..of electives and research...

**vinegar** · 15-07-2005, 08:33 PM

Hello folks!

I'm in my second year of MBBS, trying to make my way up to the third..

Now please pardon my naivete, but I was curious - how do I apply for an elective during my pre-clinical years? I've searched the internet, and all I've come up with are clinical electives. I'm interested in electives in the UK, maybe the US.

And a second query - I've heard of students getting research papers published while still in medical school. Now what I don't uderstand is what type of research medical students do - do they work as apprentices with real, doctor researchers, or do some do research work of their own? Do students have journals of their own in which they publish stuff? I've been going through the Lancet, for example, and everything's been flying clean over my head. The thing is that I'm from Pakistan, and there's no stress layed on research (during the undergraduate courses at least). But I am very interested in research, and I'm looking for avenues to explore...

Best..

vinegar

**Admin** · 15-07-2005, 09:47 PM

Your med school will probably have a list of elective reports to give you some ideas. Have a read through last years and chat to the people that wrote them to find out how to get in contact with the hospitals. There's nothing to stop you writing letters and emails to people who you would like to do your elective with.

Regarding getting papers published. This is often done in conjunction with a BMedSci or similar but there's a couple of other options that don't involve doing original research - 1. Case Report: write up an interesting or unusual case you have seen. 2. Review article - find a subject that hasn't had a good review article for a while and conduct one. 3. Letters - write a response to an article that's been published (this would be more likely to be published if it's in response to an article about medical education).

**vinegar** · 16-07-2005, 12:12 PM

Thank you for your reply, admin. There are no elective-reports in my college. Not more than a handful of students would have gone for electives, and it's difficult to identify them. But I guess the best way to go about it would be to browse the internet and initiate a correspondane with departments in the hospitals I'm interested to go and do my elective... right?

**Cheeks** · 16-07-2005, 04:00 PM

Does anywhere actually accept pre-clins for electives?

**rjm** · 16-07-2005, 10:17 PM

What would you do a pre-clinical elective in? Generally an elective is a chance to experience medicine abroad.

**vinegar** · 17-07-2005, 11:01 AM

A research elective, maybe...

**Cheeks** · 17-07-2005, 02:33 PM

*urgh*

Isn't that what doing a BSc is for?

Dunno how it is for you in Pakistan, but we do one elective in the final year which is almost always overseas and is a chance to do some real clinical practice. AIUI, electives aren't usually for research, that's what an intercalated BSc or BMedSci is for. Other students here do research during Student Selected Modules where they may do something like an audit or join an existing research team for a short time.

To be fair, if research is your thing, have you considered doing a different degree?

**DrPie** · 01-08-2005, 07:59 PM

Even if research is his 'thing' I dont think it warrants him having to consider a different career.

Certain medical specialities- particularly surgery will require research and certainly publications.

Alternatively academic medicine is purely devoted to research and clinical practise.

Good luck to you I say. Not all universities offer the opportunity of doing a BSc nor can all students afford to take out an extra year or so to achieve one.

The best advice i can give is to ask around at your medical school. This is how opportunities arise; with a combination of initiative and luck

**Da Styler** · 02-08-2005, 03:53 PM

Hey Vinegar,

I'm a 4th year medical student at Barts in London. I'm in the situation where I can't afford to do a BSc but I want to pursue an academic career, so I mix doing research in my holidays or spare time (as we get a lot of time off!) Anyway there are lots of research opportunities in both the USA and UK. They are going to be very expensive but I think they are worthwhile. They do provide you with small bursaries but you still need to make up most of the money yourself. In USA, every major med school (and that's about 100) run research programs. You should contact interested supervisors, the same can be said of the UK. My advice to you would be that I'm sure in Pakistan there are a few pharmaceutical companies, which have R&D departments. You should try contacting them! It will be cheaper and you will get some basic experience.