MD Research for undecided specialty

[Hzreio]

Hello,

I’m an incoming M1 at a mid/upper tier USMD. I’m looking to start getting involved with research after I get acclimated to handling my classes.

The issue is that multiple specialties appeal to me (specially rads, ophtho, gas) and potential others more as I get further into med school.

So when reaching out to PIs/research mentors, should I just start exploring the specialty That currently appeals to me most? Should I just get involved with any quality opportunity that I can find? What is the recommended strategy for building a CV for a new student who is not hard set on a speciality?

Thanks in advance.

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[ortnakas]

If you were a resident unsure of fellowship plans, I’d say to try to get in on a safety/quality improvement project since that’s applicable across fields. I’d imagine this also applies to med students applying to residency but I’m not sure.

 

[djiboutiman]

If you haven’t already, you should shadow some of the specialties you might be interested in. That could at least help you narrow down the specialties you’d be most interested in. From there, do research in the most competitive specialty, as they usually care a little more about having specialty specific research. Even then, having any research on your cv is still better than nothing.

 

[aldol16]

The best strategy is to figure out which specialty you're most interested in first. Do some shadowing. Talk to some residents and talk to some attendings. After you're at a relatively good point where you have a most likely specialty by a good enough margin, then you should pursue research within that specialty. The earlier this happens, the better and easier it will be down the road when you're thinking about applying. You don't want to have all your research in one field then have to apply into another competitive field because you've waited too long to make the decision. Research within the field is always preferred when it comes to the competitive specialties. That being said, some research >> no research.

 

[deleted958249]

Shadowing physicians to get a better sense of the field would be nice. I think it's totally fine, however, to find and pick up projects that fascinate you regardless of the specialty. In the long run, I think it looks better when you are passionate about a project and can talk at length about it rather than picking up a project for the sake of it. And by doing so, it gives you an opportunity to explore what research is like in that field and gives you a window into their scope of practice indirectly. I was in a similar boat and by getting exposure to different fields in this way, it's helped me personally narrow down my preferences.