Question on Research Experience and CaRMS

[ClassicMilkTea]

Hey everyone, so I've just finished my first year of med and have begun to get involved in a couple of research projects. I recently realized that all my research projects are under the supervision of PIs who are not MDs and hearing about other upper years' experiences with research it seems like its beneficial that a research project be done under an MD so that you can build a relationship with them, gain connections with others in the field and possibly get a reference letter too. Am I at a disadvantage here? And do you think it would be rude if I backed out of one of my research projects now in order to take on one that'll be under an MD? (wont be starting it till September and have only done lab training for it, also not getting paid for it at all either, but the PI has done all the necessary paperwork to get me set up and we've ironed out the details of the project so I kinda feel bad) Any suggestions, ideas or advice would be much appreciated, Thanks!!

[bearded frog]

There are a lot of factors that go into what makes research appreciated in terms of CaRMS, or career prestige, etc. We can only talk in generalities and it’s not clear if some factors are more important than others because it’s looked at as a whole. The usual recommendation is clinical > bench research. I agree that having a MD supervise research is often an advantage because perhaps they are known in their field, or you can do electives with them and they can write an LOR on both your clinical and research aspects. That being said, non-MDs do important clinical research that can be highly impactful, so I would hesitate to mane research decisions based solely on the letters after the PI’s name, but take into account all the aspects and what would be best for you do do for your career.