Unknown
at
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
I was very thankful that I received not only Lexicomp, but also
with Steven Stout, someone with a technical background and someone immersed in
the database management aspect of keeping this enormous drug information
resource online.
Unlike most
rotations, Lexicomp is a work-from-home. Typically, I met with my preceptor 2-3
times per week in various coffee shops in the Ann Arbor area for discussion of
the work done so far, where to go from here, and do mini
"topic-discussions" on topics related to the collection and
organization of drug information resources. This includes statistics, study
design, database design, information sources, how to vet information sources,
searching (search terms, structure, narrowing results), and many, many more.
Work centers
around the searching, collection, organization, and drafting of drug
interaction monographs for inclusion in the Lexicomp Interactions database, as
well as taking part in a number of longitudinal projects that his team is
involved with. This includes migration to a new content management system and
the thousands of tasks involved in that process, developing a tool that creates
graphical summaries of queries to the OpenFDA API, among others.
This has been a
very flexible rotation--work does not need to be done in an eight hour block so
long as it gets done and during interview season (onsites for fellowships) this
has been an incredible benefit as I can do work on the plane or in an airport
or in a hotel in Seattle. That said, you will be tested on your time management
skills as there is no external forces making you do anything! Self-motivation
is a big plus!
One of the biggest
benefits (as
pointed out by other commentators) is the incredibly refinement of your
literature search abilities. I had been doing this in a managed care setting
for two years and still made leaps and bounds in my ability to careful craft
queries (MeSH terms are the best) and iteratively refine my searches to
maximize my relevant results. There have been many "mind-blown"
moments when using PubMed, EMBASE, and other databases with these techniques,
particularly when comparing how I used to construct a term versus my current
method.
What has been incredibly cool is seeing the nuts and bolts of
Lexicomp Interactions—how everything fits together and the methods that they
use to keep their enormous quantity of data organized and maintained. My
preceptor is truly a master of the craft and he has been an incredible mentor
in developing some of my own skills in this area as well.
A typical day is
what you make it, and there is tremendous flexibility in pursuing projects
relevant to your interests! Highly recommended!
Michael Harrison
(mhar)
No comments:
Post a Comment