RESEARCH
Essential Guidance for Resident Scholars: Top 10 Tips for Success
SAEM PULSE | MAY-JUNE 2024
By Katherine Dickerson Mayes, MD, PhD; Emily A. Cloessner, MD, MSPH; Bryan G Kane, MD; and Margaret Samuels Kalow, MD, MPhil, MSHP on behalf of the SAEM Research Committee and the SAEM Academy of Women in Academic Emergency Medicine
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In residency, individuals often find themselves torn between spending their limited daily free time either eating or sleeping. This dilemma can make it difficult to envision how to integrate meaningful scholarly activities into their schedules. Reflecting on our collective years of research experience during residency, we offer the advice we wish we had received from the beginning. 1. Go after the problem that gets you worked up. Research can be grueling, and without genuine passion for the topic you’re studying, you're unlikely to be invested enough to dedicate the necessary effort to it, especially before or after long shifts. Consider the clinical problems that genuinely intrigue you and pursue the questions that excite you, even in your limited free time.
There’s a better chance you’ll make progress if you genuinely care about finding answers that matter to you. 2. Measure twice, and cut once. Set yourself up for success by planning meticulously. Start by developing a clear research question, utilizing the FINER criteria (Feasible, Interesting, Novel, Ethical, Relevant) to refine and evolve iteratively. To inform your question development, conduct a thorough literature search. Once you have your question, finalize your approach, i.e. your methods and analysis plan. This proactive step will save you time down the road by preventing the need to revisit data due to unforeseen variables, such as additional factors that might require analyzing hundreds of charts again. While frustrating, investing
time in developing a comprehensive background review and thoughtful methods early on pays off in that those key sections of future scholarly publications are essentially completed in advance. Additionally, most institutional review boards require these components for their review before data collection. Consider publishing this work as a scoping review if it is not already present in the literature or incorporating it into a residency lecture. 3. Teamwork makes the dream work. Don't tackle research projects alone. Working with others not only ensures accountability but also helps round out your weaknesses by bringing different strengths to the table. For instance, if you're not a whiz with R programming, a fellow resident might excel in it. Use