In recent years there has been an exponential increase in medical student research publications.¹ This surge in research output among medical students has been coined the “Research Arms Race.”² Furthermore, the majority of residency programs utilize research productivity as a metric for evaluating residency applicants. Moreover, with USMLE Step I becoming pass/fail, the value of research productivity will only increase, as the applicants seek to distinguish themselves among their peers. Whether medical student research predicts potential clinical ability in future residents remains controversial.³ Engaging in research may be challenging for medical students new to the field. The purpose of this brief correspondence is to give my perspective on how to navigate urology research.

Setting Goals

The first step in entering research as a medical student is to understand their research strengths. Some medical students may have backgrounds in literature, statistics, or basic science which can be applied to future projects. For those medical students with no writing or research background, their most valuable asset is time. Simply committing time to research can yield prolific results. The goals for medical students performing research should be to foster their own intellectual curiosity, help patients through meaningful work, and secure publications that will enhance their prospects of matching into a residency program.

Finding a Mentor

Choosing a mentor as a student can be especially challenging when applying to a field such as urology. For many medical students, their initial 2 years of education may lack formal exposure to urology, and some might never encounter urology rotations within their core curriculum. A practical solution to this conundrum involves researching urologists within one’s home institution or nearby facilities who actively participate in research. This can be accomplished through a cursory PubMed search of the potential mentor’s research, or through the department/division website. Students can then reach out through email to request to shadow these urologists, and after a day/session of shadowing can inquire about research projects. An alternate option is to reach out to the current urology residents at the program who are always appreciative of medical student assistance. Attending or starting urology interest groups, and reaching out to M3 and M4 students who have declared urology for residency and most likely already are engaged in research, are some other ways to gain a foothold in ongoing research projects.

Setting the Expectations

Once a student meets with their research mentor, there should be a clear goal for their collaborative work. On many occasions, medical students commit to research projects in which they are excluded as an author or commit to projects with no end goal in sight. A good research mentor will understand that a student’s time is precious and commitment to research should aid them in residency applications down the road. Furthermore, clear and specific instructions from a research mentor are ideal. “Creating your own project” or “Coming up with your own novel idea to research” is extremely difficult as a medical student or even as a junior resident. Hence, choosing a mentor with a well-defined project and publication target is imperative. By the same token, a student should have realistic expectations about authorship. A first author publication is nice, but helping out in ongoing research projects and earning coauthorship(s) would be just as useful and more easily achievable. Coauthorships also demonstrate a student’s ability for teamwork, which is an essential quality that residency programs look for in a potential resident recruit.

Types of Research

Clinical research comes in many forms. Original clinical research includes projects with novel data. These include clinical trials, retrospective and prospective outcome analyses, patient or provider surveys, etc. In this space a medical student may be tasked with constructing a database through chart review or surveying patients in clinic for a patient perspective project. Narrative and systematic review articles are an easy way to learn about a particular topic while writing a “book report” on the available data. Case reports are typically quick ways to have a publication but may pose challenges due to the limited number of PubMed-indexed journals that accept individual reports. The most effective strategy to get published, in my experience, is to help with an original outcome-based clinical study, write a review article based on the literature review, and then first submit the results as an AUA or regional AUA abstract. Then, once the main analysis is complete, submit a full manuscript to a PubMed-indexed journal. Even as a student with limited experience, never be afraid to help with various parts of the research process, including writing the manuscript.

Teamwork

The most effective way to increase productivity is collaboration. Collaborating with fellow medical students on manuscript writing, assisting with chart reviews for database development, or aiding in table and figure preparation can significantly alleviate the workload. Being first author for every paper is not important, and research teams often need help with smaller tasks here and there. Even things like helping manage the citations or writing the introduction are helpful and good learning opportunities. Almost all my published research work in medical school and residency was in conjunction with other students. For example, my coresident Ankur Choksi and I have 8 publications together.

Embarking on a research trajectory may initially appear daunting, yet it promises substantial dividends for both your career and your future patients.

Since 2002, the AUA Residents and Fellows Committee has represented the voice of trainee members. The Committee’s mission is to address the educational and professional needs of urology residents and fellows and promote engagement with the AUA. The Committee welcomes your input and feedback! To contact us, or inquire about ways to be involved, please email rescommittee@AUAnet.org.