Research as a Medical Student - Getting Started

[Wernicke123]

Hello all:

I'm currently a third year medical student, just finished my first rotation. I'm interested in doing some research, but have no idea how to get started. I go to a school where research is not a priority. I'm doing most of my rotations in different hospitals across the US, so the type of research I'd be doing would have to be something that can move around with me. I have some ideas as far as what type of research I want to do, but I need some guidance to get me started.

I have yet to contact anybody from my school, but like I said earlier I don't know of any faculty member I can go that is actively doing research (or a Student Research Coordinator or something like that).

Any hints/ideas/comments would be greatly appreciated!

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[relentless11]

Hello all:

I'm currently a third year medical student, just finished my first rotation. I'm interested in doing some research, but have no idea how to get started. I go to a school where research is not a priority. I'm doing most of my rotations in different hospitals across the US, so the type of research I'd be doing would have to be something that can move around with me. I have some ideas as far as what type of research I want to do, but I need some guidance to get me started.

I have yet to contact anybody from my school, but like I said earlier I don't know of any faculty member I can go that is actively doing research (or a Student Research Coordinator or something like that).

Any hints/ideas/comments would be greatly appreciated!

I'd call up professors at your school and ask. Pretty much the same thing that undergrads do. However since you are jumping around, you may find it challenging to find any lab that can provide you with meaningful research experience. Mainly because you need to set aside some time to "get up to speed" before you can work autonomously/remotely. I'm surprised that you are rotating across the US though. Most of our med students here reserve that for their 4th years when they are looking for potential residency positions. They're entrenched at our hospital and affiliate hospitals for their 3rd year. However I have run into 1-2 med students from somewhere far away before, but not often.

 

[QofQuimica]

Hello all:

I'm currently a third year medical student, just finished my first rotation. I'm interested in doing some research, but have no idea how to get started. I go to a school where research is not a priority. I'm doing most of my rotations in different hospitals across the US, so the type of research I'd be doing would have to be something that can move around with me. I have some ideas as far as what type of research I want to do, but I need some guidance to get me started.

I have yet to contact anybody from my school, but like I said earlier I don't know of any faculty member I can go that is actively doing research (or a Student Research Coordinator or something like that).

Any hints/ideas/comments would be greatly appreciated!

Realistically, you probably won't be able to do an actual research project if you can't physically be present to conduct the research in the lab or clinic. But you might be able to do something like a chart review, which you can do completely on a computer. You would put the data on a laptop and bring it with you to work on it in your spare time. I'd look for faculty at your school who are MD/PhDs or MD/MSs in heavily clinical departments like surgery or internal medicine; most people with a grad degree will be doing some sort of research. If you can't find any, then look for people with MDs who have any publications listed, and/or contact your Dean of Students to ask for suggestions on who might let you do a chart review. Oh, and if your school has any MPH faculty, they'd be good people to check with too. You might also try asking some of the M4s at your school if they or anyone they know have done chart reviews, and if so, which faculty will sponsor students to do them. Hope this helps, and best of luck to you.

 

[Wernicke123]

Relentless11 and QofQuimica:

Thank you for your comments and ideas. Lab research would definitely not fit my nomadic lifestyle, so it seems like a case report or a chart review would be something more plausible in my case. Is there a difference between the two?

Also, do you happen to know of any good websites or books that can give me a better idea about how to go about writing and publishing a case report/chart review? I will also be contacting some of the clinical professors in my school that are currently involved in some sort of research, see if they are willing to help me out.

Again, thanks for the help!

 

[DropkickMurphy]

I'm surprised that you are rotating across the US though.

I'm guessing the OP is an osteopathic student.

 

[QofQuimica]

Relentless11 and QofQuimica:

Thank you for your comments and ideas. Lab research would definitely not fit my nomadic lifestyle, so it seems like a case report or a chart review would be something more plausible in my case. Is there a difference between the two?

Also, do you happen to know of any good websites or books that can give me a better idea about how to go about writing and publishing a case report/chart review? I will also be contacting some of the clinical professors in my school that are currently involved in some sort of research, see if they are willing to help me out.

Again, thanks for the help!

Different journals and fields do things differently. It's best to wait until you choose a mentor; tell him/her that this is your first paper and ask for some guidelines. You can also look at some of the big journals in your mentor's field (i.e., the ones you might submit your manuscript to) and see how they organize their papers.

 

[suimedica]

About the avatar: It's a joke. No one should kill themselves over something stupid. However some of us developing a sense of humor certainly could not hurt.

Appreciate the sleeping-BEAR.