moltenflammingcore Posted July 3, 2008 Report Share Posted July 3, 2008 How prevelant is research in doing a specialty. I would prefer to have a career in medicine without research but I'm worried that specializing means that you inevitably have to do research is that true? Even more specifically do you have to do research if you specialize in infectious diseases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirsteen Posted July 3, 2008 Report Share Posted July 3, 2008 How prevelant is research in doing a specialty. I would prefer to have a career in medicine without research but I'm worried that specializing means that you inevitably have to do research is that true? Even more specifically do you have to do research if you specialize in infectious diseases. Hi there, No, you don't have to concentrate a lot of effort in research if you are specializing in medicine. Even if you are aiming to work at a tertiary care centre, e.g., Toronto, research doesn't have to be your clinical co-forte. However, that being said, if you do wish to work in a centre like Toronto then you generally need to bring something else to the table, e.g., an interest in medical education, etc. Also, if you are not interested in working in a big city then there are certainly smaller centres that require specialty expertise. Generally, the smaller the centre the less of a requirement to do research, and in fact, more often it's, the smaller the centre, the less time you have to do research due to the great clinical work load. As for infectious disease, most of the positions you will find may be in larger centres, so although a research background might make you more attractive as an employee, as previously mentioned, it's not an absolute requirement if you have something else to offer. Cheers, Kirsteen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roycer Posted July 3, 2008 Report Share Posted July 3, 2008 Hello Kirsteen, can you elaborate on 'something else to offer/something else to the table?' I am also in this position where I might not do research during my summers. At this point, I would rather travel to different cities/countries and do electives there, or shadow several doctors in a certain specialty that I am interested in. Hi there, No, you don't have to concentrate a lot of effort in research if you are specializing in medicine. Even if you are aiming to work at a tertiary care centre, e.g., Toronto, research doesn't have to be your clinical co-forte. However, that being said, if you do wish to work in a centre like Toronto then you generally need to bring something else to the table, e.g., an interest in medical education, etc. Also, if you are not interested in working in a big city then there are certainly smaller centres that require specialty expertise. Generally, the smaller the centre the less of a requirement to do research, and in fact, more often it's, the smaller the centre, the less time you have to do research due to the great clinical work load. As for infectious disease, most of the positions you will find may be in larger centres, so although a research background might make you more attractive as an employee, as previously mentioned, it's not an absolute requirement if you have something else to offer. Cheers, Kirsteen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirsteen Posted July 4, 2008 Report Share Posted July 4, 2008 Hello Kirsteen, can you elaborate on 'something else to offer/something else to the table?' I am also in this position where I might not do research during my summers. At this point, I would rather travel to different cities/countries and do electives there, or shadow several doctors in a certain specialty that I am interested in. Hi there, What I'm referring to is bringing some unique qualities to your application so that you have your pick of job prospects once the Royal College exams are complete. I've heard, more than once, that in order to be hired on at a big academic centre, one of the major factors is your "hook". Generally, that hook is expertise in a given area that is in demand and it can be almost anything--a research track record, an interest in medical education, etc. Granted, there are exceptions to this, e.g., the dearth of radiologists at most academic centres allows for applicants to have fewer "hooks" to be successful in their job applications: the law of supply and demand at work. Cheers, Kirsteen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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