as a scribe and phlebotomist). What should I say in my initial Email? Should I say upfront I have no research experience, but am looking to become a more competitive EM applicant in the future?

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Also incoming M1, but with research experience. I'd say:
-wait until the end of your first semester (or several months) before reaching out since research can vary widely in time requirements. You don't want your first experience to end up going poorly due to unfamiliarity with the subject, still establishing medical school time management methods, and the demands that will be drawing you into your primary courses.
-frame it (at least in the beginning) as experience for exposure rather than competitiveness.
 
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I'll give you guys the advice that has helped me land a research gig at one of the nearby MD schools. Your situations I don't think will be as bad as mine.

1) Figure out what types of research you want to do (if uncertain and are considering a hyper competitive field look for a broad topic like cancer)
2) Start looking early for a mentor (a few months into first semester)
3) Look at google scholar and pubmed for publications --> it will give you a talking point in your emails and you will know how productive in research your mentor is
4) Talk to a school mentor about how to frame your email --> I did this and my mentor was helpful (I didn't need much tweaking since I am used to sending formal emails to people).
5) As mentioned about, talk about your interest in the field and their research in your email --> this will help give context to your email and prevent it from being bland. However, don't make the email too long otherwise they will be turned off.
6) For the CV, make sure you run it by your school mentor also. My mentor gave some good tips (I was used to writing resumes so, there was barely much for her to say to help improve it more). Make sure to front load your most relevant experiences (first pages of CV) and most recent ones.
7) Make sure you are at an okay point before pursuing research (most people in my school started 1st year second semester or summer)

Don't mention about the lack of experience on your initial email. It should show your enthusiasm about working with the research. They will ask you about your research experience later and then just tell them you don't have any currently, but are willing to learn. They care about your enthusiasm more so than your experience.

Remember most important thing is surviving your classes first, research comes later. Good luck
 
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I second everything Islandstyle808 mentioned. A lot of university websites have bios of their professors and on the most recent research that they've conducted. I actually read a few of my PIs papers before I contacted her. You can usually find their papers through pubmed or your school's online catalogs for free. Make sure if you're going to spend the time to do research, find a mentor that's working with something you're interested in. Don't just do research because it checks off a box for your CV otherwise it'll be a miserable experience for you.
 
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I'll give you guys the advice that has helped me land a research gig at one of the nearby MD schools. Your situations I don't think will be as bad as mine.

1) Figure out what types of research you want to do (if uncertain and are considering a hyper competitive field look for a broad topic like cancer)
2) Start looking early for a mentor (a few months into first semester)
3) Look at google scholar and pubmed for publications --> it will give you a talking point in your emails and you will know how productive in research your mentor is
4) Talk to a school mentor about how to frame your email --> I did this and my mentor was helpful (I didn't need much tweaking since I am used to sending formal emails to people).
5) As mentioned about, talk about your interest in the field and their research in your email --> this will help give context to your email and prevent it from being bland. However, don't make the email too long otherwise they will be turned off.
6) For the CV, make sure you run it by your school mentor also. My mentor gave some good tips (I was used to writing resumes so, there was barely much for her to say to help improve it more). Make sure to front load your most relevant experiences (first pages of CV) and most recent ones.
7) Make sure you are at an okay point before pursuing research (most people in my school started 1st year second semester or summer)

Don't mention about the lack of experience on your initial email. It should show your enthusiasm about working with the research. They will ask you about your research experience later and then just tell them you don't have any currently, but are willing to learn. They care about your enthusiasm more so than your experience.

Remember most important thing is surviving your classes first, research comes later. Good luck

This is solid advice.

I am also an incoming M1 at KCU and I will not be seeking out research until at least second semester M1. I have extensive research experience and I know how time-consuming some research can be so I am looking to get a solid foundation in my courses and learn how much time I can offer to PI's before I seek anything out. Grades>research.
 
Also interested in this, but for ENT. Would it be a good idea to ask for shadowing in the beginning of the year to establish contact and then later on when you're prepared ask to get into research with them?

If so, how would you frame the initial email?
 
Also interested in this, but for ENT. Would it be a good idea to ask for shadowing in the beginning of the year to establish contact and then later on when you're prepared ask to get into research with them?

If so, how would you frame the initial email?

If they are a preceptor for your school, a simple email saying you want to shadow will suffice. I am currently trying to shadow someone at the moment, and the physician was very happy to have me shadow her. Shadowing isn't too time consuming for them.

You have to remember that not all academic faculty are publishing regularly. So the person you shadow may not be that involved in the research game, even though they are apart of an academic institution. I highly suggest you check their publication history as mentioned in my first post. If they are not publishing with a 2 year interval, then it might not be a good idea to do research with them. They may not be wanting to do research at the moment or they maybe putting it in the back burner, you don't know.

However, if the person has a good balance of the two, then just do a simple email saying you want to shadow. When you are shadowing, ask her if she has any research going on. Just say you are looking around and are not sure what type of research you are interested in. Don't dive into a project unless you are sure your professor is proactive in research.
 
I'll give you guys the advice that has helped me land a research gig at one of the nearby MD schools. Your situations I don't think will be as bad as mine.


1) Figure out what types of research you want to do (if uncertain and are considering a hyper competitive field look for a broad topic like cancer)
2) Start looking early for a mentor (a few months into first semester)
3) Look at google scholar and pubmed for publications --> it will give you a talking point in your emails and you will know how productive in research your mentor is
4) Talk to a school mentor about how to frame your email --> I did this and my mentor was helpful (I didn't need much tweaking since I am used to sending formal emails to people).
5) As mentioned about, talk about your interest in the field and their research in your email --> this will help give context to your email and prevent it from being bland. However, don't make the email too long otherwise they will be turned off.
6) For the CV, make sure you run it by your school mentor also. My mentor gave some good tips (I was used to writing resumes so, there was barely much for her to say to help improve it more). Make sure to front load your most relevant experiences (first pages of CV) and most recent ones.
7) Make sure you are at an okay point before pursuing research (most people in my school started 1st year second semester or summer)

Don't mention about the lack of experience on your initial email. It should show your enthusiasm about working with the research. They will ask you about your research experience later and then just tell them you don't have any currently, but are willing to learn. They care about your enthusiasm more so than your experience.

Remember most important thing is surviving your classes first, research comes later. Good luck

Regarding looking for a mentor:
Do you mean one of my professors? Do I just talk to them after class or during office hours? I was never the student talked to my professors in undergrad.
 
Regarding looking for a mentor:
Do you mean one of my professors? Do I just talk to them after class or during office hours? I was never the student talked to my professors in undergrad.

Not sure if this is true for all school. My school assigned me a mentor to help me through the rigors of medical school. I hit the jackpot with my mentor since she is very used to teaching medical school and has worked with students in the past. She is a very down to earth person also.

Your school might assign you to a mentor and this is the person to ask the question to. However, you can pick and choose a professor who you want to confinde in as your mentor. There are times where you may pass them through the hall and so take that time to talk with some of them. There are some who you click with more than others. So I would suggest sending an email to that person (who you click with) asking for tips on how to go about research and you would like to meet them during their office hours. Then ask them if they can help you with crafting a cover letter (i.e. an introductory email asking a professor if you can do research with them).

Medical school is a different battle field where it kind of pays to have a mentor who can help you with adjusting and succeeding in medical school.
 
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