C_tm Posted May 24, 2013 Report Share Posted May 24, 2013 Hi! I'm hoping to apply to Ontario Med schools in the upcoming cycle as an OOP. I'd say my ECs in terms of volunteering are quite decent and diverse. However, I don't have much research experience other than volunteering for 2 years in a psychology lab. Obviously, I won't have top 5 experiences in the research category. Do I still have a chance? How important is having research experience for Ontario schools? Any success stories? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intrepid86 Posted May 27, 2013 Report Share Posted May 27, 2013 Hi! I'm hoping to apply to Ontario Med schools in the upcoming cycle as an OOP. I'd say my ECs in terms of volunteering are quite decent and diverse. However, I don't have much research experience other than volunteering for 2 years in a psychology lab. Obviously, I won't have top 5 experiences in the research category. Do I still have a chance? How important is having research experience for Ontario schools? Any success stories? Thanks! It's not nearly as important as GPA, MCAT and good interviewing. Research is secondary and I'd say the average applicant is research deficient. It's good if you have it, but neutral if you don't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevanjessica Posted June 4, 2013 Report Share Posted June 4, 2013 It's good if you have it, but neutral if you don't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted June 4, 2013 Report Share Posted June 4, 2013 i use to think most research was lame, prob because i wasn't uber interested in the 2 years of research i did in undergrad until i found a few topics which we're insanely interesting. main reason i'm considering neuropsych phd/post doc, and prescribing masters, since the clinical program incorporates a thesis as well... research something your into if you wanna slap it on your med app, otherwise why torture yourself?? i guess i was 2/2... so success, whatever that means, anyways (discovering this program has blown me away, i have inanely greater breadth, depth, better pay, have time for public advocacy, writing, consulting, am free to take multi-modal approaches (cause when you know 75 percent of approaches in depth, which aren't medicines, you can be ignorant and blissful... also the multidisciplinary interaction rocks... so from someone who's done it all, do what makes you happy, but at least learn research methodology, the lack of knowledge in most clinicians is brutal, it's always a breath of fresh air when someone can critically dissect a study... who knows, im still investigating, maybe i'll find a good way to satisfy my multi-modal desires via a us md, and end up 5/5... **** yeah, huge success, lol... my life will be complete (excuse the jest, but when your older you find worrying about what in retrospect was minutia a bit funny, but good luck to both of you!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nem90 Posted June 16, 2013 Report Share Posted June 16, 2013 Medicine, of all fields to get into, has the biggest foundation on research. Maybe I'm closed minded, but I'm surprised to see people considering research not important yet consider going into a field where research is the underlying foundation for its success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NutritionRunner Posted June 16, 2013 Report Share Posted June 16, 2013 Medicine, of all fields to get into, has the biggest foundation on research. Maybe I'm closed minded, but I'm surprised to see people considering research not important yet consider going into a field where research is the underlying foundation for its success. IMO, you can be an effective physician without having had the experience of conducting research yourself. Physicians should be able to critically read and analyze research, but many physicians don't need to actually DO research themselves. Do I want my family physician to be able to read the latest research articles and understand if she should incorporate their findings into her practice? You bet. Do I want my family physician to actually be conducting research? Not necessarily. If she is, then fine, but if she isn't, that's also fine - it's not likely to impact my care as a patient in primary care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nem90 Posted June 16, 2013 Report Share Posted June 16, 2013 IMO, you can be an effective physician without having had the experience of conducting research yourself. Physicians should be able to critically read and analyze research, but many physicians don't need to actually DO research themselves. Do I want my family physician to be able to read the latest research articles and understand if she should incorporate their findings into her practice? You bet. Do I want my family physician to actually be conducting research? Not necessarily. If she is, then fine, but if she isn't, that's also fine - it's not likely to impact my care as a patient in primary care. But having an outlook that dismisses the importances of research... idk... I agree though, critical thinking and analysis make up a good portion of a competent physician. It's no brainer schools are putting emphasis on the VR. Diversity is important too, and not all of us will be the research oriented types, which is okay at the end of the day if not beneficial for the field. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellorie Posted June 16, 2013 Report Share Posted June 16, 2013 I never had any research experience, really, and it wasn't a problem for me during the application process. I do have to say though, that now that I am in medical school and am involved in research, I have a different view on its importance. I think I have a much better understanding of how to use scientific literature now that I have been involved in creating it, even though I still don't intent to be involved in research when I am practicing. But for applying - I don't think it's a huge deal to not have it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tberry3 Posted June 17, 2013 Report Share Posted June 17, 2013 But having an outlook that dismisses the importances of research... idk... I agree though, critical thinking and analysis make up a good portion of a competent physician. It's no brainer schools are putting emphasis on the VR. Diversity is important too, and not all of us will be the research oriented types, which is okay at the end of the day if not beneficial for the field. I think for clarity - people here who are saying "research isn't that important" mean "research isn't that important in terms of getting into med school," in response to the original question in this particular thread. Research in general is hugely important, hopefully no one in medicine would disagree with that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anxious_101 Posted August 16, 2013 Report Share Posted August 16, 2013 I think for clarity - people here who are saying "research isn't that important" mean "research isn't that important in terms of getting into med school," in response to the original question in this particular thread. Research in general is hugely important, hopefully no one in medicine would disagree with that! Good research in medicine is hugely important. But a lot of poop research gets published. And a lot of wasted tax dollars that funded all that poop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dnao2 Posted August 18, 2013 Report Share Posted August 18, 2013 Some of the items that I talked about during my interviews were about my research experience (because they saw I had it). I enjoyed talking about it because 1. it gave me something to talk about, and 2. I enjoyed the kind of research that I did, which probably showed through. If you don't have research, it probably won't affect you, but you'll likely be asked different questions. Since I liked the research that I did, it was fortunate I was given a chance to expand on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abu Sayed Posted August 19, 2013 Report Share Posted August 19, 2013 Background information (reference to literature or to research aim/question) A strong relationship between X and Y has been reported in the literature. Prior studies that have noted the importance of .... In reviewing the literature, no data was found on the association between X and Y. As mentioned in the literature review, .... Very little was found in the literature on the question of .... This study set out with the aim of assessing the importance of X in .... The third question in this research was .... It was hypothesized that participants with a history of .... The present study was designed to determine the effect of .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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