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Research Electives v/s Clnical Electives

All the rules of generalization are wrong.
Before everything, finalize the specialty of your choice! And if you find a research elective in the specialty of your choice, go for it e.g an elective in rheumatology wont be of any use if you plan to be an opthalmologist.... I personally believe on the basis of all the information I have that a research elective LOR from Opthalmology is way better than a clinical elective LOR from Rheumatology for getting into an Opthalmology program...

Whatever u get in the field of your interest....its better than anything else!

If its not in the field of your interest....then you can say clinical electives are a better option....

my preference order is different for different specialties...Always remember one simple thing in mind.......if there is no disadvantage of doing something then there is definitely some advantage of doing it........so those who say research electives are of no use....dont listen to them...there is nothing like 'useless' in the world

You can go for research electives whenever you like.......from 1st till final year.....

Any question you ask regarding steps, electives, research etc.......its answer would depend on a simple fact... which specialty you want to pursue your medical career in....e.g clincal electives are always considered superior to research electives for surgery/medicine fields, however research electives carry far more weightage than clinical electives in feilds like Pathology, Radiology etc.

If its a clinical/ primary care field like medicine, family practice, surgery etc.

1. clinical electives in the specialty of your choice
2. research+ publications
3. research without publication
4. research elective

If the specialty of choice is a non-clinical specialty like Pathology, Radiology etc

1. research + publications
2. research without publications
3. research elective in the specialty of your choice
4. clinical elective

Some people think research electives gets visa with difficulty. Visa does not depend upon research elective but on the university you are going e.g John Hopkins never gets rejected and Albany, as far as I know, rarely gets accepted....

Duration is always adjustable....you can do it for 4-12 weeks but generally minimum 8 weeks are recommended.

If you get a publication then they are better than anything else....even than most clinical electives....even if you dont get them there are two uses of them....first you establish faculty connections/contacts and second you get a good LOR which might be able to get you good clinical electives later on when you apply in final year.

I did a 3 weeks observership in Internal Medicine in US in start of 4th year waiting for my result.....many said observerships are of no use.......it might not have been of much use in getting a residency but it was definitely of great use when I was applying for electives/research ...so whatever you can get...grab that opportunity....always remember....every experience in life teaches you a useful lesson for the future experiences of life....so they are not wasted...they carry the same importance as your school carried for your college and ur college carried for ur medical college... nothing is useless....never run away from any experience....grab whatever you can get....because always remember.....chances are not available....they are always created....and if you find one...dont miss it....

Thanks a lot Raza for your kind words! It is indeed a pleasant surprise to know that you are also using the website! take care buddy!

medisid (not verified)

Thu, 09/17/2009 - 19:54

dear umar!
first of all congrats on his project n ur career, saw ur comments abt uscf rads elective on sbmj. i also tried to apply there; had the app packet ready but then saw on the site they have stopped accepting IMGs from august 09. there have been a few updates that u shud do on ur elective list like mssm requiring toefl from jan2010 n suny also stating toefl n step1 as a prerequesites for applying,(i have emailed suny asking for calrifications, but they replied with no more info than what is mentioned in their webpage). i will mention my views on the updates once i send in my applications by the end of this month so that i have the complete latest info by that time.
but i have a query for which i needed ur help.
i have been selected for an NIH elective and i am planning to do a 9 week research elective at JHU. but i dont know how to choose the branches n faculty, i emailed to several whose addresses i cud find but few replied declining as my previous research works were not in their specialty.
my options now are preferably gastro(my few petty namesake research unpublished works in it) or hem/onc specialty of choice. but how should i choose the depts. i feel asking an informal approval from faculty is the only idea. otherwise just blindly stating 3 depts and dates on form without consent from perceptor usually stands a zero chance.?????dont u think so?
plz comment on these two options and throw some some light on how to secure it.
jazakallah for ur site
siddiqui

 hi siddiqui, ucsf is no more accepting international students who dont have a US visa... plz read the updated status of UCSF on my website.., do you mean to say both suny n mssm require step 1 and toefl... I wud be really thankful if u paste the link here... 

seeking an informal approval is the only idea...  just blindly stating 3 depts without consent of preceptor, is not a wise idea... it stands nearly a zero chance in JHUSOM!

tc n best of luck!

SUNY states...........

as step 1 n TOEFL scores as preapproval items.

pre approval required item that must be submitted.........at the same time mentioning 'if available' the registrar replied by just referring to this weblink. no answer to my query.

http://sls.downstate.edu/registrar/visiting/international/documents/Intl_VS_checklist_000.pdf

 

as for MSSM..........

the first page in this info book for IMGs lists that..check it out. abt TOEFL update

http://www.mssm.edu/students/handbook/electives/pdf/forvisit_info.pdf

----------------------------------------

how do i find a mentor in JHUsom......... .plzz tel me dat....

yaar im flabbergasted what to do. abt it.

did u go there also n how did u mange?????

one more query? what should i write in 'taking for credits/not for credit' section of elective application.

if i write for credit i'll have to send an evaluation form from my home school.......rite?

so if i cant send it i'll have to write not for credit!!!

sid

Hey Medisid, can you please help me out by sending me the email address of the faculty sponsors of JHUSOM which you have found out and of those whom you contacted. PLease help me out as i am unable to find out a sponsor for JHUSOM.

would be waiting for your reply.

Thanks a lot

hasan (not verified)

Fri, 10/30/2009 - 06:17

Hello!

Pardon my inanity, but if you can explain what observership is.. I am aware of research and clinical electives position, but unaware of what observership is.

 

Thanks

Hasan 

Visitor (not verified)

Wed, 12/23/2009 - 16:28

 is there any thing as electives or clerkship after getting finishing internship and getting the mbbs degree.........? wat abt anywhere else apart from us?

 

Wijdan (not verified)

Thu, 01/07/2010 - 19:11

I'm a second year medical student at Aga Khan University. As per requirements, I am to complete a 4 to 8 week research elective. Problem is I don't know where to start! There are no proper pages on university websites, I don't know who to contact and what is required from me in a research elective.

I would love some help..

Thank you,

Wijdan Rai

HI Wijdan Rai

Please read various posts in the electives section and you would find sufficient informartion... its better to send emails to the electives co-ordinators requesting them to tell you if they offer reseach electives and if they do, what is the procedure to apply...

rehman (not verified)

Tue, 03/30/2010 - 18:35

okay umar bhai, here is the thing.i am in 3rd yr and i  want to do a research elective in the start of my fourth yr. it is march and i have been righting emails to emory, john hopkins, cincinatti. i asked thm for research electives for january 2011, i received replies frm john hopkins sayin thr r no positions available...tell me wht to do?????


u r applying too early. They never say 'dat dates are not available i cant tell u" or somethin ov dat sort, dey planely refuse !!

2 options,

either send ur application "Complete"...for months earlier dan Jan they vil respond then, . they only take u seriously if they hav ur application on the table.

or enquire late somewhere in July/June 2010

 Applying EARLY is NOTORIOUSLY over rated frm my experience. 4-5 months is the MAX time gap for elective dates. 3.5 months is ideal ! especially if u r trying for summer months !

syed hasan (not verified)

Mon, 04/19/2010 - 13:52


Hello Umar bhy,

I am 3rd year medical student and applying for john hopkins in jan 2011.Please answer my few questions,

1-which fields do you think is preferable for reserach electives.Actually I hav'nt made my mind to which speciality I have join. So I am just confuse a liitle bit for selecting the fields

2-The university doesnt ask for any sponser itself,so is it necessary that we first contact the related person and than sumbit our application ?

Thank you,

Regards,

Syed Hasan

sneha (not verified)

Wed, 08/25/2010 - 08:10

sir, i ve a query.. i m interested in orthopaedics... im in currently in 2nd, 5 th sem..  i mailed a proffesor  for research elective in nyu, muskuloskeleton research centre and i got a positive reply.. now i donno whether to go ahead cause going to us and accomadation costs a lot and i donno whether this will help while i apply for residency later.. will it help me to do research after coming in my home school.. i m planning to do elective later on in my final year apart from this

hi. could you please tell me how you got in touch with nyu for research. i would really appreciate that. mail me the details if u can. mutantaid@yahoo.com

 thnks

Visitor (not verified)

Thu, 09/02/2010 - 13:56


hi.. i have a query about research elective in john hopkins.. i got a positive response from them.. i am going for clinical elective of two months after that i was planning to go for research elective.. But i wanna ask is it worth going for research elective?  will they give me lor? in the training schedule they have mentioned majority of the paper work like filling forms. I have not given any step yet. What i should do? 


they are saying me to send my forms to clerkship coordinator. he has not given me official sponsoring letter. whai should i do ? whats the process of applying to john hopkins? plz help its urgent...

apply... its a great opportunity... go through their application process.. read it very carefully... u can refer to this website for guidance... once u send complete application... only then they send you the acceptance letter.. LOR is given only if you work hard and impress them... it is not their duty to give LOR or your right to get a LOR once u complete electives... it is favour by your attending in response to ur hard work n dedication...


thanks so much for replying... u n ur website ve helped me a lot.... Bhai they are not going to put my name in publication.. so should i continue? or should i do research after giving all my steps instead of research elective? i am very confused.. plz advice me


there's a problem. m going for 2 months (nov - dec) clinical elective and my graduation date on my deans letter written is dec 31,2010. but i ll b absent for that  2 months so my graduation date will b extended. i wanna apply 2 john hopkins for jan n feb period but my dean is not extending my graduation date. n john hopkins is not accepting d deans letter of dec,2010. i ve explained 2 thembut they want letter showing me as student in jan n feb. plz reply soon. wat i shd do now?

Thanks a lot for your kind words. Getting name in publication is a totally different issue and it is quite difficult to achieve in research electives. Electives would definitely help your chances but then again it consumes at least few months... so it is upto you... whatever you prefer... if you want to do steps early then you can certainly go with this plan otherwise you can give steps after electives! 

Mubeena (not verified)

Wed, 09/15/2010 - 15:01


I m in 2nd year MBBS. I wanted to know how and where to apply for research electives in USA? I mailed UNC but they said we can only apply in final year. Please tell me all the details regarding this.

amresh kumar (not verified)

Sun, 09/26/2010 - 06:53

hi,

umer bhai i m a 4rth year medical student from liaquat university of medical and health science, i want to apply for elective or observership in any usa university, i want to do elective in 2011 because by that time i will b in final year, so plz tell me any good university which accepts international students for elective with out usmle and tofel, plz rep...

amresh kumar

Visitor (not verified)

Mon, 09/27/2010 - 08:15


hi.. i have got positive response 4m john hopkins. dey r asking 4 recommendation letter 4m dean. so it should b from dean (principal) or any other professor. m ving dean's letter of good standing. n recommendation letter 4m a medicine professor. so which letter shd i send?

Visitor (not verified)

Fri, 10/15/2010 - 09:34


hi...... i have got acceptance 4m john hopkins in urology for 4 months nov-feb. Thanks to umar bhai n this website. I have also applied to mt. sinai from nov-jan period. But i have not got any reply 4m mt. sinai yet. I have called them so many times they are saying my application is still under processing. The problem is that if i wanna go 2 john hopkins den i have to apply for B1/2 visa but for mt. sinai its F1 visa. So what i should do go to john hopkins or should i wait for response 4m mt. sinai? John hopkins is a big name in mt. sinai its clinical elective. If mt. sinai will give me a rejection letter den i will have no chance


Practically if you are interested in using your experience to boost your CV, the Clinical experience  has much more value than the Research experience. And when you will be applying for a residency later on, you will see that most programs have a  certain cutof for US clinical experience(USCE) like minimumof 1 -3 months some even ask for 6mo -1 year. If you have just a research experience in your CV, it cannot substitute as USCE.

Remember that you can always do research after graduation. But your student life is Much more precious to be invested in acquiring USCE, as its much more harder to obtain once you graduate.

I asume you are interested in pursuing your future training atleast in surgery. JHU research in Urology will not help if you later on opt to choose medicin.

JHU is no 1 in Urology and has a phenomenal reputation for research. So it certainly will look nice in your CV.

what I would do in your situation is: Apply for B1/B2 on basis of JHU research. wait on for call from mount Saini, apply to other institutes that will allow you to do an elective on B1/B2.

there is a high chance that you might not be able to make in to Mount saini, because of Visa issues, n believe me you don wanna mess around with the athorities on visa issues. One month USCE is not enough, you should apply to more institutes. If you are fortunate, you might get acceptance at some place that accepts elective on B1 B2 while you are doing research at JHU. You may be permitted to stay for 6 months, so you can apply for clinical electives for dates after february, and even your LORS from Urology attending can help in your acceptance at other places.

USCE> Research x10, don spare USCE over research, but you can use research to make your self look more competitive for acceptance in elecives

Usman (not verified)

Sat, 11/06/2010 - 07:31

Aoa Umar bhai,

Amazing stuff on this page...

I am a 3rd year medical student. I've heard many people saying that JHU offers clinical electives before the final year as well, but I don't see anything like that on their website. I want to do a clincal elective at the end of my 3rd year/start of 4th..and i prefer JHU for that! 

I would like you to kindly help me out to whom to contact for JHU electives as the website does not mention any policiy for foreign students before 5th year at medschool.

Thankyou.

(namsu89@hotmail.com )


Thanks for your kind words! JHU does not offer clinical electives; it only offers research electives! I don't think one can do clinical electives before final year, anywhere!

Much appreciated reply.

Are there clerkships available before final year? And if there are, are those really worth it. 

Thanks

Regards,

Usman.

Hello, i am right now doing a research elective in JHU. i came across a final year student who is studying in michighan state university and has come here for 1 month research elective. is it that JHU accepts only american undergraduates for clinical elective and not international ones? because he is doing one? thanks, sarah

waleed (not verified)

Sun, 11/07/2010 - 14:44

first of all bravo umer bhai for such a site who help out ppl lyk us in this selfish world

yar umar bhai i m a 2nd year student and i want to take up some kinda electives in the us this summer plz guide me as i dont know anything as yet and just googling around for info

Usman (not verified)

Fri, 11/26/2010 - 15:43

Hi Umar,

I want to ask the difference between research and a research electives. And perhaps whether one should go for Research or Research electives. I've asked people about it, and they say that for US, apart from your clinical electives, you should also have a 'research published with you name in in somewhere". So that means a Research. 

Whereas research electives are about 4-8 weeks, and getting your name published it not possible ( i guess).So whether research electives are enough, or one should rather look for Research under a doctor that probably take a longer duration so as to be able to get themselves published..


please give your view on it..Thankyou :)

As you pointed out, research is generally of long term... usually 1-2 years and research electives are of few months... one can get some publication out of research electives as well but it is usually quite difficult; though if works hard one can get one. On the other hand, in a long-term research you have ample time to complete a research project and then get it published.

sufyan sadiq (not verified)

Sat, 01/08/2011 - 01:35


Salam Umar Bhai

  I have a query that i am hoping to apply for linical elective in McGill University but i am confuse by the statement that McGill will only allow a total of 4 choices for each elective application.Note that if two electives are requested, the student will only have two choices per elective request. If one elective is requested, the student will have 4 choices per elective.Bhai for each choice date much be same bc i want to apply for elective in the month of september.Please guide me that for each choices i shuold type same date i.e if my 1st choice will be cardiology,2nd pathology,3rd infectious disease and 4th one in microbiology and for all choices i must put the same date bc i am only free in september.

salam umar bhai

                      Thnx for your valuable reply.Bhai i have another query that i talked to acedimicins for my malpractice insurance for elective in mcgill university but on their application form thy ask about the department in which i want to go for training .....but but i  donot knw i which departmnt i will be accepted bc mcgill have four choices for each elective.............so plz tell me what i should do .......which departmnt i should state on the application form

wenskyrose (not verified)

Sun, 01/30/2011 - 05:33

hi..

good morning to all..

i am starting internship in the month of feb. and m planning to do electives this yr..

i had a few queries..

1) how can i combine clinical electives n research.. i mean how should i distribute my timing.. how long does research take.. i havent given any steps.

2) i would prefer doing IM and then GE.. so for research .. do i need a like topic?

3) i read somewhr that it is advisable to give step2 cs after finishing my electives before comin bak?

ak (not verified)

Fri, 06/03/2011 - 08:23

salam, i want to ask i am a second year student and my second year is going to end on sept i want to apply for research electives in usa .... can u help me how to apply and where  should i apply ??

Jason (not verified)

Wed, 08/17/2011 - 18:00

Hi Mr. Umar,


I'd like to start with saying that, honestly, you guys are doing a great job with helping us clarify our doubts. Here are my set of doubts which i'd like to put forward to you.

I have been accepted by the NIH for a Clinical Elective Program (CEP) in Cardiology


1. Will this elective be counted as one month of USCE ??


2. How do i best prepare for this elective ??


3. Is it recommended to e-mail the course coordinator in the specific elective i have been selected for ?? Or should i just reserve all my correspondence with the general course coordinator overlooking the electives of all the departments ??


Thank you !!!

Visitor (not verified)

Tue, 12/20/2011 - 19:06

salam. great job umar bhai!  this is a wonderful site

can u plz tel me vch subjects/disciplines r available for reserch electives in JH as i intend to apply for them. the coordinator sent me the application pack but said nothing abt available speciality neither cud i find it on their site, so wat should i opt for specially if i want to increase my chances of being accepted?.

Visitor (not verified)

Thu, 01/05/2012 - 11:08

Dear Umar,

May I start by telling you what an excellent forum you've initiated for aspiring doctors around various countries! Hats off to your idea! That said, could you kindly tell me if I can still write for Lancet Student or BMJ as I've already passed my final year last month? As in, I'm not really a student anymore. Would appreciate your help. Keep up the great job!

apu (not verified)

Wed, 08/22/2012 - 05:28

 I am a bit confused...I got a reply from a faculty at JHU saying "it could be very difficult to sponsor your visa for this short duration of research elective at JHU" . He didnot directly say a no till now. I suppose I will be getting an acceptance letter from JHU, not the sponsoring faculty that I would use to apply for visa?? I don't know about it mch though..  So, I am confused what to tel him...

Visitor (not verified)

Wed, 10/24/2012 - 01:35

Can you please guide me how to apply for RESEARCH elective at NYU

im a second year medical student

 

Amandeep (not verified)

Tue, 07/02/2013 - 15:38

hello umar sir.......thanks a lot for ur guidance.....I m from India and is about to complete internship in Oct......just wanted to know can I get research elective in Johns Hopkins in neurosurgery.....are the guides persuadable?

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