Research

A strong background in research will set your application apart. It also opens doors to opportunities outside clinical medicine - you might find yourself working with international colleagues, universities, pharmaceutical companies or device manufacturers

How do I get involved in research?

The million dollar question! This can be challenging, especially as a junior doctor. Often your best option might be to find in your department who is already conducting research and join forces. If you choose this route - make sure you agree beforehand who is undertaking which tasks and critically - who will be named as an author on any abstracts or research papers and in which order.

If you do decide to go it alone, there are a number of factors to consider:

Is your idea novel? Has someone already asked the question you are seeking to answer?
Have you conducted a review of the literature?
What kind of research study are you planning - non clinical or clinical? Prospective or retrospective?
What is your hypothesis - how will you (dis)prove it?
Do you need ethical approval?
Where will you store your data?
What statistical methods will you need to analyse your results?
How will you disseminate your results?
- Ultimately, publishing or presenting your work is the measure of its success, particularly in terms of your medical career.

Would you be interested in a course on how to conduct a research study? Watch this space!