I am a high school student who is very passionate about medicine and getting into medical school. I have seen that many applicants who apply for 6 and 7 year combined programs usually include “medical research.” I have always been very confused about this specific topic. I understand that this is a period (typically throughout the summer) that you can spend time in a lab and with experienced professionals to conduct research. Are these special programs that you can apply to during high school? What are the prerequisites if there are any? What exactly do you research during this? I am very curious about doing this in the upcoming years.
Yes there are special programs that you can apply to that do this, but that’s not the only way to do it. Sometimes college professor allow students to work in there labs. I think there is really no minimum knowledge needed because the whole point of it is to help you learn about the subject. You can really research anything you are interested in from genes to cancer. Some high school student conduct individual research as opposed to working on someone else’s, but thats a good bit more complicated. [Here](http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/summer-programs/1063234-how-to-apply-for-independent-research-internships-p1.html) is a good thread with more info.
Tell your own family practice doctor what you would like to do, and ask her if she as any suggestions for you.
A lot of the time finding medical research takes a lot of effort on the part of the interested high school student. There are some colleges/universities that offer special programs for high school students. They are usually extremely competitive and frequently are only offered to disadvantaged students.
Another option is to find research opportunities for yourself. You can start by looking at your local college/university’s website. Read about the research interests of the professors and see who you’d be interested in researching with. Take the initiative to send that professor an email explaining that you are a high school student interested in biomedical research and that you’d love an opportunity to work in their lab either paid or unpaid. (In all likelihood you will be unpaid.) Keep sending out these emails until you get a professor who says “yes”. Typically it is best if you’re a junior or senior with at least chem and bio under your belt. Also keep in mind that these professors usually want a time commitment. You can’t research in a lab just 5 hours a week. By the time you get home from school, most people in the lab will be on their way home. (There is almost no chance of a high school student being allowed to work in a lab by themselves.) Summers are typically the best time for a high school student to get lab experience.
I am currently a graduate student in genetics and have mentored high school students in the lab in the past, so feel free to message me with questions.
Is there a minimum age requirement for these programs ?
All programs have some kind of age range. Each program sets their own range.