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What's the standard pathway for someone who wants to get into medical research?
No. I do NOT want to be a doctor. Ever since I was a freshman, i've shown a keen interest in medical research, but everyone has told me again and again that I must be an M.D. I don't think this is true.
Tips? Currently going for biology.
>>17396725
With a biology undergrad degree you should be able to qualify for a biology doctorate (or biological specialty--cellular, molecular, biochemical, etc., or a subdivision therein), after which the path of least resistance is postdoc lab work. If you pick a lab/university affiliated with a major medical school you will be making direct contributions to medical research, even if a few degrees removed from patients. My wife got her PhD in cancer biology before doing a couple of postdocs (full-time, not so well-paid jobs) in parasitology and infectious disease. She then moved into pharmaceuticals and eventually out of the lab. But there should be multiple research opportunities for a new biology PhD.
If you don't want to go to grad school at all, or just want to quit with an MS, you will still have access to research labs, but probably only as a lab technician. Hope you like western blots and pipetting, and not getting your name on any of the papers.