AAPM&R-RPC: Resident’s
Research Packet
Getting Started
If you already
have a research topic in mind that you are excited about, that’s great! So
go on to the next section and start pushing back the frontiers of science! If
not, you may be thinking. “I’d like to do some research, but I haven’t
got a clue as to what needs to be studied or what I could possibly do.”
Take heart, because finding a study topic and developing a research
plan can be one of the most enjoyable parts of doing a research project!
Interests
The most
important thing is that you pick a research area which interests you. Doing a
research project is a lot of work! Therefore, it is very important
that you are truly interested in the topic so that you have enthusiasm to
carry you through. Otherwise, the
project may turn into sheer drudgery. Don’t just do a project because
someone conveniently offered an idea to you. Take a little extra time, and
find a research topic that is meaningful to you.
How can you be
sure your area of interest needs active research? That’s the easy part. You
are a physiatrist, and very little research has been done in our field. Every
area of PM&R needs a lot of good research to validate and improve what we
do. Simply pick the clinical area that interests you most.
Focus
Narrowing your
interests down to a particular project is a bit trickier. When picking your
project, keep this in mind: Be specific.
You are a busy resident and have limited time to dedicate to a research
project. If your topic is too broad, it may demand more effort and detail than
you have time to give. Narrowing your topic is truly an investment in your
research success.
Look Around
There are a
number of ways to pick a project. The most thorough method is to choose a very
specific area, then read everything you can about it. Read some reviews, read
some of the original “classic” articles, and read some of the most current
work. Read very critically to try to figure out what’s valuable and what’s
not. As you read, you’ll see bigger and bigger gaps in the field. You’ll
also notice that for every question some research study tries to answer,
several more questions come up in the process. Eventually you’ll find many
things worth studying and something in particular that you want to tackle and
think you can handle.
It is also very
helpful to see what your fellow physiatrists are doing. Talk to lots of your
colleagues and attendings. Check out posters and presentations at clinical or
scientific meetings. If you cannot get to those meetings, borrow the programs
of meetings that interest you, and look through the abstracts.
Offer Your Help
As another
option, you can talk to the senior people in a field that interests you. See
what both the clinical and basic researchers in your area of interest are
doing. Don’t be afraid to look outside your own department or institution.
If they have any ongoing or new projects that interest you, see if you can get
involved. Don’t be bashful. All researchers like to talk about what they are
doing, and they welcome offers of free assistance
from reliable, educated people.
A caveat: If you are
going to work with other investigators, especially senior researchers, be very
clear about your time limitations. Don’t commit to something you may not
have the time to do. Keeping your time constraints in mind, try to pick a
project that allows for flexible hours. It is often difficult to do animal
experiments or other rigidly scheduled research during a residency.
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