Interest and perceived barriers toward careers in academic medicine among medical students at Alfaisal University - College of Medicine: A Saudi Arabian perspective

Exploring the Challenges and Opportunities for Female Medical Students Engaged in Research in Saudi Arabia: A Qualitative Study

While researchers have made great strides in expanding opportunities for women in medical research, some gender imbalance persists, particularly in the context of the Arab world. The purpose of our study was to discover obstacles that female medical students have faced in conducting research. We conducted our study at a small private university in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and we used a qualitative, feminist methodology. In April 2022, we collected data from four group interviews with 21 female undergraduate medical students who had experience participating in research projects. The study's aim was to elicit participants' perspectives on the barriers women face when conducting medical research through all phases of the research process, including expressing interest in a particular field, finding faculty support, performing research activities, and assessing research outcomes. The inductive thematic framework data analysis revealed three major themes expressed by participants: differing expectations for female students versus male students in conducting research; challenges for female students in securing research opportunities; and practical challenges for female students in conducting research. Findings from this study suggest that targeted interventions such as mentorship programs can help female students overcome obstacles and work toward equal participation of female and male students in medical research.

Understanding of medical students about predatory journals: A comparative study from KSA and New Zealand

Objective

This study examines the extent of understanding of medical students from KSA and New Zealand (NZ) about predatory journals.

Methods

From March to July 2019, self-administered questionnaires were sent to fourth- and fifth-year students of two medical schools in KSA and NZ. Between-group comparisons were carried out using the two-sided Student's t test and the Chi-square test. Statistical significance was determined at a p-value <0.05.

Results

A total of 263 students completed the questionnaire (response rate: 59.1 percent KSA; 31 percent NZ). Prior research experience was significantly higher among KSA students (56.6 percent) as compared to NZ students (32.3 percent; p = 0.0006). A significantly higher number of KSA students (75.6 percent) felt that they were under pressure to publish studies during their term at medical school as compared to only 12.3 percent of NZ medical students (p < 0.0001). While one-third of the students in both countries were familiar with ‘open-access publishing’ (30.8 percent KSA versus 42.2 percent NZ), only a few displayed awareness about ‘predatory journals’ (9.1 percent KSA versus 7.8 percent NZ; p = 0.7) or ‘Beall's list’ (2.5 percent KSA versus 0 percent NZ; p = 0.02). A small number of students from both countries had published in predatory journals (26.1 percent [n = 6/23] KSA versus 12.5 percent [n = 1/8] NZ, p = 0.4). A few students had received warnings or advice regarding predatory journals (4.5 percent KSA versus 1.5 percent NZ; p = 0.2). A majority of respondents from both the countries found it hard to identify predatory journals.

Conclusion

This study identified that the understanding and knowledge of medical students regarding predatory journals is rather poor. This indicates that curricular, extracurricular, and institutional measures to promote awareness about predatory journals are warranted.

Factors impacting on retention, success and equitable participation in clinical academic careers: a scoping review and meta-thematic synthesis

OBJECTIVES

To examine and synthesise current evidence on the factors that affect recruitment, retention, participation and progression within the clinical academic pathway, focusing on equitable participation across protected characteristics including gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation.

DESIGN

Scoping review and meta-thematic synthesis.

DATA SOURCES

Web of Science, Google Scholar.

ARTICLE SELECTION

We conducted a scoping review of English language articles on factors affecting recruitment, retention, progression and equitable participation in clinical academic careers published in North America, Australasia and Western Europe between January 2005 and April 2019. The most recent and relevant 39 articles were selected for meta-thematic synthesis using detailed inclusion/exclusion criteria.

DATA EXTRACTION

The articles were purposively sampled to cover protected characteristics and career stages and coded for factors related to equitable participation. 17 articles were fully coded. No new themes arose after nine papers. Themes and higher level categories were derived through an iterative consensual process.

RESULTS

13 discrete themes of factors impacting on equitable participation were identified including societal attitudes and expectations; national and organisational policies, priorities and resourcing; academic and clinical workplace cultures; supportive, discriminatory and compensatory interpersonal behaviours and personal factors related to social capital, finances, competing priorities, confidence and ambition, and orientation to clinical, academic and leadership roles.

CONCLUSIONS

The broad and often interconnected nature of these factors suggests that interventions will need to address structural and cultural factors as well as individual needs. In addition to standard good practice on equality and diversity, we suggest that organisations provide equitable support towards early publication success and targeted mentoring; address financial and role insecurity; address the clinical workplace culture; mitigate clinical-academic-personal role conflicts and overload; ensure that promotional structures and processes encourage diverse applicants and promote family-friendly, coherent and transparent national career pathways.

Supplements to increase trainee-authored publications pertaining to medical education: A graduate's viewpoint

Medical trainees (i.e., students and residents) provide relevantly insightful perspectives pertaining to their 'medical education' at both undergraduate (i.e., medical school) and graduate (i.e., residency training) levels. Therefore, promoting related trainee-authored publications about such matters is critically important. However, unfortunately, not many medical trainees are able to voice their important education-related research findings in peer-reviewed journals. 'Journal-level' proposals to increase trainees' scientific scholarship are always warranted. Herein, medical journals are called to play an innovative pivotal role in further promoting the desired trend of trainee-authored publications. To that end, periodically throughout the year, mainstream (general or education-focused) medical journals are encouraged to facilitate supplements entirely dedicated to trainee-authored research contributions in the field of 'medical education'. The grounds, dynamics, challenges and benefits of this supplement-based approach are discussed.