Lab Experience...not so great

<p>I'm a sophomore and I've been volunteering in a lab for this past semester.
I only do one experiment a week (about 13 hours), and for the most part I've been doing pretty well. There have been lots of little communication issues, and I know that I'm pretty insignificant, especially because I'm still training.</p>

<p>However, I was told that I could have a January internship and one day my supervisor told me that the professor wanted to talk to me and that I wouldn't be doing any lab work until after the meeting. I've emailed both of them to try to set up a schedule, but I haven't gotten a reply back for almost a week.</p>

<p>They really are nice people, and I know that they're very very busy and stressed out right now, but I need to file my internship in the next week (and I already bought my plane tickets .. ). I also don't want to keep pestering them. Should I begin to look for something else? I really wanted to do lab research so that I would have a better chance for this summer .. but =/</p>

<p>Also, to be absolutely frank, I never really liked the dynamics of that lab to begin with. I like the idea of research, the discovery and what not, and I love teaching students in lab (my job at school), but I don't know if I like the stressful/high powered, cut throat research world. I mean becoming a doctor is cut throat enough without having to worry about somebody stealing your research or how much money you've lost. It's not really what I had in mind when I envisioned my future lab</p>

<p>I'm wondering if every MdPhd's life is this stressful .. and if I am having second doubts if there is a way to do research as a doctor without being an MdPhd.</p>

<p>Of course you can do research as a MD w/o the PhD or do research w/o a MD.</p>

<p>However, just know that this is the research world. You are very shielded from the stresses of this world as an undergrad. Your PI has much more to worry about. If you don't like this environment, then a future in research might not be for you.</p>