Doing research... how to find good mentors?

[averagemedstudent]

I was chatting  with student wellness at my school and I was told that sometimes preceptors would get you to finish research projects, but still wound not help you with your CaRMS applications or provide you advise with specialty regarding the specialty that you are applying to.. Kind like take advantage of you. 

I heard that usually happens for the very competitive specialties.. How do you make sure that you are doing research with a good preceptor who won't take advantage of you?

[Pakoon]

If we are talking super competitive specialities, them giving you the opportunity to publish research with them is the help.i have heard plenty of people spend months looking for someone to take them on for research. Sometimes them knowing who you/ having an appreciation for your work ethic can also go a long way.

[Aetherus]

I’m a senior resident in a top 3 competitive program. I would say asking the residents and senior medical students interested in the same specialty is a good starting point. From my experience there are a few different types of mentors you can find through research. It mostly depends on their philosophy. As you have mentioned, certain staff get you to put the effort into the project but don’t let you present or be first author and won’t write you a reference letter. You want to avoid these staff as they are using you as free labour. The second type of staff often has many medical students working for them and run it like a business. You put in work and your remuneration will be a reference letter. It’s somewhat transactional and they aren’t necessarily invested in your success but can help you achieve your goal. Finally the third type of staff is the one who takes you under their wing and cares about your success and gives you opportunities instead of tasks. This is the ultimate staff to work with but also the hardest. Asking around and meeting people is the best way to try to find out who you work well with.