How to measure success: the impact of scholarly concentrations on students--a literature review

The impact of a curriculum-based research training program on medical students' research productivity and future research interests: a longitudinal study

BACKGROUND

Incorporating scientific research into undergraduate medical education is necessary for the quality of future health care. However, providing rigorous research training to a large number of medical students at one institution remains one of the major challenges. The authors studied the impact of a curriculum-based Research Training Program (RTP) for all undergraduate students at Zhejiang University School of Medicine (ZUSM) on research productivity and future research interests.

METHODS

Medical students (n = 2,213) from ZUSM who completed the course of RTP between 2013 and 2020 were studied. The authors measured the academic performance, research publications, and research projects of students across years, and evaluated potential factors that contribute to student research productivity and increased interest in future research.

RESULTS

Across the years, there was an increase in the number of student publications, a greater proportion of students with publications, and a greater proportion of projects involving three or more students (P < .01 for all). The academic performance of the course was associated with increased publications (P = .014), whereas overall satisfaction of the course (OR 2.07, 95% CI [1.39, 3.10], P < .001), Skill Composite Score (SCS) (OR 1.70, 95% CI [1.16, 2.50], P = .007), and male gender (OR 1.50, 95% CI [1.06, 2.12], P = .022) were associated with increased future research interests.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest that the curriculum-based RTP improved students' research productivity, and that overall program satisfaction and self-assessed performance were associated with increased students' intent to participate in future research.

An Evidence-Based Framework for Medical Student Research Training

Background

As research becomes an increasingly important component of medical education, there is greater emphasis on incorporating programmatic enhancements to the research experience. This study builds a logic model to summarize research program inputs, outputs, and outcomes from research-oriented medical schools across the country, providing a framework that institutions can use to design and improve their medical student research training programs.

Methods

Between November 2021 and February 2022, we administered a survey assessing institutional characteristics, research offerings, curriculum, funding, and student scholarly products to the medical schools ranked 1-50 in research in 2021 by US News and World Report. Results were compiled in the form of a logic model.

Results

Thirty-seven institutions (72.5%) responded. Common program inputs included personnel such as at least one funded program director (97.3%), while funding for medical student research activities was highly variable (8-72%). There was much less funding for faculty research mentors (2.7%), advisors (18.9%), and teaching faculty (29.7%). Common outputs included a medical student research office or program (97.3%), formal research curricula (83.8%), and services and programs such as research day (91.9%). The most common outcomes tracked were publications (48.6%), presentations/posters (43.2%), student participation (29.7%), and completion of a research requirement (29.7%).

Conclusions

Common themes in medical student research training programs may be conceptualized with a logic model that schools can use to develop, evaluate, and iteratively improve their programs. Institutions should consider their desired program outcomes prior to designing inputs (e.g., funding, personnel) and outputs (e.g., curriculum, training).

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-024-02001-3.

Medical students' academic satisfaction: Social cognitive factors matter

PURPOSE

Academic satisfaction (AS)-the extent to which people enjoy their role or experiences as medical students-has important implications for well-being and career development. This study explores the relationships between social cognitive factors and AS in a Chinese medical education context.

METHOD

The social cognitive model of academic satisfaction (SCMAS) was adopted as the theoretical framework. Within this model, AS is assumed to be related to social cognitive factors-environmental supports, outcome expectations, perceived goal progress and self-efficacy. Demographic variables, financial pressure, college entrance examination scores and social cognitive constructs in SCMAS were collected. To explore the relationships between medical students' social cognitive factors and AS, hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed.

RESULTS

The final sampled data consisted of 127 042 medical students from 119 medical institutions. Demographic variables, financial pressure and college entrance examination scores were first entered in Model 1, explaining 4% of the variance in AS. Social cognitive factors were entered in Model 2, explaining an additional 39% of the variance. Medical students would report higher levels of AS when they (a) held strong confidence in their skills needed for success in studying medicine (β = 0.20, p < 0.05), (b) had optimistic beliefs about the outcome of studying medicine (β = 0.40, p < 0.05), (c) felt that they were making good progress in studying medicine (β = 0.06, p < 0.05) and (d) believed that they received adequate environmental support (β = 0.25, p < 0.05). The outcome expectations showed the strongest correlation with AS, and each 1-point increase was associated with 0.39 points on the AS score, controlling for all other factors in the model.

CONCLUSIONS

Social cognitive factors play an important role in medical students' AS. Intervention programmes or courses aiming to improve medical students' AS are advised to consider social cognitive factors.

The impact of student engagement on satisfaction with medical education in china: a supplementary perspective

As one of the indicators reflecting student well-being in medical education practice, student satisfaction is no doubt an important topic. Instead of exploring student satisfaction from the perspectives of education quality and organizational factors, this study focused on student engagement to explore the impact of it on student satisfaction with medical education in China. Student engagement refers to students' actions, efforts and persistence, indicating both time and energy students invested in educationally purposeful activities, especially academic activities. The data used in this study came from the first national survey of clinical undergraduates-the China Medical Student Survey-in which 10,062 clinical medical undergraduates in 33 medical schools participated. We developed a model of medical student engagement and satisfaction and utilized descriptive statistics, ordered logit regression, and path analysis to describe the relationship between medical student engagement and satisfaction. In this study, student engagement was categorized into behavioral, emotional and cognitive dimensions. The findings showed that medical student satisfaction was relatively low and was significantly affected by student satisfaction, especially the behavioral engagement in clinical rotations and professional identity of emotional engagement. These findings could put a supplementary perspective on improving student satisfaction through student engagement, and offer notable implications for future research and practice.

Meeting the Shared Goals of a Student-Selected Component: Pilot Evaluation of a Collaborative Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Research methodology is insufficiently featured in undergraduate medical curricula. Student-selected components are designed to offer some research opportunities but frequently fail to meet student or supervisor expectations, such as completion or publication. We hypothesized that a collaborative, educational approach to a systematic review (SR), whereby medical students worked together, may improve student experience and increase success.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to establish whether offering a small team of students the opportunity to take part in the screening phase of SRs led by an experienced postgraduate team could enhance the learning experience of students, overcome the barriers to successful research engagement, and deliver published output.

METHODS

Postgraduate researchers from the University of Cambridge led a team of 14 medical students to work on 2 neurosurgical SRs. One student was appointed as the lead for each SR. All students were provided with training on SR methodology and participated in title and abstract screening using Rayyan software. Students completed prepilot, midscreening, and postscreening questionnaires on their research background, perceptions, knowledge, confidence, and experience. Questions were scored on a Likert scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 10 (strongly agree).

RESULTS

Of the 14 students involved, 29% (n=4) reported that they had received sufficient training in research methodology at medical school. Positive trends in student knowledge, confidence, and experience of SR methodology were noted across the 3 questionnaire time points. Mean responses to "I am satisfied with the level of guidance I am receiving," "I am enjoying being involved in the SR process," and "I could not gain this understanding of research from passive learning e.g., textbook or lecture" were greater than 8.0 at all time points. Students reported "being involved in this research has made me more likely to do research in the future" (mean 8.57, SD 1.50) and that "this collaborative SR improved my research experience" (mean 8.50, SD 1.56).

CONCLUSIONS

This collaborative approach appears to be a potentially useful method of providing students with research experience; however, it requires further evaluation.

Medical student research opportunities: a survey of osteopathic medical schools in the United States

CONTEXT

It is important for colleges of osteopathic medicine (COMs) to provide opportunities for osteopathic medical students (OMSs) to conduct research under the guidance of professional researchers. However, COMs historically lag behind allopathic medical schools in research offerings for medical students. The literature would benefit from a synopsis of research opportunities for OMSs at COMs.

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to assess the availability of research opportunities currently offered to OMSs and to identify structured research programs (SRPs) to provide data that may help COMs expand such opportunities.

METHODS

Two online surveys were developed. The General Survey asked about general research opportunities, research requirements, and SRPs, which we define as optional, intramural, and mentored research programs. The follow-up SRP Survey sought to understand the history, funding, and organizational structure of SRPs. Between February and June 2021, the General and SRP Surveys were sent to all COMs in the United States. Response data were analyzed descriptively.

RESULTS

Responses were received from 32 (84.2%) of 38 COMs. Nearly all COMs offered research symposia, offered third- or fourth-year research elective rotations, and provided some form of funding for OMSs to participate in research. Fourteen (43.8%) COMs had mandatory research requirements. Twenty COMs (62.5%) offered 31 SRPs, and surveys were completed for 25 (80.6%) SRPs. SRPs were founded a median (range) of 7 (1-43) years prior and accommodated 20 (4-50) OMSs annually. Among the responding SRPs, 12.0% had external funding, 96.0% required applications, 50.0% interviewed applicants prior to acceptance into the program, 72.0% required OMSs to identify their own mentors, 68.0% offered stipends to OMSs, 28.0% offered course credits, 96.0% had clinical research opportunities, and 68.0% offered research-oriented didactics. In 84.0% of SRPs, OMSs worked predominantly in the summer after OMS-I; for these SRPs, students had 4-10 weeks of dedicated time for participation in research.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings from our surveys provide a synopsis of the research opportunities currently provided by COMs in the United States. Our data demonstrated wide variability of research opportunities among COMs.

Predictors of Medical Students' Views toward Research: Insights from a Cross-Cultural Study among Portuguese-Speaking Countries

Developing the skills and interest in scientific research of medical students is crucial to ensuring effective healthcare systems. As such, in this study, we aimed to assess Portuguese-speaking medical students' attitudes and perceptions toward scientific research and clinical practice, and how they are influenced by individual characteristics and regional indicators. A total of 455 first-year students from three medical schools in three countries (Portugal, Brazil, and Angola) participated in this study by completing a questionnaire. Portuguese students attributed the most importance to scientific skills and were the most confident in their ability to perform these skills. Angolan students were the most motivated to perform research and integrate it into the curriculum, despite having the most negative attitudes and perceiving themselves as having less ability to perform scientific skills. Brazilian students had the least positive attitudes toward science. In Portugal, attitudes depended on gross domestic product (GDP), while in Angola, they were influenced by the type of secondary school attendance. Portuguese students' perceptions of scientific skills were related to sex, GDP, type of secondary school, and participation in research. In Brazilian and Angolan students, perceptions were associated with age and research participation, respectively. The findings support the need to promote skills and positive attitudes toward scientific research in future physicians, fostering physician-scientists and improving patient care.

Faculty perceptions of factors that indicate successful educational outcomes of medical students' research projects: a focus group study

BACKGROUND

A growing number of medical schools have individual scholarly projects as a component of their curricula. The fact that all students, and not only those with research interests, have to carry out a project puts high demands on the projects and their supervision. Evidence is lacking for how to produce scholarly projects with satisfactory outcomes. This study aimed to explore the observations of faculty teachers regarding factors that predict the educational outcomes of medical students' scholarly projects.

METHODS

Two focus group interviews were held with seven of the 16 faculty coordinators who were external reviewers of students' research projects. The audio-recorded interview transcripts were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. We employed a constant comparative approach to create categories firmly grounded in the participants' experiences. A successful project was defined as coordinators' perception that the stated learning outcomes were achieved, in terms of students' ability to demonstrate a scientific attitude.

RESULTS

Five categories emerged from the data: Supervision, Project setup, Student characteristics, Curriculum structure, and Institutional guidance. The supervisors' experience and availability to students were mentioned as key factors for successful outcomes. Further, a clear aim and adaptation to the time frame were stated to be project-related factors that were also supervisors' responsibilities. Important student-related factors were skills related to scientific writing, taking ownership of and managing the projects, and making use of feedback. Finally, the course requirements, support, and control accomplished by faculty coordinators played important roles.

CONCLUSIONS

Contributing factors to achievement of the learning outcomes were supervisors' commitment and experience, and the projects being suitable for the time frame and having a clearly stated research question. Furthermore, the students' prowess at scientific writing, adequate handling of feedback, and ability to assume ownership of the project contributed to the final outcome, as did adherence to curricular instructions.

Enhancing research and scholarly experiences based on students' awareness and perception of the research-teaching nexus: A student-centred approach

OBJECTIVES

Research is a core competency of a modern-day doctor and evidence-based practice underpins a career in medicine. Early exposure encourages graduates to embed research in their medical career and improves graduate attributes and student experience. However, there is wide variability of research and scholarly experiences offered in medicals schools, many developed with a significant degree of pragmatism based on resources and financial and time constraints. We examined undergraduate medical students' awareness and experience of research throughout their degree to provide recommendations for implementation and improvement of research and scholarly experiences.

METHOD

Focus groups were conducted with medical students at all five stages of the medical degree programme. Data was coded to facilitate qualitative analysis for identification of important themes from each stage.

RESULTS

Students reported positive impacts of research on undergraduate experience, future career and society in general. Two important themes emerged from the data, the opportunity for research and timing of research experiences. Early-stage students were concerned by their lack of experience and opportunity, whereas later-stage students identified the importance of research to employability, personal development and good medical practice, but ironically suggested it should be integrated in early stages of the course due to limitations of time.

CONCLUSIONS

Students provided feedback for improving research and scholarly experiences, ideally involving early exposure, a clear programme overview, with equality of access and a longitudinal approach. An emerging framework is proposed summarising the important issues identified by students and the positive impacts research experiences provide for them. These recommendations can be applied to both existing and new research programmes to provide a student-centred approach designed to augment the students' critical analysis, inspire life-long learning, enhance the student experience and inevitably train better physicians.

First steps in the physician-scientist pipeline: a longitudinal study to examine the effects of an undergraduate extracurricular research programme

OBJECTIVES

Medicine is facing a physician-scientist shortage. By offering extracurricular research programmes (ERPs), the physician-scientist training pipeline could already start in undergraduate phases of medical training. However, previous studies into the effects of ERPs are mainly retrospective and lack baseline measurements and control groups. Therefore, the current study mimics a randomised controlled trial to examine the effects of an ERP.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study with baseline measurement and comparable control group.

SETTING

One cohort of 315 medical undergraduates in one Dutch University Medical Center are surveyed yearly. To examine the effects of the ERP on academic achievement and motivational factors, regression analyses were used to compare ERP students to students showing ERP-interest only, adjusted for relevant baseline scores.

PARTICIPANTS

Out of the 315 students of the whole cohort, 56 participated within the ERP and are thus included. These ERP students are compared with 38 students showing ERP-interest only (ie, control group).

PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE

Academic achievement after 2 years (ie, in-time bachelor completion, bachelor grade point average (GPA)) and motivational factors after 18 months (ie, intrinsic motivation for research, research self-efficacy, perceptions of research, curiosity).

RESULTS

ERP participation is related to a higher odds of obtaining a bachelor degree in the appointed amount of time (adjusted OR=2.95, 95% CI 0.83 to 10.52). Furthermore, starting the ERP resulted in higher levels of intrinsic motivation for research, also after adjusting for gender, age, first-year GPA and motivational baseline scores (β=0.33, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.63). No effect was found on research self-efficacy beliefs, perceptions of research and curiosity.

CONCLUSIONS

Previous research suggested that intrinsic motivation is related to short-term and long-term research engagement. As our findings indicate that starting the ERP is related to increased levels of intrinsic motivation for research, ERPs for undergraduates could be seen as an important first step in the physician-scientist pipeline.

Impact of A Required, Longitudinal Scholarly Project in Medical School: A Content Analysis of Medical Students' Reflections

INTRODUCTION

Medical schools increasingly require students to complete scholarly projects. Scholarly project programs that are required and longitudinal require considerable resources to implement. It is necessary to understand medical students' perspectives on the impact of such programs. Students at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine participate in a required, longitudinal research program (LRP) throughout all years of medical school training. Authors studied students' perceptions of this program.

METHODS

Fourth-year medical students submit a written report in which they reflect on their experience with the LRP. Qualitative analysis of students' written reflections was performed on 120 reports submitted 2012-2017. Content analysis was performed using an inductive approach in which investigators coded information and searched for emerging themes.

RESULTS

Four themes were identified. First, students described engaging in many steps of the research process, with many participating in projects from conception to completion. Second, students reported the LRP provided opportunities for leadership and independence, and many found this to be meaningful. Third, students developed appreciation for the difficulty of the research process through challenges encountered and practiced problem solving. Fourth, students acquired skills useful across multiple career paths, including critical appraisal of scientific literature, teamwork, and communication.

DISCUSSION

Through participation in a required, longitudinal research program, medical students reported gaining valuable skills in leadership, problem solving, critical thinking, and communication. Students found that the longitudinal nature of the program enabled meaningful research experiences. These educational impacts may be worth the effort of implementing and maintaining longitudinal research experiences for medical students.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-021-01319-6.

Curriculum initiatives to enhance research skills acquisition by medical students: a scoping review

BACKGROUND

Although it is accepted that providing medical students with opportunities to engage in research activity is beneficial, little data has been collated on how medical degree curricula may address this issue. This review aims to address this knowledge gap by conducting a scoping review examining curriculum initiatives that seek to enhance research experience for medical students.

METHODS

This review looks to specifically look at 'doing research' as defined by the MEDINE 2 consensus rather than 'using research' for the bachelor component of the Bologna Cycle. The framework developed by Arksey & O'Malley was utilised and a consultation with stakeholders was incorporated to clarify and enhance the framework.

RESULTS

A total of 120 articles were included in this scoping review; 26 related to intercalated degree options and 94 to non-intercalated degree options. Research initiatives from the United States were most common (53/120 articles). For non-intercalated research options, mandatory and elective research projects predominated. The included studies were heterogeneous in their methodology. The main outcomes reported were student research output, description of curriculum initiative(s) and self-reported research skills acquisition. For intercalated degree options, the three main findings were descriptions of more 'novel' intercalated degree options than the traditional BSc, student perspectives on intercalating and the effect of intercalating on medical student performance and careers.

CONCLUSIONS

There are several options available to faculty involved in planning medical degree programmes but further research is needed to determine whether research activity should be optional or mandatory. For now, flexibility is probably appropriate depending on a medical school's resources, curriculum, educational culture and population needs.

Thoracic Surgery Foundation Research Awards: Leading the Way to Excellence

BACKGROUND

Combining clinical and research excellence has become an increasingly difficult endeavor for thoracic surgeons, with typical success rates for the NHLBI and NCI being 25.1% and 11.3% respectively. The Thoracic Surgery Foundation (TSF), which is an arm of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, provides research awards and grants aimed at early career faculty to assist in securing federal peer reviewed funding. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of these awards.

METHODS

Faculty awardees of the TSF research awards from 1995 to 2019 were included in the study. The scholarly work of awardees was assessed using SCOPUS , MEDLINE, and google scholar for publications, citations and h-index. NIH RePorter and federal RePorter was used to search for any grants awarded to these individuals. For publications and citations associated with a TSF grant, a four-year window from the time of the research award was utilized.

RESULTS

Fifty-two research awards were given to early career faculty during this study period, 8 (15%) were awarded to MD PhDs. Six (12%) of awardees were female. Cardiac faculty were awarded 27 (52%) of awards and general thoracic faculty were awarded 25 (48%); of the cardiac faculty, 4 (17.4%) were congenital cardiac faculty. In the 4-year period following the TSF grant award, the mean number of published articles per awardee was 23 (interquartile range (IQR) 12-36) with a median citation count of 147 (IQR 32-327). The current median h-index was 26 (IQR 15-36) with 2,323 (IQR 1,173-4,568) median citations. Forty-eight percent of all awardees received at least 1 subsequent grant grant, with 40.4% being awarded from the NIH and25% having two or more NIH grants. Comparing academic position at the time of the award to current position, 54% of awardees had an advancement in their professional rank. On analyzing leadership positions, 42% of awardees were division chiefs, 21% were associate clinical directors, and 28% were clinical directors.

CONCLUSIONS

Being a recipient of the TSF award may position an individual to excel in academic medicine, with a large portion of awardees improving their academic standing with time. The rate of successful NIH grant funding after being a TSF awardee is higher than typical institutional success rates.

A realist review of scholarly experiences in medical education

CONTEXT

Scholarly experiences have been increasingly employed to support the development of scholarly skills for medical students. How the characteristics of the various scholarly experiences contributes to scholarly outcomes or the complexities of how the experiences build skills warrants further exploration.

OBJECTIVES

To identify how medical students' scholarly experiences lead to scholarly outcomes under what circumstances.

METHODS

A realist review was conducted with a search of Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus and ERIC databases using the terms "medical student" and "scholarly experience" and related synonyms. Studies involving the engagement of medical students in a range of compulsory scholarly experiences including quality improvement projects, literature reviews and research projects were included. Key data were extracted from studies, and realist analysis was used to identify how contexts and mechanisms led to different outcomes.

RESULTS

From an initial 4590 titles, 28 studies of 22 scholarly experiences were identified. All were primarily focused on research-related scholarly experiences. Organisational research culture that valued research, dedicated time, autonomy and choice of experience were found to be key contexts. Adequately supported and structured experiences where students can see the value of research and quality supervision that builds student's self-efficacy were identified as mechanisms leading to outcomes. Outcomes included increased research skills and attitudes, scholarly outputs (eg publications) and future interest in research or other scholarly endeavours.

CONCLUSIONS

The design of scholarly experiences for medical students needs to ensure protected time, adequate supervision and autonomy, to achieve scholarly outcomes. Much of the focus is on research and traditional outcomes with little known about the role or outcomes associated with other scholarly work.

A scholarly concentration program to promote public health nursing for generalist Clinical Nurse Leader students

BACKGROUND

The number of public health nurses has decreased consistently and significantly since the 1920's. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has put a spotlight on the need for more public health nurses in the workforce. The number of novice nurses entering into public health roles is declining, demonstrating a clear need to mentor pre-licensure nursing students into the public health nursing workforce. Scholarly concentration (SC) programs are a method to explore specialty roles through in-depth scholarly activities, outside of core curriculum. However, SC programs have not been described in the nursing literature. The purpose of this paper is to describe the development of a SC program to engage pre-licensure Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) students in scholarly activities related to public health nursing.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

This Public Health Nurse Scholars program was developed in 2014 with the goal of developing a cadre of generalist CNL students with experiences in public health nursing scholarly activities. The program aimed to increase awareness of career and scholarship opportunities through mentorship with public health nursing faculty. Students were encouraged to attend and present at professional conferences, participate in active scholarly projects and conduct quality improvement projects from a public health nursing perspective. The program was designed to foster students' public health nursing leadership and presentation skills and enhance their self-directed learning.

RESULTS

To date, 46 pre-licensure nursing students were selected as Public Health Nurse Scholars. Sixty-seven percent (n = 31) have graduated as Public Health Nurse Scholars; 33% (n = 15) are current Public Health Nurse Scholars. Twelve public health nursing faculty have served as mentors. As a result of the program 15 scholars attended and 3 scholars presented respectively at community/public health nursing conferences, and several scholars had related professional development opportunities. A majority of Public Health Nurse Scholars have designed and implemented a capstone quality improvement project with a public health nursing perspective, 15 of which were completed at community-based sites.

CONCLUSIONS

In the face of our current global, public health crisis, there is a clear need to develop a cadre of novice nurses prepared to enter the public health nursing workforce. The Public Health Nurse Scholars program shows promise towards encouraging an interest in public health nursing scholarship. Schools of nursing may consider the implementation of similar SC programs as an approach to mentor pre-licensure nurses in other specialty areas such as gerontological and neonatal nursing.

A medical student scholarly concentrations program: scholarly self-efficacy and impact on future research activities

BACKGROUND

The Scholarly Concentrations program was established at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 2009 with the aim of instilling passion for scholarship.

OBJECTIVE

Our study aimed to determine whether the Scholarly Concentrations program achieves positive changes in medical student self-efficacy in conducting research and, if so, whether this results in future career aspirations toward scholarship.

DESIGN

We used the Clinical Research Appraisal Inventory-Short Form (CRAI-SF) to assess changes in self-efficacy among students completing the Scholarly Concentrations program between 2014 and 2017. We calculated composite mean scores of six domains. We included outcomes on whether students published a manuscript, overall program perceptions, and likelihood of future research careers. We analyzed relationships between CRAI-SF scores and outcomes using paired t-tests and multivariable-adjusted logistic regression.

RESULTS

A total of 419 students completed the Scholarly Concentrations program. All 6 CRAI domain scores showed significant improvements in self-efficacy between the pre-Scholarly Concentrations and post-Scholarly Concentrations ratings (range of changes 0.76-1.39, p < 0.05 for all). We found significant associations between post-Scholarly Concentrations self-efficacy ratings and course satisfaction (adjusted OR 1.57 [95% CI 1.20, 2.07]) and mentor satisfaction (OR 1.46 [1.15, 1.86]), as well as students' intent to conduct future research (OR 1.46 [1.15, 1.86]). These results were robust to sensitivity analyses, and pronounced in the group of students without prior research experience.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that a Scholarly Concentrations program is associated with an increased self-efficacy for research, and these changes in self-efficacy are associated with higher satisfaction in the scholarly experience and increased likelihood of pursuing scholarly work. Other medical schools could use such a tool of self-efficacy to both investigate the overall Scholarly Concentrations experience and understand factors that may increase interest in future physician-scientist pathways.

Determining Expected Research Skills of Medical Students on Graduation: a Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Global interest in research skills in undergraduate medical education is growing. There is no consensus regarding expected research skills of medical students on graduation. We conducted a systematic review to determine the aims and intended learning outcomes (ILOs) of mandatory research components of undergraduate medical curricula incorporating the teaching, assessment, and evaluation methods of these programs.

METHODS

Using the PRISMA protocol, MEDLINE and ERIC databases were searched with keywords related to "medical student research programs" for relevant articles published up until February 2020. Thematic analysis was conducted according to student experience/reactions, mentoring/career development, and knowledge/skill development.

RESULTS

Of 4880 citations, 41 studies from 30 institutions met the inclusion criteria. Programs were project-based in 24 (80%) and coursework only-based in 6 (20%). Program aims/ILOs were stated in 24 programs (80%). Twenty-seven different aims/ILOs were identified: 19 focused on knowledge/skill development, 4 on experience/reactions, and 4 on mentoring/career development. Project-based programs aimed to provide an in-depth research experience, foster/increase research skills, and critically appraise scientific literature. Coursework-based programs aimed to foster/apply analytical skills for decision-making in healthcare and critically appraise scientific literature. Reporting of interventions was often incomplete, short term, and single institution. There was poor alignment between aims, teaching, assessment, and evaluation methods in most.

CONCLUSIONS

The diversity of teaching programs highlights challenges in defining core competencies in research skills for medical graduates. Incomplete reporting limits the evidence for effective research skills education; we recommend those designing and reporting educational interventions adopt recognized educational reporting criteria when describing their findings. Whether students learn by "doing", "proposing to do", or "critiquing", good curriculum design requires constructive alignment between teaching, assessment, and evaluation methods, aims, and outcomes. Peer-reviewed publications and presentations only evaluate one aspect of the student research experience.

Do Year-Out Programs Make Medical Students More Competitive Candidates for Orthopedic Surgery Residencies?

OBJECTIVE

As orthopedic surgery residency programs are becoming more competitive, medical students interested in orthopedics are increasingly completing "year-out" programs. This study sought to evaluate student and faculty perceptions of these programs.

DESIGN

A survey evaluating baseline characteristics was disseminated to directors of year-out programs identified through postings on the orthopedics forum, Orthogate.org. A second survey was sent to all program directors (PDs) of accredited US orthopedic residencies, while a final survey was distributed to participants identified by year-out PDs.

SETTING

Ninety-six orthopedic year-out programs at 56 institutions were contacted.

PARTICIPANTS

Twenty-six year-out programs, 72 PDs of ACGME-accredited orthopedic residencies, and 34 year-out participants from 6 programs completed our questionnaires.

RESULTS

73.1% (19) year-out program provided funding to participants, averaging $30,368. 84.6% (22) reported >75% match rates into orthopedics for participants. 65.4% (17) of programs selected students between their MS3/MS4 school years. 4.2% (3) of residency PDs agreed or strongly agreed that year-out programs were important factors for consideration in residency programs, compared with 82.4% (28) of year-out participants and 69.2% (18) of year-out PDs (p < 0.001). 58.8% (2) of year-out participants cited completion of a year-out for improving the chance of matching into any orthopedic residency, while 85.3% (29) wanted to be more competitive for top programs. The average Step 1 score was 248, which was insignificantly different from the national average for matched orthopedic applicants.

CONCLUSIONS

Orthopedic year-out programs have dramatically increased in number over the last 20 years. Most of these programs are funded, 1-year clinical research fellowships with relative match success for participants pursuing orthopedic residencies. While year-out PDs and students consider participation in such programs to be an important factor for residency applications, and often participate in them in order to improve their competitiveness for matching at desired programs, residency PDs overall hold different views.

Desarrollo de competencias investigativas en estudiantes de las Ciencias de la Salud. Sistematización de experiencias

Desarrollar competencias investigativas en un estudiante implica conocer el uso del conocimiento de forma adecuada; esto permite que se fortalezcan las habilidades para la observación, argumentación, sistematización y cuestionamiento a fin de que se pueda crear y/o gestionar un conocimiento. Para el desarrollo de las competencias en investigación se han planteado distintas estrategias didácticas: semilleros de investigación, aprendizaje cooperativo, métodos por proyectos, aprendizaje basado en problemas, uso de mapas conceptuales, estudios de casos, seminarios, redacción de ensayos y elaboración de talleres. En la presente revisión sistemática se analizó los principales programas que se han implementado en las universidades para mejorar las competencias investigativas de estudiantes de las Ciencias de la Salud. Se destaca a los programas de verano y el trabajo colaborativo con mentores como las intervenciones más comunes y eficaces para el desarrollo de tales competencias.

Scientific activity by medical students: the relationship between academic publishing during medical school and publication careers after graduation

INTRODUCTION

Engagement of clinicians in research is important for the integration of science and clinical practice. However, at this moment, there is a shortage of clinician-scientists. Success experiences can stimulate student interest in a research career. Conducting actual research leading to publication is a potential method to gain success experience. This study assessed whether publication as a medical student is associated with publication after graduation. We determined whether medical students in the Netherlands who are involved in research, as measured by publication in international journals before graduation: 1) are more likely to publish, 2) publish a greater number of papers, and 3) have higher citation impact scores after graduation.

METHODS

We matched 2005-2008 MD graduates (with rare names, n = 4145 in total) from all eight Dutch university medical centres to their publications indexed in the Web of Science and published between 6 years before and 6 years after graduation. For sensitivity analysis we performed both automatic assignment on the whole group and manual assignment on a 10% random sample.

RESULTS

Students who had published before graduation: 1) were 1.9 times as likely to publish, 2) published more papers, and 3) had a slightly higher citation impact after graduation.

DISCUSSION

Medical students who conducted research leading to a publication before graduation were more likely to be scientifically active after graduation. While this is not a causal relationship per se, these results cautiously suggest that successful early involvement in research could influence the long-term scientific activity of clinicians.

Inquiry in the Medical Curriculum: A Pedagogical Conundrum and a Proposed Solution

Habits of inquiry are considered an essential component of the modern physician's profile. These habits drive physicians to recognize and address the continuous challenges inherent to the practice of medicine; consequently, they meet the aims of better patient-centered care, better health of communities, and improved functioning of the health system. Many medical schools have endeavored to integrate inquiry into their curricula as a means of supporting development of adaptive expertise, a construct that encompasses habits of inquiry. However, the diversity of conceptualizations of inquiry has resulted in correspondingly diverse instructional implementations. Much of the emphasis has been on inquiry methods (e.g., engagement in research projects, courses in research methods and statistics), but the learners' inquiry disposition and its essential attitude component have received little attention in instruction and assessment. The authors propose that both inquiry methods and attitude need to be developed explicitly and simultaneously to prepare physicians to successfully be willing and able to address the challenges of today's health care environment. Because attitudes are established predictors of behavior, a positive inquiry attitude may be the ultimate determinant of physicians' engagement in behaviors of adaptive expertise (i.e., recognizing when learned procedures do not apply, and learning or inventing effective solutions). Addressing the attitude toward inquiry as early as possible in medical school is critical because strong attitudes are difficult to modify. Thus, a curriculum that supports positive inquiry attitude formation and strengthening will carry well beyond medical school and residency training.

Publication rates of, and attitudes toward, summer research projects: 10-year experience from a single institution in New Zealand

Background: Research is increasingly being emphasized from an early stage in medical students' careers. Medical student involvement in research and authorship of peer-reviewed manuscripts have been shown to enhance their academic performance-both in the short term and long term. The aim of this study was to evaluate outcomes and motivations of the summer studentship research program at our institution, using Vroom's expectancy theory as a conceptual framework. Methods: We utilized a mixed-methods approach to our study. Two databases (PubMed™ and Google Scholar™) were searched for publication data. In addition, students and supervisors of the program at the University of Otago were invited to provide comments on the program. Qualitative data were analyzed using an inductive, pragmatic approach which involved coding responses and grouping codes into common themes. Results: Between 2007 and 2016, 1,345 projects were completed, of which 326 (24.2%) resulted in a peer-reviewed publication. Students made up 48.1% of the first-authors. Three themes each emerged from the students and the supervisors' survey. Student themes included: motives for undertaking a summer studentship, administrative benefits and barriers, and perceived outcomes of the program. Supervisor themes included: motivations for engaging in the summer studentship program, administrative benefits and barriers, and expectations placed on the student. These themes are consistent with Vroom's expectancy theory where motivation is related to expectancy, instrumentality, and valence. Conclusion: A dedicated program to foster an interest in research by medical students has great value as judged by an overall publication rate of 24.2%. In addition, it provides opportunities to explore areas of interest in depth, acquire research skills, pilot new avenues of research, and create professional networks. Student research program needs to be well founded and well supported including administrative and statistical support.

Transforming a U.S. scholarly concentrations program internationally: lessons learned

BACKGROUND

Scholarly Concentrations programs in U.S. medical schools aim to instill passion for critical thinking and promote careers in academic medicine. The rise of these programs has seen variable goals, structure, and outcomes. Transformation of these programs internationally is in its infancy.

METHODS

We describe implementation of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Scholarly Concentrations program, offering Basic Science, Clinical Science, Medical Ethics/Healing Arts, History of Medicine, and Public Health/Community Service, at Bezmiâlem Vakif University in Istanbul, Turkey. Over six modules in the preclinical years, students develop a faculty-mentored experience which encourages the acquisition of attitudes and skills for self-directed, lifelong learning and scholarship. This culminates in abstract and project presentation. We report program characteristics (context and logistics) and outcomes (student engagement and experiences).

RESULTS

The Scholarly Concentrations program at Bezmiâlem began in 2014, with nearly two completed cohorts of students. In comparison to Johns Hopkins, students at Bezmiâlem begin at an earlier age (thus do not have as much prior research experience) and are subsequently evaluated for residency in terms of test scores rather than scholarship and publications, but have a similar level of intellectual curiosity and desire to take ownership of their project. Eighty-two percent of Bezmiâlem students stated the project they pursued was either their own idea or was an idea they formed after meeting with their mentor. Students at Bezmialem were more likely to choose Clinical Science projects (p = 0.009). Only 5% of Bezmiâlem students in end-of-course survey felt dissatisfied with the level of ownership they experienced with their project, a frequency similar to that seen by Johns Hopkins students (2%).

CONCLUSIONS

Scholarly Concentrations programs play an important role in U.S. medical schools, and these programs can be successfully implemented internationally. The Scholarly Concentrations program at Johns Hopkins has been transformed to a program at Bezmiâlem in Istanbul, the first program outside North America or the European Union. When designing these programs, one must consider the context, logistics, student engagement, and outcomes. While long-term outcomes are needed, this can serve as a model for implementation elsewhere.

Embarking on a Journey of Discovery: Developing Transitional Skill Sets through a Scholarly Concentration Program

PROBLEM

Medical student participation in research enhances appreciation of the scientific literature and the conduct of investigation, and may lead to an interest in academic medicine. Independent medical student research offers frequently overlooked opportunities to develop and assess professional practice abilities, including project design and implementation, interprofessional team communication, and time management. These skills, useful to physicians, are often challenging for medical students to master as they transition into clinical careers. To address this challenge, we designed and embedded interventional modalities into a highly mentored and longitudinal scholarly concentration component of the curriculum.

INTERVENTION

The Embark scholarly concentration program incorporates traditional research training with the development of professional practice skills essential for transitioning to clinical practice. The program includes individualized and just-in-time components enabling student access to information and feedback specific to their projects and development of professional practice skills.

CONTEXT

The Embark program is a required longitudinal component of the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine undergraduate medical curriculum. The Embark program consists of courses that inform and facilitate a required longitudinal independent research project.

OUTCOME

A retrospective evaluation of the Embark program's success with development of professional practice skills through the lens of both faculty and student perceptions included analysis of project records and course evaluation feedback. Evaluation of individual student development of transitional skill ability is possible through both quantitative and qualitative analysis of data collected from student project records. More than 80% of course evaluation commentary on strengths of the program addressed activities related to professional practice skills. To systematize the evaluation of these data sources, we have piloted a framework, iSAIL, designed to assess student development in these skills during the planning and conduct of a research project.

LESSONS LEARNED

By developing professional practice skills in the context of a scholarly concentration program, medical students can build a foundation for future engagement in research while they develop skills to overcome challenges that they are likely to encounter in their clinical careers. Modalities designed to evaluate individualized student development of professional practice skills through research participation define program successes and may lead to the identification of additional resources needed by students. By offering medical students opportunities to develop professional practice skills within the protected environment of an independent research project, this scholarly concentration program provides a valuable opportunity to influence the early development of skills necessary throughout their clinical careers.

Does reality meet expectations? An analysis of medical students' expectations and perceived learning during mandatory research projects

BACKGROUND

Although much has been written about structure and outcomes of medical students' curricular research projects, less attention has been paid to the expectations on such projects. In order to foster students' scientific understanding and improve the quality of mandatory research projects, we compared students' pre-course expectations with their post-course insights regarding learning and transferable skills.

METHODS

A prospective cross-sectional questionnaire study. All students registered on a mandatory 20-week research project course in 2011-2013 were e-mailed questionnaires in the beginning and after the course asking them to rate statements on expectations and perceived learning on a 5-point Likert scale. Of 652 students, 358 (mean age 26 years; range 21-49; 63% females) returned both questionnaires, corresponding to a response rate of 55%.

RESULTS

The ratings for expectations as well as perceived learning were highest for learning to search and critically appraise literature. The greatest pre- and post-course differences were indicated for participation in scientific discussions and oral communication. Surprisingly, both pre- and post-course ratings were low for research ethics. The highest post-course ratings regarding skills for future working life were given to items pertaining to understanding the scientific basis of medicine, ability to follow the development of knowledge and to critically integrate knowledge. Female students had higher expectations than male students. Those with a previous university degree had lower ratings of expectations and perceived learning. Students with basic science projects reported higher expectations and higher learning compared to students with other projects. Previous research experience had no significant influence on expectations nor learning. The correlations between post-course ratings of learning and skills showed that problem-solving ability had a relatively high correlation with all skills.

CONCLUSIONS

Students had high expectations and perceived the course improved crucial practical skills. However, expectations were not quite met regarding aspects of scientific communication, and hypothesis formulation, likely because these require more extensive practice and feedback. Students should be actively involved in ethical discussions and oral communication should be trained repeatedly as it is an important task of doctors to communicate scientific information to patients and non-experts.

Scholarly Research Projects Benefit Medical Students' Research Productivity and Residency Choice: Outcomes From the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

PURPOSE

Many medical schools require scholarly research projects. However, outcomes data from these initiatives are scarce. The authors studied the impact of the Scholarly Research Project (SRP), a four-year longitudinal requirement for all students at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (UPSOM), on research productivity and residency match.

METHOD

The authors conducted a longitudinal study of non-dual-degree UPSOM graduates in 2006 (n = 121, non-SRP participants) versus 2008 (n = 118), 2010 (n = 106), and 2012 (n = 132), all SRP participants. The authors used PubMed for publication data, National Resident Matching Program for residency match results, and Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research for National Institutes of Health funding rank for residency-affiliated academic institutions.

RESULTS

Research productivity of students increased for those completing the SRP, measured as a greater proportion of students with publications (27.3% in 2006 vs. 45.8% in 2008, 55.7% in 2010, and 54.5% in 2012; P < .001) and first-authorship (9.9% in 2006 vs. 26.3% in 2008, 33.0% in 2010, and 35.6% in 2012; P < .001). Across years, there was a significantly greater proportion of students with peer-reviewed publications matched in higher-ranked residency programs (57.0% with publications in the top 10%, 52.7% in the top 10%-25%, 32.4% in the top 25%-50%, 41.2% in the bottom 50%, and 45.2% in unranked programs; P = .018).

CONCLUSIONS

Longitudinal research experiences for medical students may be one effective tool in fostering student publications and interest in extending training in a research-focused medical center.

The long-term impact of a comprehensive scholarly concentration program in biomedical ethics and medical humanities

BACKGROUND

There is a strong and growing interest in biomedical ethics and medical humanities (BEMH) within medical education for facilitating key components of medical professionalism and ethics, clinical communication and observational skills, and self-care and reflective practices. Consequently, United States (US) medical institutions have begun to incorporate BEMH through formal Scholarly Concentrations (SCs). This is the first study to examine the impact of a US BEMH SC, from student experience in medical school to post-graduate development, as perceived by graduate physicians.

METHODS

Graduated students who participated in the BEMH SC or did extensive BEMH research prior to the BEMH SC's establishment (n = 57) were sampled for maximum variation across graduating years. In telephone surveys and interviews, participants discussed the perceived impact of the BEMH SC on (a.) student experience during medical school and (b.) post-graduate development. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and de-identified. The authors iteratively generated a codebook; two raters coded independently, adjudicated codes, and completed inter-rater reliability (IRR) tests. The authors subsequently conducted a team-based thematic analysis, identifying emergent themes.

RESULTS

Nineteen BEMH graduates were interviewed. Results were analyzed according to (a.) student experience and (b.) post-graduate development. Overall, respondents perceived impacts in reinforcing knowledge and skills in clinical ethics; solidifying self-care and reflective practices; refining a sense of professional identity and integrity for ethically challenging situations; and promoting student skills, productivity, and later careers involving BEMH.

CONCLUSION

A comprehensive US BEMH SC achieved the purported aims of BEMH in medical education, with graduate physicians perceiving persisting effects into clinical practice. Furthermore, the structure and format of a SC may offer additional advantages in promoting student scholarly skill and productivity, career development, and professional identity formation-core competencies identified across clinical training and ethics programs. Our findings indicate that a BEMH SC is effective in achieving a range of desired immediate and post-graduate effects and represent a particularly promising venue for BEMH in medical education. We believe these findings to be of critical significance to medical educators and administrators when considering how best to incorporate BEMH into SCs and medical curricula.

Ten year experience with student pharmacist research within a health system and education center

INTRODUCTION

Skills gained from research experience allow student pharmacists to evolve as practitioners, innovators and perpetual learners in an increasingly complex healthcare environment. Data published regarding pharmacy resident research are focused on external dissemination rates and research programs. Little is published regarding student research.

METHODS

This descriptive study was a five-year before and after comparison between the existing co-curricular model and a new longitudinal, 12-month research advanced pharmacy practice experience (L-APPE) model for student pharmacist research. The objective was to describe the development and transition to the L-APPE and compare the models in external dissemination rates and preceptor-classified impact on patient care. Preceptors were surveyed to characterize the impact on the health care institution.

RESULTS

Over a ten-year period, 65 fourth year students engaged in research. From 2006-2011, 28 students (43.4% of student cohort) completed co-curricular research projects. From 2011-2016, 37 students (40.2% of student cohort) completed the L-APPE. The number of national poster presentations increased 6-fold with the L-APPE, from 6 (21.4%) to 36 (97.3%) (p < 0.01). Combined posters and peer reviewed publications had a 350% higher occurrence (RR 4.5, 95% CI 1.9-10.9; p < 0.01). Preceptors classified L-APPE projects 1.5 times more often as leading to a change or affirmation of a practice model or prescribing pattern (83.3% vs 57.1%; p = 0.03).

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

The L-APPE research model increased external dissemination rates and resulted in more meaningful practice model or prescribing pattern benefits. Additional study of pharmacy student research is warranted.

Training the next generation of physician researchers - Vanderbilt Medical Scholars Program

BACKGROUND

As highlighted in recent reports published by the Physician-Scientist Workforce Working Group at the National Institutes of Health, the percentage of physicians conducting research has declined over the past decade. Various programs have been put in place to support and develop current medical student interest in research to alleviate this shortage, including The Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Medical Scholars Program (MSP). This report outlines the long-term program goals and short-term outcomes on career development of MSP alumni, to shed light on the effectiveness of research training programs during undergraduate medical training to inform similar programs in the United States.

METHODS

MSP alumni were asked to complete an extensive survey assessing demographics, accomplishments, career progress, future career plans, and MSP program evaluation.

RESULTS

Fifty-five (81%) MSP alumni responded, among whom 12 had completed all clinical training. The demographics of MSP alumni survey respondents are similar to those of all Vanderbilt medical students and medical students at all other Association of American Medical College (AAMC) medical schools. MSP alumni published a mean of 1.9 peer-reviewed manuscripts (95% CI:1.2, 2.5), and 51% presented at national meetings. Fifty-eight percent of respondents reported that MSP participation either changed their career goals or helped to confirm or refine their career goals.

CONCLUSIONS

Results suggest that the MSP program both prepares students for careers in academic medicine and influences their career choices at an early juncture in their training. A longer follow-up period is needed to fully evaluate the long-term outcomes of some participants.

Developing and rewarding teachers as educators and scholars: remarkable progress and daunting challenges

CONTEXT

This article describes the scholarly work that has addressed the fifth recommendation of the 1988 World Conference on Medical Education: 'Train teachers as educators, not content experts alone, and reward excellence in this field as fully as excellence in biomedical research or clinical practice'.

PROGRESS

Over the past 30 years, scholars have defined the preparation needed for teaching and other educator roles, and created faculty development delivery systems to train teachers as educators. To reward the excellence of educators, scholars have expanded definitions of scholarship, defined educator roles and criteria for judging excellence, and developed educator portfolios to make achievements visible for peer review. Despite these efforts, the scholarship of discovery continues to be more highly prized and rewarded than the scholarship of teaching. These values are deeply embedded in university culture and policies.

CHALLENGES

To remedy the structural inequalities between researchers and educators, a holistic approach to rewarding the broad range of educational roles and educational scholarship is needed. This requires strong advocacy to create changes in academic rewards and support policies, provide a clear career trajectory for educators using learning analytics, expand programmes for faculty development, support health professions education scholarship units and academies of medical educators, and create mechanisms to ensure high standards for all educators.

Medical students' perceptions of their learning environment during a mandatory research project

OBJECTIVES

To explore medical students´ perceptions of their learning environment during a mandatory 20-week scientific research project.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted between 2011 and 2013. A total of 651 medical students were asked to fill in the Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision, and Nurse Teacher (CLES+T) questionnaire, and 439 (mean age 26 years, range 21-40, 60% females) returned the questionnaire, which corresponds to a response rate of 67%. The Mann-Whitney U test or the Kruskal-Wallis test were used to compare the research environments.

RESULTS

The item My workplace can be regarded as a good learning environment correlated strongly with the item There were sufficient meaningful learning situations (r= 0.71, p<0.001). Overall satisfaction with supervision correlated strongly with the items interaction (r=0.78, p < 0.001), feedback (r=0.76, p<0.001), and a sense of trust (r=0.71, p < 0.001).  Supervisors´ failures to bridge the gap between theory and practice or to explain intended learning outcomes were important negative factors.  Students with basic science or epidemiological projects rated their learning environments higher than did students with clinical projects (χ²_{(3, N=437)}=20.29, p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

A good research environment for medical students comprises multiple meaningful learning activities, individual supervision with continuous feedback, and a trustful atmosphere including interactions with the whole staff.  Students should be advised that clinical projects might require a higher degree of student independence than basic science projects, which are usually performed in research groups where members work in close collaboration.

Participation in a scientific pre-university program and medical students' interest in an academic career

BACKGROUND

The proportion of medical doctors involved in research activities is declining. Undergraduate medical research programs are positively associated with medical students' research interest. Scientific pre-university programs (SPUPs) outside the medical domain are also positively associated with research interest, but have not been related to the shortage of clinician-scientists. This study examined the effect of an SPUP on medical students' research interest.

METHODS

This study was conducted at a Dutch medical school. Medical students in all years who had participated in an SPUP and first-year master students who had not participated in an SPUP were invited to fill out an online survey on extracurricular activities and future career interests. SPUP participants were compared with three groups of non-participants: (i) an unmatched group, (ii) a group matched on gender and pre-university Grade Point Average (pu-GPA) and (iii) a group matched on gender and first-year GPA, one to five years after finishing the SPUP. Participants evaluated the SPUP through ratings of statements about the program.

RESULTS

Two-hundred forty medical students, including 71 SPUP participants responded to the survey. SPUP participants participated significantly more often in the Honors class (i.e., extracurricular educational program for high-performing students), gained significantly more often extracurricular research experience, enrolled significantly more often in the Research master (i.e., research training program parallel to the clinical master program) and obtained significantly more often a scholarship than unmatched non-SPUP participants. Using a non-SPUP group matched on gender and pu-GPA reduced the effect size of the significant differences in Honors class participation, Research master participation and scholarship obtainment. Using a non-SPUP group matched on gender and first-year GPA rendered the significant difference in Research master participation and scholarship obtainment insignificant. Significantly more SPUP participants than unmatched non-SPUP participants preferred a combination of clinical care and research in their future career. Using a non-SPUP group matched on gender and either pu-GPA or first-year GPA did not change the effect size of this significant difference.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings demonstrate the potential value of an SPUP in increasing the number of medical students with research interest and as a policy measure to help to alleviate the shortage of clinician-scientists.

Development and validation of the Medical Student Scholar-Ideal Mentor Scale (MSS-IMS)

BACKGROUND

Programs encouraging medical student research such as Scholarly Concentrations (SC) are increasing nationally. However, there are few validated measures of mentoring quality tailored to medical students. We sought to modify and validate a mentoring scale for use in medical student research experiences.

METHODS

SC faculty created a scale evaluating how medical students assess mentors in the research setting. A validated graduate student scale of mentorship, the Ideal Mentor Scale, was modified by selecting 10 of the 34 original items most relevant for medical students and adding an item on project ownership. We administered this 11-item assessment to second year medical students in the Johns Hopkins University SC Program from 2011 to 2016, and performed exploratory factor analysis with oblique rotation to determine included items and subscales. We correlate overall mentoring quality scale and subscales with four student outcomes: 'very satisfied' with mentor, 'more likely' to do future research, project accepted at a national meeting, and highest SC faculty rating of student project.

RESULTS

Five hundred ninety-eight students responded (87% response rate). After factor analysis, we eliminated three items producing a final scale of overall mentoring quality (8 items, Cronbach's alpha = 0.92) with three subscales: advocacy, responsiveness, and assistance. The overall mentoring quality scale was significantly associated with all four student outcomes, including mentor satisfaction: OR [(95% CI), p-value] 1.66 [(1.53-1.79), p < 0.001]; likelihood of future research: OR 1.06 [(1.03-1.09), p < 0.001]; abstract submission to national meetings: OR 1.05 [(1.02-1.08), p = 0.002]; and SC faculty rating of student projects: OR 1.08 [(1.03-1.14), p = 0.004]. Each subscale also correlated with overall mentor satisfaction, and the strongest relationship of each subscale was seen with 'mentor advocacy.'

CONCLUSIONS

Mentor quality can be reliably measured and associates with important medical student scholarly outcomes. Given the lack of tools, this scale can be used by other SC Programs to advance medical students' scholarship.

Goals of medical students participating in scholarly concentration programmes

OBJECTIVES

Scholarly concentration (SC) programmes are increasingly common in medical school curricula, fostering student participation in mentored research. Endpoints including publication rates and impact on career path have been reported, but student goals have not been described. We describe how career plans and gender impact the importance of students' SC-related goals. Understanding student goals may enhance mentorship of professional development and self-directed learning skills.

METHODS

First-year students at two US medical schools were surveyed. Students reported intentions regarding career-long research and specialty interests. Using a 5-point scale, students assigned importance to 13 goals (eight skill-related goals, four accomplishment-related goals and mentorship), Composite scores for skills-related and accomplishment-related goals were used for analysis. Regression analyses, controlling for school, were used to determine whether intentions regarding career-long research, interest in highly competitive residency or gender were associated with increased importance of different goals.

RESULTS

We surveyed 288 first-year medical students and received 186 responses (64.6% response rate). Compared with their peers, students interested in career-long research placed more importance on both skill-related goals (beta coefficient, 1.87; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03-2.71; p < 0.001) and accomplishment-related goals (odds ratio [OR], 1.71; 95% CI, 1.09-2.69; p = 0.02). By contrast, compared with their peers, students interested in highly competitive specialties placed more importance only on accomplishment-related goals (OR, 2.18; 95% CI, 1.15-4.11; p = 0.02). Compared with men, women placed more importance on mentorship (OR, 2.47; 95% CI, 1.23-4.97; p = 0.01) and were less likely to be interested in highly competitive residencies (39.4% versus 54.9%, p = 0.04).

CONCLUSIONS

Gender and career plans are associated with importance of SC-related goals in the first year of medical school. This knowledge enables faculty to promote students' appreciation of important learning goals in the setting of student research, which may help students engage in self-directed learning across their medical education.

The Impact of a Scholarly Concentration Program on Student Interest in Career-Long Research: A Longitudinal Study

PURPOSE

Concerns remain regarding the future of the physician-scientist workforce. One goal of scholarly concentration (SC) programs is to give students skills and motivation to pursue research careers. The authors describe SC and student variables that affect students' career plans.

METHOD

Medical students graduating from the University of Chicago SC program in 2014 and 2015 were studied. The authors measured change in interest in career-long research from matriculation to graduation, and used ordinal logistic regression to determine whether program satisfaction, dissemination of scholarship, publication, and gender were associated with increased interest in a research career.

RESULTS

Among students with low baseline interest in career-long research, a one-point-higher program satisfaction was associated with 2.49 (95% CI 1.36-4.57, P = .003) odds of a one-point-increased interest in a research career from matriculation to graduation. Among students with high baseline interest in career-long research, both publication (OR 5.46, 95% CI 1.40-21.32, P = .02) and female gender (OR 4.83, 95% CI 1.11-21.04, P = .04) were associated with increased odds of a one-point-increased interest in career-long research.

CONCLUSIONS

The impact of an SC program on change in career plans during medical school was analyzed. Program satisfaction, publication, and female gender were associated with increased intent to participate in career-long research depending on baseline interest in career-long research. Two ways to bolster the physician-scientist workforce are to improve satisfaction with existing SC programs and to formally support student publication. Future work to track outcomes of SC program graduates is warranted.

Scholarly concentration programs and medical student research productivity: a systematic review

INTRODUCTION

Scholarly concentration programs have become a common method to promote student inquiry and independent research in medical schools. Given the high resource requirements of scholarly concentration program implementation, it is important to examine program efficacy. This systematic review examined the impact of scholarly concentration programs on student research productivity.

METHODS

The authors carried out a literature search to find articles related to scholarly concentration program research productivity outcomes. The inclusion criterion was a method of rigorously evaluating program scholarly productivity. Study rigour was evaluated with the Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument.

RESULTS

The initial search disclosed 2467 unique records: 78 were considered based on titles and abstracts; eight were considered by scanning references. Eleven papers met the inclusion criteria: all were descriptive; none had a priori hypotheses that examined predictors of medical student research productivity in scholarly concentration programs or prospectively evaluated program impact on student scholarly output.

DISCUSSION

While few in number and often lacking in rigour, the studies included herein suggest that adequate administrative support, strong mentorship and tailored program characteristics are essential in facilitating student research productivity in scholarly concentration programs. Given the challenges inherent in medical education research, a conceptual framework based on United Way's approach may help program planners and educators address this gap in the evaluation of scholarly concentration programs.

The inventory as a core element in the further development of the science curriculum in the Mannheim Reformed Curriculum of Medicine

Introduction: The German Council of Science and Humanities as well as a number of medical professional associations support the strengthening of scientific competences by developing longitudinal curricula for teaching scientific competences in the undergraduate medical education. The National Competence Based Catalogue of Learning Objectives for Undergraduate Medical Education (NKLM) has also defined medical scientific skills as learning objectives in addition to the role of the scholar. The development of the Mannheim science curriculum started with a systematic inventory of the teaching of scientific competences in the Mannheim Reformed Curriculum of Medicine (MaReCuM). Methods: The inventory is based on the analysis of module profiles, teaching materials, surveys among experts, and verbatims from memory. Furthermore, science learning objectives were defined and prioritized, thus enabling the contents of the various courses to be assigned to the top three learning objectives. Results: The learning objectives systematic collection of information regarding the current state of research, critical assessment of scientific information and data sources, as well as presentation and discussion of the results of scientific studies are facilitated by various teaching courses from the first to the fifth year of undergraduate training. The review reveals a longitudinal science curriculum that has emerged implicitly. Future efforts must aim at eliminating redundancies and closing gaps; in addition, courses must be more closely aligned with each other, regarding both their contents and their timing, by means of a central coordination unit. Conclusion: The teaching of scientific thinking and working is a central component in the MaReCuM. The inventory and prioritization of science learning objectives form the basis for a structured ongoing development of the curriculum. An essential aspect here is the establishment of a central project team responsible for the planning, coordination, and review of these measures.

The Health Professions Education Pathway: Preparing Students, Residents, and Fellows to Become Future Educators

PROBLEM

Training the next generation of health professionals requires leaders, innovators, and scholars in education. Although many medical schools and residencies offer education electives or tracks focused on developing teaching skills, these programs often omit educational innovation, scholarship, and leadership and are narrowly targeted to one level of learner.

INTERVENTION

The University of California San Francisco created the Health Professions Education Pathway for medical students, residents, and fellows as well as learners from other health professional schools. The Pathway applies the theoretical framework of communities of practice in its curricular design to promote learner identity formation as future health professions educators. It employs the strategies of engagement, imagination, and alignment for identity formation.

CONTEXT

Through course requirements, learners engage and work with members of the educator community of practice to develop the knowledge and skills required to participate in the community. Pathway instructors are faculty members who model a breadth of educator careers to help learners imagine personal trajectories. Last, learners complete mentored education projects, adopting scholarly methods and ethics to align with the broader educator community of practice.

OUTCOME

From 2009 to 2014, 117 learners participated in the Pathway. Program evaluations, graduate surveys, and web-based searches revealed positive impacts on learner career development. Learners gained knowledge and skills for continued engagement with the educator community of practice, confirmed their career aspirations (imagination), joined an educator-in-training community (engagement/imagination), and disseminated via scholarly meetings and peer-reviewed publications (alignment).

LESSONS LEARNED

Learners identified engagement with the learner community as the most powerful aspect of the Pathway; it provided peer support for imagining and navigating the development of their dual identities in the clinician and educator communities of practice. Also important for learner success was alignment of their projects with the goals of the local educator community of practice. Our community of practice approach to educator career development has shown promising early outcomes by nurturing learners' passion for teaching; expanding their interest in educational leadership, innovation, and scholarship; and focusing on their identity formation as future educators.

Effect of a Dedicated Pharmacy Student Summer Research Program on Publication Rate

Objectives. This study investigated the impact of an optional 12-week summer research program on the publication outcomes and satisfaction with the required research projects of doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (SSPPS) at the University of California San Diego. Methods. PubMed and Google searches provided student publications, and satisfaction surveys submitted by students provided their perceptions of the research project value. Results. Of the studied cohort, the 130 students who fulfilled the requirement through the optional summer research program provided 61 full-text manuscripts and 113 abstracts. The 305 students who chose the standard pathway provided 35 full-text manuscripts and 34 abstracts. Students in both pathways agreed or strongly agreed that the research project was a valuable experience. Conclusions. The 12-week intensive summer research program improved the publication rate of pharmacy students and provided a high overall satisfaction with this independent learning experience.

Impact of elective versus required medical school research experiences on career outcomes

Many US medical schools have added a scholarly or research requirement as a potential intervention to increase the number of medical students choosing to become academic physicians and physician scientists. We designed a retrospective qualitative survey study to evaluate the impact of medical school research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) on career choices. A survey tool was developed consisting of 74 possible questions with built-in skip patterns to customize the survey to each participant. The survey was administered using the web-based program Qualtrics to UAB School of Medicine alumni graduating between 2000 and 2014. Alumni were contacted 3 times at 2-week intervals during the year 2015, resulting in 168 completed surveys (11.5% response rate). MD/PhD graduates were excluded from the study. Most respondents completed elective research, typically for reasons relating to career advancement. 24 per cent said medical school research increased their desire for research involvement in the future, a response that positively correlated with mentorship level and publication success. Although completion of medical school research was positively correlated with current research involvement, the strongest predictor for a physician scientist career was pre-existing passion for research (p=0.008). In contrast, students motivated primarily by curricular requirement were less likely to pursue additional research opportunities. Positive medical school research experiences were associated with increased postgraduate research in our study. However, we also identified a strong relationship between current research activity and passion for research, which may predate medical school.

Medical students' research productivity and career preferences; a 2-year prospective follow-up study

BACKGROUND

Linking undergraduate medical education to scientific research is necessary for the quality of future health care, and students´ individual research projects are one way to do so. Assessment of the impact of such projects is of interest for both educational and research-oriented segments of medical schools. Here, we examined the scholarly products and medical students' career preferences 2 years after a mandatory research project course.

METHODS

A prospective cross-sectional questionnaire study. All 581 students registered on a 20-week research project course between September 2010 through September 2012 were e-mailed a questionnaire 2 years after completing the course.

RESULTS

In total, 392 students (mean age 27 years; 60% females) responded (67% response rate). 59 students (15%) were co-authors on a scientific paper published in an international journal, 6 students had published in a national journal, and 57 students had co-authored a paper submitted for publication. Totally, 122 scientific papers had been submitted. Moreover, 67 (17%) students had given 107 oral or poster presentations nationally or internationally during the follow-up. Career-wise, 36 students (9%) had been registered as PhD students and an additional 127 students (34%) were planning to register. Those who did not plan doctoral studies were significantly older (p = 0.013) than those who did. However, 35% reported that they would in the coming 5 years prefer to work as clinicians only, and this group was significantly younger than those who envisaged participation in research. There were no significant gender differences.

CONCLUSIONS

Approximately a third of the students had authored papers and/or public presentations, and a similar fraction had career plans involving a PhD degree. The results indicate that the project course had a positive impact on continued supervisor-student collaboration on a professional level, but also that strategies to encourage young doctors to perform clinical research may be needed.

A Case Suspended in Time: The Educational Value of Case Reports

Although medical case reports have fallen out of favor in the era of the impact factor, there is a long tradition of using case reports for teaching and discovery. Some evidence indicates that writing case reports might improve medical students' critical thinking and writing skills and help prepare them for future scholarly work. From 2009 through 2015, students participating in the case reporting program at a VA hospital produced 250+ case reports, 35 abstracts, and 15 journal publications. Here, three medical students who published their case reports comment on what they learned from the experience. On the basis of their comments, the authors propose five educational benefits of case reporting: observation and pattern recognition skills; hypothesis-generating skills; understanding of patient-centered care; rhetorical versatility; and use of the case report as a rapidly publishable "mini-thesis," which could fulfill MD thesis or scholarly concentration requirements. The authors discuss the concept of the case report as a "hybrid narrative" with simultaneous medical and humanistic significance, and its potential use to teach students about their dual roles as engaged listeners and scientists. Finally, the authors consider the limitations and pitfalls of case reports, including patient confidentiality issues, overinterpretation, emphasis on the rare, and low initial publication rates. Case reports allow students to contribute to medical literature, learn useful scholarly skills, and participate in a tradition that links them with past generations of physicians. The authors conclude that the case report can be an effective teaching tool with a broad range of potential educational benefits.

Scholarly Concentration Program Development: A Generalizable, Data-Driven Approach

PURPOSE

Scholarly concentration programs-also known as scholarly projects, pathways, tracks, or pursuits-are increasingly common in U.S. medical schools. However, systematic, data-driven program development methods have not been described.

METHOD

The authors examined scholarly concentration programs at U.S. medical schools that U.S. News & World Report ranked as top 25 for research or primary care (n = 43 institutions), coding concentrations and mission statements. Subsequently, the authors conducted a targeted needs assessment via a student-led, institution-wide survey, eliciting learners' preferences for 10 "Pathways" (i.e., concentrations) and 30 "Topics" (i.e., potential content) augmenting core curricula at their institution. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and a capacity optimization algorithm characterized best institutional options for learner-focused Pathway development.

RESULTS

The authors identified scholarly concentration programs at 32 of 43 medical schools (74%), comprising 199 distinct concentrations (mean concentrations per program: 6.2, mode: 5, range: 1-16). Thematic analysis identified 10 content domains; most common were "Global/Public Health" (30 institutions; 94%) and "Clinical/Translational Research" (26 institutions; 81%). The institutional needs assessment (n = 468 medical students; response rate 60% overall, 97% among first-year students) demonstrated myriad student preferences for Pathways and Topics. EFA of Topic preferences identified eight factors, systematically related to Pathway preferences, informing content development. Capacity modeling indicated that offering six Pathways could guarantee 95% of first-year students (162/171) their first- or second-choice Pathway.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates a generalizable, data-driven approach to scholarly concentration program development that reflects student preferences and institutional strengths, while optimizing program diversity within capacity constraints.

Trends in publication of general surgical research in New Zealand, 1996-2015

BACKGROUND

Recent analyses of the surgical literature have suggested a general trend towards increasing numbers of published articles and an improved quality of evidence produced. The aim of this bibliometric analysis was to identify trends in the publication of general surgical research in New Zealand from 1996 to 2015.

METHODS

Ovid MEDLINE was searched for general surgical publications by New Zealand authors. Two investigators screened results, and a range of data were collected for included articles. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize data and identify significant trends.

RESULTS

A total of 601 articles were identified, with a progressive increase in the number of publications from 1996 to 2015. Randomized trials and systematic reviews accounted for 33 and 97 publications, respectively. The median number of authors per paper rose from 3.0 to 5.0 (P < 0.001). There was an exponential increase in the publication of randomized trials (P = 0.001) and systematic reviews (P < 0.001), while publication of basic science articles remained relatively steady (P = 0.22). The median impact factor for published articles increased from 1.5 to 2.6, which was equivalent to organic growth of the journal impact factors over the 20-year period.

CONCLUSION

The quality and quantity of surgical research in New Zealand has substantially increased over the past two decades. These results reflect the successful growth of a culture of academic surgery and the ongoing support of partner organizations.

A Systematic Review of Extramural Presentations and Publications from Pharmacy Student Research Programs

Objective. To conduct a systematic review of reports of pharmacy student research programs that describes the programs and resulting publications or presentations. Methods. To be eligible for the review, reports had to be in English and indicate that students were required to collect, analyze data, and report or present findings. The outcome variables were extramural posters/presentations and publications. Results. Database searches resulted in identification of 13 reports for 12 programs. Two-thirds were reports of projects required for a course or for graduation, and the remaining third were elective (participation was optional). Extramural posters resulted from 75% of the programs and publications from 67%. Conclusion. Although reporting on the outcomes of student research programs is limited, three-quarters of the programs indicated that extramural presentations, publications, or both resulted from student research. Additional research is needed to identify relevant outcomes of student research programs in pharmacy.

Research in Medical School: A Survey Evaluating Why Medical Students Take Research Years

INTRODUCTION

In recent years, an increasing number of medical students have taken time off during medical school in order to conduct research. Schools and students have invested millions of dollars and thousands of person-years on research projects, but little is known as to why students choose to take this time off. We aim to characterize why students take research years during medical school.

METHODS

The authors distributed an online survey about research in medical school to students at five medical schools that have highly regarded research programs.

RESULTS

328 students responded to the survey. The most common reasons students take years off for research are: "increase competitiveness for residency application" (32%), "time to pursue other opportunities" (24%), and "academic interest" (23%). Students who would still take a research year even if they were already assured a position in a residency program of their choice were at 65%, while 35% would not take a research year. Responses varied based on whether students intended to go into a competitive specialty.

DISCUSSION

Medical students take research years for multiple reasons, although they frequently are not motivated by an interest in the research itself. Many student projects consume a substantial amount of time and money despite having little educational value. Medical schools, residency programs, and policymakers should rethink incentives to increase value and help students better pursue their academic interests.

Medical Research Volunteer Program (MRVP): innovative program promoting undergraduate research in the medical field

BACKGROUND

Most educational institutions lack a structured system that provides undergraduate students with research exposure in the medical field. The objective of this paper is to describe the structure of the Medical Research Volunteer Program (MRVP) which was established at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, as well as to assess the success of the program.

METHODS

The MRVP is a program that targets undergraduate students interested in becoming involved in the medical research field early on in their academic career. It provides students with an active experience and the opportunity to learn from and support physicians, clinical researchers, basic science researchers and other health professionals. Through this program, students are assigned to researchers and become part of a research team where they observe and aid on a volunteer basis. This paper presents the MRVP's four major pillars: the students, the faculty members, the MRVP committee, and the online portal. Moreover, details of the MRVP process are provided. The success of the program was assessed by carrying out analyses using information gathered from the MRVP participants (both students and faculty). Satisfaction with the program was assessed using a set of questions rated on a Likert scale, ranging from 1 (lowest satisfaction) to 5 (highest satisfaction).

RESULTS

A total of 211 students applied to the program with a total of 164 matches being completed. Since the beginning of the program, three students have each co-authored a publication in peer-reviewed journals with their respective faculty members. The majority of the students rated the program positively. Of the total number of students who completed the program period, 35.1 % rated the effectiveness of the program with a 5, 54.8 % rated 4, and 8.6 % rated 3. A small number of students gave lower ratings of 2 and 1 (1.1 % and 0.4 %, respectively).

CONCLUSION

The MRVP is a program that provides undergraduate students with the opportunity to learn about research firsthand as they volunteer and aid in different research projects. This program also provides faculty members with the help to conduct their research projects and opportunity to influence future generations. It was shown that so far the MRVP has been successful in reaching its goals, for both students and faculty.

Short-term outcomes of a program developed to inculcate research essentials in undergraduate medical students

BACKGROUND

Participation in research during undergraduate studies may increase students' interest in research and inculcate research essentials in them.

AIMS

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the mentored student project (MSP) program.

SETTINGS AND DESIGN

In the MSP program, students in groups (n = 3 to 5) undertook a research project, wrote a scholarly report, and presented the work as a poster presentation with the help of a faculty mentor. To begin with, the logic model of the program was developed to identify short-term outcomes of the program on students, mentors, and the institution. A quasi-experimental design was used to measure the outcomes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A mixed method evaluation was done using a newly-developed questionnaire to assess the impact of the MSP on students' attitude, a multiple-choice question (MCQs) test to find out the impact on students' knowledge and grading of students' project reports and posters along with a survey to check the impact on skills. Students' satisfaction regarding the program and mentors' perceptions were collected using questionnaires. Evidence for validity was collected for all the instruments used for the evaluation.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

Non-parametric tests were used to analyze data. Based on the scores, project reports and posters were graded into A (>70% marks), B (60-69% marks), and C (<59% marks) categories. The number of MSPs that resulted in publications, conference presentation and departmental collaborations were taken as impact on the institution.

RESULTS

Students' response rate was 91.5%. The students' attitudes regarding research changed positively (P = 0.036) and score in the MCQ test improved (P < 0.001) after undertaking MSP. Majority of project reports and posters were of grade A category. The majority of the items related to skills gained and satisfaction had a median score of 4. The MSPs resulted in inter-departmental and inter-institutional collaborations, 14 publications and 15 conference presentations. An area for improvement noted was to have the MSP implemented in the curriculum without increasing students' overall workload and stress.

CONCLUSION

The study identified strengths and weaknesses of the MSP program. Our model of undergraduate research project may be incorporated in undergraduate medical programs to foster positive attitude and knowledge base about scientific research and to instil research skills among students.

Perceived barriers towards participation in undergraduate research activities among medical students at Alfaisal University-College of Medicine: A Saudi Arabian perspective

BACKGROUND

The importance of undergraduate research (UR) to students is well acknowledged in literature; however, little is known about its perceived barriers. The aim of study is to explore the perceived barriers toward participation in UR activities among students at Alfaisal University-College of Medicine, Saudi Arabia.

METHODS

An online, anonymous, cross-sectional, self-rating survey was administered. A two-tailed Mann-Whitney U-test was used to compare the average five-point Likert scale responses between male and female students.

RESULTS

Two-hundred and twenty-one students (n = 221/350) participated in the survey with a 63.1% response rate. The percentage of participation in UR significantly differed by gender (males vs. females: 68.6% vs. 45.4%; p < 0.0005, Chi-square test). The top three barriers toward participation in UR were "lack of time" (77.4%), "lack of formal UR courses in curriculum" (76%) and "lack of UR mentors" (70.1%). Statistically significant differences of means were identified between male and female students regarding the following statements: "lack of supervising research mentors" (p < 0.01), "lack of interest in research" (p < 0.04), "lack of finding same-gender research mentor" (p < 0.00) and "lack of UR opportunities" (p < 0.00).

CONCLUSION

Our results were fairly comparable to the Western studies. Medical educators should carefully look into all UR barriers and consider implementing applicable solutions.

Evidence for curricular and instructional design approaches in undergraduate medical education: An umbrella review

INTRODUCTION

An umbrella review compiles evidence from multiple reviews into a single accessible document. This umbrella review synthesizes evidence from systematic reviews on curricular and instructional design approaches in undergraduate medical education, focusing on learning outcomes.

METHODS

We conducted bibliographic database searches in Medline, EMBASE and ERIC from database inception to May 2013 inclusive, and digital keyword searches of leading medical education journals. We identified 18,470 abstracts; 467 underwent duplicate full-text scrutiny.

RESULTS

Thirty-six articles met all eligibility criteria. Articles were abstracted independently by three authors, using a modified Kirkpatrick model for evaluating learning outcomes. Evidence for the effectiveness of diverse educational approaches is reported.

DISCUSSION

This review maps out empirical knowledge on the efficacy of a broad range of educational approaches in medical education. Critical knowledge gaps, and lapses in methodological rigour, are discussed, providing valuable insight for future research. The findings call attention to the need for adopting evaluative strategies that explore how contextual variabilities and individual (teacher/learner) differences influence efficacy of educational interventions. Additionally, the results underscore that extant empirical evidence does not always provide unequivocal answers about what approaches are most effective. Educators should incorporate best available empirical knowledge with experiential and contextual knowledge.