Research was always the most daunting part of the medical school application. I had no experience and no idea how to get started. Getting into a research lab is different for everyone based on interest, availability, and lab protocols.
Finding People to Email
The first step in finding research is finding people to email. There are a few different places you can look for research projects. Most academic hospitals have a bank of all ongoing research projects separated by category with a description and contact information. The following are suggestions on how to begin your research search!
The CURBS (Center of Undergraduate Research Board of Students) website has a bank of research projects that you can search by college, location, time commitment, etc. This is specific to UF, but most colleges will have similar organizations for Undergraduate research. This can be found at https://cur.aa.ufl.edu/research-search/
A quick google search of "medical school/hospital department research," and you can most likely find a list of ongoing research projects. This is an example of a research bank you might find when searching "UF college of medicine pediatric research": https://research.pediatrics.med.ufl.edu/research-topics/
Find a fellow undergrad that is currently in a research lab or about to graduate out of one. They will often know if their lab is looking for more help and can get you in direct contact with the PI.
Lastly, you can ask your professors! This may sound daunting, but most of them will tell you what kind of research they are involved in, and if it interests you, most of them love to talk to you about it even if they do not have need undergrads themselves. Additionally, they may know other labs that need help.
What to Email
If you look on the internet, there are millions of email templates that you can send to PIs. Still, ultimately you want it to be concise, informative about your experience, and express interest in what they are studying. Below I have included a general structure of what to say, but ultimately there is no "correct" way to email.
Paragraph 1
Include name, year, school, and major.
Explain your future aspirations, such as medical school and field of medicine.
Express your interest in their specific lab/publications.
Paragraph 2
Explain your research experience.
If you have not done research before, say this here but follow it up with other medical experiences you have had.
Describe some experience or interest that aligns you with their specific research (not necessary but helpful).
Paragraph 3
Give a brief summary of your availability (i.e., morning-heavy class schedule).
Close with again stating that you are interested in becoming a part of their research lab and would like to set up a meeting with them to talk about their research and possible opportunities.
Keep Emailing!
Unfortunately, many professors are not going to respond to your initial emails. For this reason, I suggest emailing 6-7 people to start with. After about two weeks, if you have not received responses, I would select another 6-7 people to email until someone has a spot!
Onboarding Process
Once you find a research lab, it can take a while to actually get into the lab. The onboarding process varies with protocol, but there are typically a lot of online trainings and an in-person wet lab if you are working with animals that may take a few weeks to complete. There is also quite a bit of paperwork that can take a long time to get approved. For this reason, I suggest to start looking for research a least a month before you actually intend to start.
Conclusion
In conclusion, finding research can be a long process, but it is possible. All you have to do is start emailing! Also, remember to be on the lookout for people you may know or meet that can get you into research even quicker!
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