Jethro Floyd E.

Quinto
Research 2

Activity No. 2

Write a 300-word essay about the importance of to you as a medical student.

According to Oxford Dictionary, research is the systematic investigation into and study of
materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions. It involves inductive
and deductive methods. Inductive research methods are used to analyze the observed phenomenon
whereas, deductive methods are used to verify the observed phenomenon. Inductive approaches
are associated with qualitative research and deductive methods are more commonly associated
with quantitative research.

The importance of research for me as a medical student is, first research is vital for the
progress of modern medicine and has created an ever-evolving medical world. New discoveries
are being uncovered everyday which are influencing our medical practice. Carrying out small scale
studies has become an integral part of the pre-clinical course in the medical schools. It means that
practicing medicine has now become evidenced based. It gave us student confidence that the
knowledge and skills we will be learning inside the classroom and during our hospital and
community rotations are the exact knowledge and skills needed once we obtain our diplomas and
board license. It allows us to gave any form of medical and non-medical services that re efficient
and effective given the resources and facilities provided to us. It allows us to be able to adapt to
any situations and problems we will encounter during our professional practice and managed
different them with our outmost best and consistently allows to continue to improve and upheld a
certain standard during our practice for the rest of our lives.

Second, carrying out a research, while still a medical student, provides an opportunity for
them to study a discipline in which they are interested in. Research at an earlier stage, allows the
student to think in a systematic way. Research also enables student early exposure to ethics, which
is an integral part of medical research and practice.

Third, research allows the student to critically analyses other studies and hence, judge
whether the papers have any clinical relevance. Therefore, it is crucial that we understand papers
that are published and also understand the impact factor of those papers. Statistical analysis is a
crucial part of doing research. It allows the student a chance to broaden their medical statistical
knowledge. Research also helps enhance the IT skills as it requires the student to use various
statistical packages to analyses their results, carry out online literature searches, use Microsoft
Word to write up their project and use Power point to present the study to various medical
communities.

Fourth, the research project helps develop lifelong skills that will be of assistance
throughout a medical career such as time management, IT skills, and understanding of statistics,
to name but a few. Through these skills we can be able to work efficiently and effectively and
further improve our way of giving services to the one in need.

And lastly, research helps the student to develop characteristics such as self-discipline,
commitment and determination in order to get a result in a short span of time, and to write up the
project. It also gives the student a competitive edge over their fellow colleagues, while applying
for jobs, especially for those who want to pursue an academic career. And it allows us the
opportunities to publish and present papers on their study.