FAQ Student Research Questions

Recently we conducted a survey of medical students and what questions they'd like answered regarding surgery and surgical research. Here are the questions most asked and my answers to them. Grain of salt: this is purely my opinion and other surgeons may have differing answers to the below questions:

1. How do I "get into" research as a medical student?

• Start with the basics: To do any research, first you need to understand the nuances of research, i.e. how to read an article, understand basic research methodology and basic stats, and how to critically appraise the quality of the research. This should already have been taught to you in medical school.

• Define your interests: What are your goals and interests? A quick publication? Getting onto a training program? Or answering a clinical question you have. These goals can be overlapping.

• Strategize: Now you have to decide the best way of achieving your goal. The easiest way to address all of the above 3 is via a systematic review or meta-analysis. These are easily done, easily publishable and require minimal to no ethical approval. A systematic review is the best way to update your knowledge if you are trying to answer a clinical question, will usually result in a publication and helps you get onto a training program via both of the above.

• Find a supervisor: Usually if you have a specialty interest and a home hospital it's best just to approach that unit and ask who the main "research person" is. Each unit will usually have one or two surgeons who dominate the research side of things. The next step is to try and get their attention, either through a coffee, or turning up to any research meetings. But be prepared with an idea first, and you might have to be the one shouting the coffee (unheard of as a student!). No one pays much attention to the student who turns up unprepared (and doesn't at least offer to shout for the coffee) and just sits there "wanting to do research". Have a topic in mind! A strategy on how to achieve it! It shows you've thought about it. The more prepared you are, the more successful that meeting is going to go.

2. What are the etiquettes and unspoken rules around getting involved and asking about research?

• Don't be late: Don't be late to meetings...ever. Be early.

• Don't be lazy: If you've said you'll do something, then you need to do it. Research is twice as hard and four times as time consuming as you think its going to be. If you find you hit a brick wall, or just CBF completing a task, and you haven't heard back from your seniors, then its not that they have forgotten, we remember every task we hand out. Its more that they've lost trust in you and will find a way to passive aggressively get you back down the track! If you don't understand why, read the "Power of Bad" by John Tierney.

• Work your way up the chain of command: When starting out, don't go straight to your head of unit and knock on their door. Start with one of the residents or registrars and get a feel of how research is done in that unit. Then try and attend a research meeting or two to understand the etiquette within that unit, as every unit is different. Be a spectator for a session or two before working your way up to asking for or suggesting research ideas.

• Be seen: The more you are seen in the meetings/clinic/theatre the more likely you'll be thought of if a new research opportunity arises. No ones giving out juicy research ideas to the guy who just turned up.

• Authorship: Authorship can be a tricky thing. For your first paper or two, its best to discuss with your senior supervisor about how best to approach this. Sometimes you forget about the statistician or the person who has collected all the data, and once burnt, the research world can be vindictive.

3. How specialised should we try to pick a research topic given it’s likely too early to be sure which specialty is the one we should do?

• Its never too early. If unsure about your specialty then focus on broad categories, ie surgery vs physician vs other.

4. At what point in the MD should I be thinking about starting research (is it ok to wait until MD4)?

• The basic facts are that you'll get more research done the sooner you begin. Your CV will look better the more research you've done. Hence you'll have more of an advantage earlier if you start earlier. Research doesn't get easier with time.

• You will never have as much free time to do research as you have now! This is fact. The further you progress in your career, the less time you will have.

5. What factors should we consider when choosing to pursue a higher research degree (e.g. PhD)?

• This is a difficult question to answer and depends on many factors. Firstly you must really love research to do a PhD, as its a long road and can sometimes be stressful. It'll take about 3 years and during that time it is full-time. You shouldn't think about doing a PhD if you don't already have some experience in research.

• Timing can be tricky. The earlier you begin, the more time you generally have, as there are less pressures financially, from family and work. However the earlier you begin, the harder the PhD will be, as you knowledge is limited.

• Finances can be tricky: Generally earlier in life you won't need as much of an income to live than later in life, however later in life it is easier to source income.

6. How challenging is it to balance clinical work/surgery with research?

• Not that hard if you're organized. It gets harder the further you are in your career. You have to deliberately set aside time for research, or it will take a back seat to other more fun or money-making activities.

7. What is the time commitment for research like?

• If you have a figure in your head multiply it by 3-4 and that's how much time you need.

8. Any advices on maintaining work-life balance while committing extra hours in research?

• No. You'll have to sacrifice some work and some fun to do research. As to how much you sacrifice depends on your priorities. Your priorities will change with time.

9. Have you found it has improved your clinical skills?

• Yes. Research is the cornerstone of evidence based medicine. The more you do it, the more you understand the nuances of the evidence around what you do and allows you to question what you're told. Nothing changes your clinical skills like knowledge.

10. Does the order of author matter when applying for specialties?

• Depends on the specialty. First author counts the most. Then last author. Then second. Then the rest.

11. Is clinically relevant research looked upon more favourably than students doing surveys etc.

• Quality of research matters. Research topic matters. Research methodology matters. Outcome matters. Its like comparing art-work: some people like some artists more than others, but generally a van Gough will beat a painting you pick up in an op-shop.