Yet Another Research Year Advice Thread

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Viscousbike

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I've been looking through a lot of the research advice threads but none really answer the questions I'm looking for (sorry to have to make another).

I'm an M3 that only recently decided on Dermatology and am currently in the midst of planning a research year. I have okay stats but zero publications. Given my personal life it would be extremely advantageous to stay in my current city. However, there are no "official" dermatology fellowships. My home department also doesn't have a ton of active clinical research going on. This really only leaves basic science with a PhD that doesn't publish heavily as an option.

My main questions are:
1)How important is who you are researching with? Does it matter that its a PhD? I know this person will be a big LOR for me.
2)I know publication can be tough in basic science. Would a couple poster publications okay?
3)Is spending free time working on case reports etc from outside faculty to boost the number of publications a good idea? Or does this make it seem like I'm not taking my primary research seriously?

Any other advice about research years would be greatly appreciated. I just don't want to look back a year from now and think "what have I done, I have nothing to show".

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I've been looking through a lot of the research advice threads but none really answer the questions I'm looking for (sorry to have to make another).

I'm an M3 that only recently decided on Dermatology and am currently in the midst of planning a research year. I have okay stats but zero publications. Given my personal life it would be extremely advantageous to stay in my current city. However, there are no "official" dermatology fellowships. My home department also doesn't have a ton of active clinical research going on. This really only leaves basic science with a PhD that doesn't publish heavily as an option.

My main questions are:
1)How important is who you are researching with? Does it matter that its a PhD? I know this person will be a big LOR for me.
2)I know publication can be tough in basic science. Would a couple poster publications okay?
3)Is spending free time working on case reports etc from outside faculty to boost the number of publications a good idea? Or does this make it seem like I'm not taking my primary research seriously?

Any other advice about research years would be greatly appreciated. I just don't want to look back a year from now and think "what have I done, I have nothing to show".

1) It is very important and the #1 determinant of where you should pursue your research year. Who are you doing the research with? Are they well known within dermatology? Do they have a good track history of matching their research fellow? If there is no associated program, does your research PI have a good track history of at least ensuring their research fellow matches somewhere? If the answers to those questions are yes and the PI will write you a great LOR, then you've found the right person.

2) Publications can certainly be tough in basic science. The general advice is that the more you can publish, the better. Anecdotally, I've met students who have taken a year off and gotten 10+ publications even in a basic science lab. I've also met students who had zero publications despite taking the year off but still matched because their PI was influential enough to get them in somewhere. In general, opt for the lab that publishes more.

3) I think it is absolutely fine to spend your free time working on case reports from outside faculty (and is probably easier to do during a research year as opposed to the clinical years of med school). Of course, you'll have to remember that your primary research comes first.

In general, I haven't met very many medical students who regretted taking time off to pursue a research year. The one who did ignored all my advice: did a research year with someone with little to no influence within the world of dermatology, did a research year with someone who published sparingly, and in the end, ended up feeling like he had wasted an entire year of his life. Do the opposite and you should be just fine :)
 
I've been looking through a lot of the research advice threads but none really answer the questions I'm looking for (sorry to have to make another).

I'm an M3 that only recently decided on Dermatology and am currently in the midst of planning a research year. I have okay stats but zero publications. Given my personal life it would be extremely advantageous to stay in my current city. However, there are no "official" dermatology fellowships. My home department also doesn't have a ton of active clinical research going on. This really only leaves basic science with a PhD that doesn't publish heavily as an option.

My main questions are:
1)How important is who you are researching with? Does it matter that its a PhD? I know this person will be a big LOR for me.
2)I know publication can be tough in basic science. Would a couple poster publications okay?
3)Is spending free time working on case reports etc from outside faculty to boost the number of publications a good idea? Or does this make it seem like I'm not taking my primary research seriously?

Any other advice about research years would be greatly appreciated. I just don't want to look back a year from now and think "what have I done, I have nothing to show".

If the faculty member is a PhD only, and not a MD-PhD, I would be weary. You want a mentor with a medical degree who at least is involved in residency training in someway. Certainly, there are some prolific PhDs, but a clinical dermatology faculty knows they aren't going to be prepared to really comment on how you would function outside of a research setting.

I also would personally suggest to avoid basic science unless this is something you want to do for a your career (and, honestly, if you're not a MD-PhD and don't have a ton of basic science background and publications already, they know you aren't going to be). Clinical research is much easier to publish in and probably more relevant to your career. You could actually use that experience in your essays/interviews as a new skillset that will make you a more valuable attending physician in the future, etc.

Just my two cents.
 
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