Are medical students interested in research? - students' attitudes towards research

Student Engagement in Medical Research Curriculum Development Strategies: A Comprehensive Approach Utilizing Mixed-Methods Study and SWOT-TOWS-AHP Analysis

Introduction

Student engagement in medical curriculum development has become increasingly important, yet structured frameworks for decision-making and prioritizing strategies remain limited. This study demonstrates an approach integrating student representatives into strategy development to enhance engagement in medical research (MR) curriculum design and highlights students' perspectives on MR.

Methods

A mixed-methods study was conducted with 262 clinical year medical students and intern doctors. Participants completed a questionnaire on practices, perceptions, attitudes, motivations, and barriers related to MR. Focused group discussions evaluated beliefs towards MR and the faculty's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Thematic analysis was performed. Strategies were developed using the TOWS matrix, and student representatives ranked the strategies using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP).

Results

MR is perceived as complex and nonessential, yet its benefits in career development, patient care, and knowledge advancement are well-recognized. The chance to pursue research on personally interesting topics motivates student engagement in MR. However, curriculum overload has emerged as a significant barrier. The opportunity-strength strategy received the highest priority score of 0.33. The preferred sub-strategy involves establishing a centralized communication and coordination system to connect expert professors in both pre-clinical and clinical medical fields, both within and outside the institution, thereby enhancing the diversity of available mentors (priority score = 0.12).

Conclusion

To address curriculum overload, a centralized communication system and coordination between students and experts are necessary. Additionally, cultivating time management skills is essential. Involving students in curriculum development ensures that their perspectives and needs are considered, leading to the creation of insightful strategies.

Perceptions related to the layout of Visual Abstracts among physicians and medical students

INTRODUCTION

Visual Abstract is a visual summary of the most relevant information from a scientific article, presented as an infographic. Despite the growing use of Visual Abstracts by journals around the world, studies evaluating their components to guide their development remain scarce.

OBJECTIVE

The primary objective of this study is to identify the aesthetic perceptions of Visual Abstracts components by physicians and medical students.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study, using a virtual questionnaire sent via email to a convenience sample comprising physicians and medical students. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, with means and standard deviation or median and interquartile range, depending on the type of the variable distribution. Categorical variables are presented in absolute and relative numbers.

RESULT

The research sample consisted mainly of medical students (65%), who were female (57.2%), with a median age of 23.5 years (IQR 21-42.25). The majority of respondents declared no prior knowledge on Visual Abstracts (61.7%). Of the analyzed variables, preferences included icons (56.7%), in a monochrome style (36.7%), second-dimensional (81.1%), and moderately detailed layout (56.7%), using the "original" color (91.7%), and structured in IMRaD format (73.9%).

CONCLUSION

Several visual components influence the aesthetic perception of physicians and medical students regarding Visual Abstracts, with particular emphasis on textual objectivity, clarity of colors, and the use of icons.

Student Urology Conference Increases Participant Knowledge of Urology Match and Confidence in Research

OBJECTIVE

To study the impact of a student-specific urology conference for students considering a career in urology. The first symposium specifically for medical students interested in urology was designed to provide an opportunity to present their research, explore urological subspecialties, and network with faculty members, residents, and other students.

METHODS

Medical students and faculty at a US medical school organized the inaugural New England Student Urology Symposium (NESUS). The conference consisted of presentations from faculty members on various urology subspecialties, invited keynote speakers from regional Urology faculty, student poster and oral presentations, a surgical skills fair, and student and faculty panels surrounding the Urology Match and impact on career decision-making. Surveys were administered both before and after the conference to assess student perspectives.

RESULTS

Forty-two medical students attended the conference, representing 21 medical schools from 15 states across all major US regions. Attending the conference was associated with increased knowledge surrounding the Urology Match for students at schools without urology clinical rotations and decreased certainty about pursuing urology as a specialty along with increased comfort with presenting research for all attendees. 100% of student attendees recommended the conference to medical students interested in urology.

CONCLUSION

Our study demonstrates that conference attendees found NESUS to be a valuable opportunity to gain confidence in presenting research, strengthen knowledge about the match process and its competitiveness, and network with faculty, residents, and fellow students. Future student-focused conferences in urology and other specialties should be considered at the regional or national level.

The scientific value of medical student research: The experience at the Arrow Program for Medical Research Education

This study presents a comparative analysis of the publications of students participating in the Arrow Research Program in comparison to those of attending physicians and researchers at the same tertiary medical center in order to assess the impact of the Arrow Research Program on the students' scientific achievements. The study encompassed 90 Arrow Research Program students who were involved in the program at the Sheba Medical Center between 2019 and 2021. As a comparison group, 2082 attending physicians and researchers affiliated with the same center during the same period of time were considered. Publications were collected from The Web of Science Database, and the publication data parameters of each group were compared to assess scientific outcomes. The Arrow Research Program students collectively published 67 articles, and the 2082 physicians and researchers in the comparison group produced 4283 papers during the study timeframe. Similarly, the average impact factor of the journals in which the Arrow Research Program papers were published was 4.16 ± 2.68, similar to the average impact factor of 4.74 ± 6.26 in the comparison group (p = 0.388). Likewise, the average quartile of the journals in which the Arrow Research Program articles were published was 1.39 ± 0.59, which is similar to the comparison group's average quartile of 1.39 ± 0.63 (p = 0.997). In conclusion, the Arrow Research Program demonstrates its effectiveness in empowering young students to execute successful research projects. This study may help develop educational programs worldwide.

A Review of the Enablers and Barriers of Medical Student Participation in Research

Although research is an integral component in medicine, student participation in research remains limited. This is a systematic review conducted using rapid review methods conforming to the WHO and Cochrane guidelines to synthesise evidence on the enablers and barriers of medical student participation in research. PubMed, EMBASE, and PsycINFO were searched, yielding 27 final studies. Most studies were single-centre studies, and all were cross-sectional. All were quantitative except for one mixed-methods study. Identified barriers and enablers were mapped onto the micro, meso, and macro frameworks. There are more perceived barriers than enablers of medical students' participation in research. The micro, meso, and macro frameworks provide a useful system to unpack and tackle the barriers.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-024-02156-z.

Good teaching practices for organizing and conducting clinical classes in obstetrics and gynaecology for medical undergraduate students at the English Division

The Medical University of Warsaw is one of Poland's largest medical universities, currently enrolling nearly 10,000 students, including 608 international undergraduates.This manuscript aims to share our experience with a literature review on organizing and coordinating clinical classes for English Division undergraduate medical students at a single centre in a country where English is not an official language. We would like to highlight certain aspects that have proven highly beneficial in our educational efforts and offer universal advice applicable to clinical classes in any specialty.In this publication, we summarize and emphasize the critical aspects of creating conducive conditions for acquiring knowledge and practical skills by English Division students. We provide readers with good practices for tutor selection, organizational aspects, preparation of educational materials, presenting theoretical knowledge, teaching practical skills, medical simulations, doctor-patient communication, learning progress evaluation, comparison of diverse healthcare environments, students' feedback, and creating opportunities for further development after course completion.

What do medical students think of own participation as subjects in clinical trials?

RATIONALE AND AIM

Testing of new drugs through clinical trials is essential in efforts to increase generalizable knowledge. Little is known about the medical students' perception of their participation as research subjects in clinical trials. The aim of this study was to examine the willingness and attitudes of medical students towards participation as volunteer subjects in clinical trials.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 297 medical students in years 4, 5 and 6 at the University of Belgrade, from October to December 2023. Participants completed a pen-and-paper questionnaire including demographic characteristics, opinions on their participation in clinical trials, and attitudes towards clinical trials in general. The validity of the attitude scale was verified.

RESULTS

One in five medical students expressed a positive opinion about their participation in clinical trials, with the majority (about one-half) remaining undecided. General attitudes of students about research and their participation were positive. Students with prior blood donation experience were more willing to participate. Lower socioeconomic status and volunteering experience were also associated with stronger positive attitudes towards clinical trials in general.

CONCLUSION

Most students were undecided about their participation, but their attitudes towards clinical trials in general were positive. Positive attitudes towards clinical trials did not uniformly translate to the willingness for personal participation. Promotion of blood donation and volunteering at universities could help to increase the interest in clinical trials as volunteer subjects.

Enhancing the physician-scientist workforce: evaluating a mentored research program for medical students' research competencies and intentions

Background

The growing recognition of the need to incorporate scientific discoveries into healthcare decisions underscores an urgency for a robust physician-scientist workforce to advance translational research. Despite the correlation between medical students' research engagement and their academic productivity and success, significant gaps remain in the scientific workforce exacerbated by the "leaky pipeline" phenomenon from medical school to academic medicine, where potential physician-scientists veer away from research careers.The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a structured mentored research program for enhancing medical students' research competencies and sustaining their interest in research careers, thereby potentially enhancing the physician-scientist workforce.

Methods

The Medical Student Research Program (MSRP) implemented at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) was designed to provide comprehensive research training and support to medical students through a series of structured lectures, mentorship by dedicated faculty, and administrative support for research activities. Students were surveyed upon enrollment and one year later to assess the change in research competencies from baseline to follow-up (paired samples t-test), students' intent to use research in clinical practice (paired samples t-test), and their intent to conduct research in the future (McNemar's test and McNemar Bowker test).

Results

Preliminary evaluations indicated that the MSRP enhanced students' research competencies and has the potential to enhance medical students' research skills. However, similar to national trends, there was a decrease in students' intentions to engage with research in their future clinical career.

Conclusions

Our preliminary findings demonstrate MSRP students' enhanced research competencies during the first year of the program. However, the decline in students' intentions to engage in future research highlights the need for continued innovation in research training programs to sustain future intent to conduct research, in turn helping to address the "leaky pipeline" in the physician-scientist workforce. Future studies should focus on mid and long-term outcomes to fully assess research program impact on the physician-scientist pipeline and on integrating such programs more broadly into medical education.

A comprehensive stem cell laboratory module with blended learning for medical students at Tongji University

The laboratory practice "Primary culture and directional differentiation of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs)" is part of a required course for sophomore medical students at Tongji university, which has been conducted since 2012. Blended learning has been widely applied in medical courses. Based on a student-centered teaching philosophy, we reconstructed a comprehensive stem cell laboratory module with blended learning in 2021, aiming to facilitate students in enhancing their understanding of the multi-lineage differentiation potential of stem cells and improve their experimental skills, self-directed learning ability, and innovative thinking. First, we constructed in-depth online study resources, including videos demonstrating laboratory procedures, a PowerPoint slide deck, and published literature on student self-learning before class. In class, students performed a primary culture of BMSCs, freely chose among adipogenic, osteogenic, or chondrogenic differentiation, and used cytochemical or immunofluorescence staining for identification. After class, the extracurricular part involved performing quantitative polymerase chain reaction to examine the expression of multi-lineage differentiation marker genes, which was designed as an elective. After 2 years of practice, positive feedback was obtained from both students and faculty members who achieved, the learning goal as expected. The reconstructed stem cell laboratory module provides comprehensive practice opportunities for students. Students have a better understanding of BMSC at the molecular, cellular, and functional levels and have improved their experimental skills, which forms a basis for scientific research for medical students. Introducing blended learning into other medical laboratory practices thus seems valuable.

The prevalence of imposter syndrome and associated factors in Chinese medical students and residents: A single-center pilot study

PURPOSE

Here we aimed to define the prevalence of imposter syndrome (IS) and identify associated characteristics in Chinese medical students and residents enrolled at Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH).

METHODS

This was a single-center, cross-sectional study of medical students and residents enrolled at PUMCH conducted in September and October 2022. Participants were recruited to complete a 37-question survey on demographics, a Chinese version of the Clance Imposter Phenomenon Scale (CIPS), and self-assessments of anxiety, depression, burnout, sleep quality, challenges of clinical learning, and time allocation. IS prevalence and its associated factors were analyzed.

RESULTS

One hundred and forty-eight medical students and 89 residents completed the survey. IS was significant or severe in 62.8% of medical students and 57.2% of residents. Students enrolled in the eight-year program had significantly higher CIPS scores than those enrolled in the 4 + 4 program (66.4 vs. 60.7, p = .005). There were no gender differences in IS prevalence and severity. Participants with severe IS had significantly higher self-rated anxiety, depression, insomnia, and burnout than participants with mild/moderate IS. Participants significantly challenged by clinical learning had significantly higher CIPS scores.

CONCLUSIONS

IS is both prevalent and severe in Chinese medical students and residents. Classroom learning, an eight-year program, and being challenged by clinical learning are potentially associated with IS.

Short-Term Training with Basic Science Research Literature Advances Medical Students' Skills for Adaptive Expertise

Physicians must adapt their learning and expertise to the rapid evolution of healthcare. To train for the innovation-efficient demands of adaptive expertise, medical students need to acquire the skill of adaptive self-regulated learning, which includes accessing, interpreting, and synthesizing emerging basic and translational research to support patient care. In response, we developed the course Medical Student Grand Rounds (MSGR). It engages all pre-clerkship students at our institution with self-regulated learning from translational basic research literature. In this report, we describe MSGR's methodology and important outcomes. Students found, interpreted, critically assessed, and presented basic research literature about self-selected clinically relevant topics. In less than one semester and mentored by basic science researchers, they completed eight milestones: (a) search research literature databases; (b) choose a clinical topic using searching skills; (c) outline the topic's background; (d) outline a presentation based on the topic's mechanistic research literature; (e) attend translational research-oriented grand rounds by faculty; (f) learn to prepare oral presentations; (g) write an abstract; and (h) present at Grand Rounds Day, emphasizing their topic's research literature. Graded milestones and end-of-course self-assessments indicated students became proficient in interpreting research articles, preparing and delivering presentations, understanding links among basic and translational research and clinical applications, and pursuing self-regulated learning. Qualitative analysis of self-assessment surveys found most students thought they progressed toward the learning objectives: find scientific information about a research topic (56% positive responses), interpret and critically assess scientific information (64%), and prepare and deliver a scientific presentation (50%). Milestones improve time management and provide a scaffolded method for presenting focused research topics. MSGR equips students with critical thinking skills for lifelong, adaptive, self-regulated learning-a foundation for adaptive expertise. The master adaptive learner cycle of planning, learning, assessing, and adjusting is a conceptual framework for understanding students' MSGR learning experiences.

Medical students' interest in research: changing trends during university training

Introduction

Research is an important aspect of medical training and plays a vital role in the advancement of evidence-based medicine. However, little is known about medical students' attitudes towards research. So, the aim of this study was to assess the opinion of medical students on scientific research.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was designed that included students from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Granada (UGR), Granada, Spain. A survey was distributed to assess their interest about research during undergraduate studies (1) and following graduation (2), participation in research activities (3), barriers towards research (4), expectation values and self-perceived skills (5). The opinions of students who had not taken clinical subjects (2nd year students) and students who had taken clinical subjects (4th and 6th year students) were compared.

Results

91 students were included in the study (32 were 2nd year students and 59 were 4th and 6th year students). More 4th and 6th year students showed no interest in research (50.4% vs. 28.1%, p = 0.042) or in pursuing a doctoral thesis (75% vs. 50.9%, p = 0.079) than 2nd year students. In addition, more 4th and 6th year students felt that they did not have sufficient skills to engage in scientific research (52.4% vs. 18.9%, p = 0.002). Likewise a greater number of 4th and 6th year students considered that the professors did not encourage scientific research activities (74.6% vs. 40.6%, p = 0.002). Generally, students do not participate in scientific dissemination events. The main barriers to research identified were lack of funding and lack of awareness of opportunities.

Conclusion

Interest in research among medical students seems to decrease as the academic years progress. More research promotion could be implemented during the years of university studies.

The effects of educational intervention on perceived barriers toward medical student research involvement: A pilot study

Background: Competency in research as a medical student is a core skill set in training to be a physician and also supports effective continuing education as a physician. Although it is highlighted as an expected competency for educating medical students, there are no specific requirements on the type or depth of educational content that should be offered in the area of research skills for medical students. This observation led us to explore the potential benefits of informative lectures on research fundamentals and their impact on medical students’ perceptions on conducting research in school. Methods: In this study, students were surveyed before (n=71) and after (n=33) formal lectures on research principles to exam changes in perceived barriers to participating in research related activities. Barriers were categorized into three categories: Personal; Competency; and Value. Results: The results of this study demonstrated significantly decreased perception of several barriers within the personal and competency categories after the lecture series on research principles was completed. Although statistically insignificant, a separate and possibly interesting observation is that respondents appeared to have a decreased interest in research and decreased perception that participating in research would add value to their profile as a residency applicant or impact their care of patients as a future physician. Conclusions: Our pilot study suggests that offering formal lectures on research principles may lead to decreased perceived barriers of medical students in becoming involved in research related activities during medical school.

The development path of the medical profession in China's engineering universities from the perspective of the 'four new' disciplines

In recent years, China has actively promoted the construction of first-class universities and disciplines of the world ('Double First-Class'), and built a new model of university development to solve Chinese problems and support high-quality economic and social development. In the context of China's efforts to promote the construction of new engineering, new medicine, new agriculture, and new liberal arts (referred to as the 'four new' disciplines), these disciplines are developing rapidly. As a specialty dealing with major life issues, medical education has become increasingly prominent. To enhance the comprehensive strength of universities, corresponding to the 'four new' disciplines strategy, engineering universities are building and developing medical specialties one after another. At present, the greatest problem in the medical specialty of engineering universities is the tendency to blindly follow trends and integrate new concepts with traditional methods. However, to date, the integration of medical and nonmedical specialties has been superficial and thus has not been successful. To address this problem, this paper, guided by the policies aimed at developing the 'four new' disciplines, analyses the current situation of traditional medicine education and professional development in engineering universities and proposes measures to enhance the competitiveness of new medicine in engineering universities, thereby promoting the development of universities.KEY MESSAGESThe implementation of the 'four new' disciplines is a strategic choice for higher education.Engineering technology is an efficient path and hands-on approach to solving medical problems.Interdisciplinary and comprehensive educational approaches play an important role in the development of medical science.