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Worried if I have enough research in med school


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Hi, I'm applying to CaRMS this upcoming cycle and am concerned about whether I have enough research. I'll be applying to peds and FM (unsure which I am more interested in at this point). In undergrad I didn't have any research experience and in med school I tried to get involved but really have no research background and am not sure if I did enough for these specialties. I'm especially concerned bc I have nothing 1st author. Also, are there certain peds or FM programs in the country that care more about research than others? 

Here is what I've done:

- 2 chart reviews (several participants, we all split the work equally and I won't be first author) - one peds, one FM/IM 

- 1 poster presentation (cancelled due to COVID but can I still list it on my application lol) - peds 

- 1 ongoing qualitative project which was disrupted by COVID as well, not sure when we'll finish or if I'll have a publication from it - peds 

I really feel like I didn't do enough but people have told me it's fine because peds and FM aren't research-heavy. Does anyone have any input on this? I'd really appreciate it. Thank you!

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I think what's more important is getting to be known to your local programs. Whether that is by doing research with them, or doing electives with them, you'll be better off than someone who they haven't met in another province. Demonstrate you are capable first hand, and you will certainly be picked!

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2 hours ago, youbesee said:

I think what's more important is getting to be known to your local programs. Whether that is by doing research with them, or doing electives with them, you'll be better off than someone who they haven't met in another province. Demonstrate you are capable first hand, and you will certainly be picked!

Thanks for this! Unfortunately my class won't have visiting electives but I like the idea of research. Do you how to get involved with research at schools other than your own? Is it kind of the same process (reaching out to people based on whose work interests you) or is there a different way?

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51 minutes ago, _gettingthere_ said:

Thanks for this! Unfortunately my class won't have visiting electives but I like the idea of research. Do you how to get involved with research at schools other than your own? Is it kind of the same process (reaching out to people based on whose work interests you) or is there a different way?

Best way I've found to get future projects is to have your current supervisors and people you know to make the connection on your behalf - naturally, docs always respond better when a doc they know is making the referral than if a student is cold emailing. Talk to docs you know and see who they know at other schools that might be working on projects of interest.

But echoing earlier points, absolutely no research needed for FM. Peds would benefit from research, especially if it happens to be a competitive year, but not a hugely research intensive specialty at most sites from what I've heard.

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23 minutes ago, Galaxsci said:

Best way I've found to get future projects is to have your current supervisors and people you know to make the connection on your behalf - naturally, docs always respond better when a doc they know is making the referral than if a student is cold emailing. Talk to docs you know and see who they know at other schools that might be working on projects of interest.

But echoing earlier points, absolutely no research needed for FM. Peds would benefit from research, especially if it happens to be a competitive year, but not a hugely research intensive specialty at most sites from what I've heard.

This is a great tip, thank you so much! I'm kind of nervous about this though because I've mostly worked with residents on projects and even if there was a staff supervisor, I had very little interaction with them. There is one staff who I did some work with and she needed help with some chart reviews during this COVID break, but I had way too much going on and wasn't able to help. I'm worried it'll seem sketchy now if all of a sudden I ask her to introduce me to someone when I wasn't able to help her. :/

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