Lisa MacLean: New Research Skills BACK

Published by AFAR

This is Lisa McLean's second entry. Read her first MSTAR Diary to learn how she began her summer project.

I’m now one month into my summer research, and I’m pleased to report that I’ve finished a draft of one paper, and I’m beginning to work on the statistical analysis of another paper. Of course, the first paper that I’ve completed still isn’t ready for publication and the data analysis for the second paper doesn’t predict any groundbreaking medical news. Everything is taking me longer than I think it should, and my results are not as robust as I’d like them to be. But this, I am learning, is what research entails. I knew that spending a summer conducting geriatric research would be intellectually demanding, but I didn’t have a clear sense of the skillset that I’d need.

At this point, I can identify three skills that have been particularly important for my research: paying close attention to detail, patience and being receptive to criticism. Good medical research requires that no stone is left unturned – all the previous literature needs to be examined, every aspect of a clinical study should be controlled, and each sentence I write should be supported by a documented finding. Patience is important in many aspects of research. Research is not conducted in isolation, and I’ve needed to send drafts and questions to many other researches, none of whom can answer instantly. PubMed searches, data entry, and running numerous statistical tests can be tedious tasks. Lastly, I’ve learned that it’s important not only to be receptive to feedback, but that I should actively seek out the comments of my coworkers and mentors. Indeed, each suggested correction helps me to refine the goals of my research, express myself clearly, and improved my understanding of my research topic.

Throughout the course of the summer, I’ve improved and will continue to improve in each of these areas. Every doctor needs to pay close attention to detail, to be patient, and to be open to learning from her mistakes. As a student, the attention to detail will be absolutely essential as I move forward with my studying. Patience will help me in small group work, in patient interviews, and in understanding my own limitations. Being open to criticism will be essential as I continue to conduct supervised physical exams and history-taking, not to mention surviving clinical rounds in my third year.

I may be particularly lucky that the skills I have gained are so applicable to my immediate future, but I expect that’s not the case. There are so many skills that are required for good scientific research, that I imagine that any student with a summer research job will return more prepared than ever for medical school and the career that follows.

Lisa MacLean
University of North Carolina School of Medcine

"Diary of an MSTAR Student" follows scholars in the 2011 Medical Student Training in Aging Research (MSTAR) Program, highlighting their summer experiences. As they continue their path of research, training and clinical practice, read their daily thoughts at www.afar.org/mstarblog. New diary entries are posted every day, so check back soon.