One question premedical students frequently ask is, “Do I need to do research in order to be competitive for medical school?”
My short answer: No.
It’s not necessary for a medical school applicant to be involved in research, let alone publish a paper, in order to have a strong application. However, research only strengthens one’s application and never hurts it. Research doesn’t guarantee acceptance to a medical school, and it’s not necessary to gain acceptance.
However, I encourage premed students to conduct research at some point during their premed careers. Being involved in a research project trains premeds to think critically about an unresolved problem.
Research allows us to gain a better understanding of the unknown. Our current medical knowledge is built on clinical research. Drugs we prescribe patients underwent rigorous clinical trial studies, for example, and diagnostic work-up and treatment plans rely on evidence-based medicine based on research data.
Many premed students think that the research they conduct needs to be medical or scientific in nature. Another common misconception is that a strong premed must be involved with basic science research, often called bench research. While many premeds conduct medical-related research, these beliefs are not true. I have mentored amazing premed students with research ranging from Shakespearean play analysis to the creation of medical devices for individuals with disabilities.
6 Types of Medical Research
Here are six common health-related research directions I commonly see among premeds that reflect the breadth of research you can pursue:
— Basic science research
— Clinical research
— Public health research
— Health public policy research
— Narrative medicine research
— Artificial intelligence research
Basic Science Research
Basic science research, often called “bench research,” is the traditional research conducted in a laboratory setting. It tackles our fundamental understanding of biology.
[Related:How to Explain Research Experience When Applying to Medical School]
Premeds involved with basic science research often study cells, viruses, bacteria and genetics. This research may also include animal and tissue specimens.
Examples: A premed student interested in cancer biology may study the cellular pathway of a specific tumor suppressor gene. Another premed student may probe how gut bacteria affect protein folding.
Clinical Research
Clinical research is the arm of medical research that tests the safety and effectiveness of diagnostic products, drugs and medical devices. It involves human subjects.
Examples: A premed interested in COVID-19 may conduct clinical trial research on new COVID-19 treatments. Another premed interested in dementia studies whether sleep improves depression among Alzheimer’s patients.
Public Health Research
Public health research studies the health of communities and populations in order to improve the health of the general public. Topics can range from vaccine access, disease prevention and disease transmission to substance abuse, social determinants of health and health education strategies.
Examples: A student interested in health equity may conduct public health research on how health insurance status and geography affect heart attack mortality. A premed excited about environmental science may look at the health impacts of wildfire smoke.
Health Public Policy Research
Premeds engaged in health policy research aim to understand how laws, regulations and policies can influence population health. Premeds may engage in both domestic and global policy research.
Examples: A premed interested in nutrition researches the effectiveness of nutrition programs in the Philippines. Another premed interested in economics studies health insurance markets in America.
[Read: Why Premeds Should Engage in Health Policy, Advocacy.]
Narrative Medicine Research
Narrative medicine research involves gathering stories from patients and their loved ones in order to understand the patient experience. As noted on the Association of American Colleges website, “Those stories can illuminate how a person became ill, the tipping point that compelled them to seek help, and, perhaps most importantly, the social challenges they face in getting better.”
Examples: A premed student interested in how Asians perceive disease can interview Asian patients about their attitudes toward herbal medications in cancer treatments. Another premed student interested in caregiver support can interviews caregivers of patients on prolonged mechanical ventilation to understand families’ decision-making processes.
Artificial Intelligence Research
Medical research utilizing artificial intelligence is increasingly popular, and premeds can analyze a large set of information to find medical discoveries. Premeds who conduct AI research typically have a skillset in computer science.
Examples: A premedical student interested in radiology may use AI to analyze hundreds of chest X-rays to create a program that better detects pneumonias. Another premed student may create and refine an algorithm using EKGs to better pick up abnormal heartbeats.
Remember that research not limited to these six categories. I’ve also met premeds engaged in journalistic research and business consulting research. As long as you have a research question and a scientific approach to analyze the question, then your pursuit can usually be considered research.
How Research Can Strengthen Medical School Applications
Research can strengthen your medical school application in several ways.
First, when a research project is related to a student’s interests, research involvement shows the application committee that the student is committed to advancing that field.
When writing about your research on applications, not only describe what you did, but also write what you learned through your research experiences. These lessons can include adaptability, analytical thinking and resilience.
[READ: The Medical School Admissions Cycle.]
Furthermore, you can discuss research through writing stories on secondary applications. For example, a common secondary essay prompt asks you to discuss a time when you failed or faced a challenge. You can write an essay about a challenging time you faced in your research and discuss how you overcame it. This will allow the admissions committee to gain insights into how you critically think through a problem.
Second, medical schools greatly favor independent research, in which students are leading the projects. In independent research, a premed forms a research question and a hypothesis. Then, the student gathers, analyzes and interprets data.
A student conducting independent research is in contrast to a student who helps another researcher with part of a project, or a student who follows protocols such as clinical trials recruitment, without thinking critically through the research design and analysis.
Third, becoming an author on a published paper can be a significant milestone and a valuable boost for a premed’s application. Of course, being a first author on a manuscript is an excellent feat, but it is not necessary for being seen as a strong student.
Other than publishing in academic journals, premedical students can showcase their research through poster presentations and talks. Presenting research conveys that you are excited about sharing your work and that you can explain your research to others, even those outside your field. These are all strong ways to indicate achievement and passion related to research.
The Value of Research for Premeds
Conducting premed research can provide firsthand insight into how much research you want to pursue throughout your career. After conducting research, some students may decide to get an M.D.-Ph.D. joint degree. Other students may come to the realization that their strengths lie elsewhere and conduct minimal research as doctors.
Through research, aspiring physicians will develop important skills that will help them in patient care. They will learn how to read and write research papers and evaluate treatment options by analyzing how robust the evidence is toward a specific treatment.
There are many advantages of engaging in research as a premed, only one of which is improving your medical school application. Since research is the cornerstone of medical advancement, research can help you become a more thoughtful doctor.
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Premed Research That Impresses Medical Schools originally appeared on usnews.com
