Clinical research opportunities

[REL]

Hello,

 

I'm a BC resident who is looking for clinical experience.

 

I'm wondering if anybody that checks this forum is doing clinical research in a hospital setting. I did not get accepted this year and have been looking around for a clinical research position where I can work for this upcoming year while I reapply.

 

A member of the old forum has been very helpful already in connecting me with her supervisor but unfortunately it didn't work out. I would love to get some more feedback on employment opportunities in clinical trials. I have extensive experience in academic research but I'm now looking for something with patient interaction. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[EMD]

Hello,

 

I'm a BC resident who is looking for clinical experience.

 

I'm wondering if anybody that checks this forum is doing clinical research in a hospital setting. I did not get accepted this year and have been looking around for a clinical research position where I can work for this upcoming year while I reapply.

 

A member of the old forum has been very helpful already in connecting me with her supervisor but unfortunately it didn't work out. I would love to get some more feedback on employment opportunities in clinical trials. I have extensive experience in academic research but I'm now looking for something with patient interaction. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

This was discussed a while back on the old board. I don't think you'll find someone that will let you do clinical work-- that is akin to what a doctor does. As a pre-clerkship student (i.e. year 1 & 2 of med school) you don't get this. So, I think you'd be hard pressed to find something as a premed. If you're looking for patient contact-- volunteering, IMHO, is the way to go. Counselling at something like Motherisk or Planned Parenthood-- is probably the closest you can get in terms of things that a physician does... short of doing some formal training program.

[Kirsteen]

This was discussed a while back on the old board. I don't think you'll find someone that will let you do clinical work-- that is akin to what a doctor does. As a pre-clerkship student (i.e. year 1 & 2 of med school) you don't get this. So, I think you'd be hard pressed to find something as a premed. If you're looking for patient contact-- volunteering, IMHO, is the way to go. Counselling at something like Motherisk or Planned Parenthood-- is probably the closest you can get in terms of things that a physician does... short of doing some formal training program.

 

Hi there,

 

In terms of clinical trials, there's really not all that much, patient-wise, that you generally do as a member of the team who is not the clinician (or nurse or trial coordinator). Generally the latter two folks interact with the patient re: disclosure of the trial details and follow-up. What you might wish to do is look at less high-quality clinical research, e.g., prospective cohorts or cross-sectional studies. They might offer more patient contact.

 

Also, in terms of Planned Parenthood, I was a sexual and reproductive health counsellor for them for a number of years. Unless things have changed, it took about a year for them to call me off their volunteering list, which is standard. Thereafter, you undergo a number of months of training until you can finally begin to counsel solo. Given your timeframe, and given that PP uses similar timelines now, it might not be a viable option. (If you can do it, though, it's a great option and one with immense patient contact and responsibility.)

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen