Evaluation of a Medical Student Research and Career Development Program to Increase Diversity in Academic Medicine

The interplay between research expectations and perceived barriers: a mediation analysis among Chinese medical undergraduates

BACKGROUND

Scientific research activity is essential to drive undergraduate medical education innovation, but many barriers prevent students from participating in research activities. While many studies have identified these challenges, the psychological factors, such as research expectations and interest, influencing students' perceptions of these barriers have been less explored. This study intends to explore these barriers and how research expectations, through interest, influence student engagement in research.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study involved 322 medical students from Shandong University. The majority of participants were from the specialty of Clinical Medicine (72.36%), with other students from non-Clinical specialties (e.g. Public Health and Preventive Medicine, etc.). A structured questionnaire was used, measuring five key areas: demographics, scholarly characteristics, current research experience, attitudes toward research barriers, and research expectations. Statistical analyses, including Ordered logistic regression, Spearman's correlation, and Mediation analysis, were employed to assess research expectations' direct and indirect effects on perceived barriers through research interest.

RESULTS

The study found that the most significant barriers to research were lack of mentorship, heavy academic workload, lack of research skills, and insufficient funding. Students with higher research expectations reported greater perceived barriers, but their higher levels of research interest reduced the perceived impact of these barriers. Mediation analysis found that research interest acted as a mediator between expectations and barriers, with a significant indirect effect of expectations on barriers through interest. This study highlights the complex interaction between research expectations, interest, and perceived barriers in undergraduate medical education.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest that while high expectations may increase the awareness of challenges, strong intrinsic interest in research mitigates the impact of these barriers. Integrating more research-related courses into the training program, and providing adequate mentorship and resources to support students' research engagement will help cultivate a research-oriented mindset among medical undergraduates.

Career Planning in Medical Students Rotating Through Obstetrics and Gynecology: The Role of Self-Efficacy, Social Support, and Personal Participation

Purpose

Aimed to examine the relationship between Individual participation, social support, self-efficacy and career planning among medical students of obstetrics and gynecology.

Patients and Methods

Utilizing a cross-sectional survey, We evaluated 292 medical students specializing in obstetrics and gynecology across various educational stages. Questionnaires measured academic self-efficacy, social support, personal involvement, and career planning. We applied descriptive statistics, linear regression, and mediation effect analyses with the SPSS AU tool.

Results

This study evaluated the career planning status of 292 medical students rotating through obstetrics and gynecology at various educational stages using a cross-sectional survey. Linear regression analysis revealed that age has a negative impact on career planning scores, with each additional year reducing the score by an average of 0.065 points. Gender (with males scoring lower) and residence (with students from rural areas scoring higher) also had significant effects (all p <0.05). Positive factors included self-efficacy in academic ability, career planning guidance from parents and friends, participation in career planning-related training, medical practice projects, and medical competitions, all of which significantly and positively influenced career planning scores, the aforementioned factors account for 40.5% of the variation in career planning. Mediation effect analysis showed that social support and personal participation have significant indirect effects on career planning through self-efficacy, accounting for 7.746% and 5.338% of the total effect, respectively, and both have significant direct positive impacts on career planning, with total effects of 0.526 (95% CI [0.393, 0.658], p = 0.000 < 0.001) and 0.470 (95% CI [0.292, 0.648], p = 0.000 < 0.001), respectively. These results highlight the importance of enhancing social support and personal participation to improve career planning capabilities among medical students (all p < 0.05).

Conclusion

Enhancing social support and personal participation can improve career planning capabilities in medical students by boosting self-efficacy.

Impact of Mentoring for Underrepresented Groups in Undergraduate Medical Education: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVES

Despite efforts to mitigate challenges to advance underrepresented groups (URG) groups' representation in medical education, diversity remains underwhelming. In response to this several mentoring programs to increase diversification within medical education have been implemented. However, the impact of these programs on URG representation across disciplines is unknown. The aim of this review is to evaluate the impact of structured mentoring programs on URGs in undergraduate medical education.

DESIGN

Systematic review.

METHODS

A comprehensive search strategy was performed of electronic databases including PubMed, Ovid Medline, and EMBASE between January and September 2022 in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Both qualitative and quantitative outcomes including characteristics of the mentoring structure explored within each study were collected, and differences in study outcomes analyzed.

RESULTS

In total 17 studies were included for analysis. Mentoring within URGs resulted in an increase in research opportunities, exam performance, medical specialty applications, and residency matching. Structured feedback yielded positive experiences by both mentors and mentees participating in programs, with both emotional and cultural competence issues explored across studies included for analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Mentoring for medical students underrepresented in medicine across mentoring relationships including peer, senior, formal, and informal structures yield positive outcomes within research, academic modules, and career pathways. Future applications of mentoring programs should consider the use of tandem mentoring from both senior and peer mentors to optimize benefits URG students derive from each mentoring relationship.

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.

Impact of a Regional Grant Program Through the Lens of Social Cognitive Career Theory: A Mixed-Method Evaluation

PURPOSE

Evaluations of educational grant programs have focused on research productivity, with few examining impacts on grantees or effective program characteristics. This evaluation examined the regional grant program sponsored by Group on Educational Affairs to examine if and how grantees' careers were affected by funding, and if these experiences aligned with program goals.

METHOD

In this concurrent, mixed-methods theory-driven evaluation, quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed independently and then integrated to examine complementarity. Quantitative data examined differences among 4 geographic regions and included proposal and grantee characteristics abstracted from administrative records of 52 funded proposals from 2010-2015 grant cycles. Qualitative data from 23 interviews conducted from 2018 to 2019 explored the impact on grantees, with Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) serving as a framework for deductive thematic analysis. To facilitate integration of findings, quantitative data were layered onto each interview to permit exploration of associations between the 2 data types.

RESULTS

Although significant regional differences existed in project length and amount of funding, there were few regional differences in grantee experiences. Despite small funding amounts, grants were perceived as career launching pads. The SCCT framework accounted for grantee experiences, including researcher identity formation and subsequent research, but did not capture collaboration phenomena. Integration of the 2 data types identified experience patterns unique to different groups of grantees (e.g., more or less research experience). The diversity among grantees suggests that clarification of program goals and stronger alignment with criteria for funding may be warranted.

CONCLUSIONS

This evaluation illuminates why small educational grant programs may or may not impact interest and productivity in research. Implications exist for funders, including clarifying program goals and providing support for less experienced grantees. Future research should explore grantee subsets (e.g., underrepresented in medicine) to further identify what fosters or inhibits careers of medical education scholars.

Experienced career perspectives of nursing students and their supervisors in learning departments: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Due to the nursing shortage, positive work environments are needed to retain (student) nurses. More and attractive internships for students need to be ensured. In order to provide more internship places learning departments were developed, which are characterized by a buddy system and supervisors who coaches at least two students during a shift. Gaining knowledge about career perspectives and job satisfaction is essential within the context of learning departments, as both will contribute to quality and safety of care and will support lifelong learning. The current study aimed to investigate how nurses and nursing students working and learning in learning departments experience preconditions for career opportunities.

METHODS

Using a generic qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted through videocalls between March and April 2021 in the Netherlands. Inductive qualitative analysis based on 'The Data Analysis Spiral' was used.

RESULTS

Career perspective is explored among six students and seven nurses. Five main themes were generated for both nurses and students; (1) personal goals; (2) skills and self-efficacy; (3) mentoring; (4) job satisfaction; and (5) career perspectives. Within the five main themes, subcategories were developed from 198 codes related to career opportunities. Results show career perspective is experienced differently. For students, the requirements to experience career perspective seem largely existing, as learning departments fits with personal goals, increases self-efficacy and provide coaching mentoring. Students felt learning departments contributed positively to becoming more skilled in working independently and collaborating with fellow students. This resulted in students feeling well prepared for the future. Nurses' career perspectives varied from wanting more personal development to experiencing opportunities due to having great colleagues, a challenging patient category, satisfaction from sharing knowledge and a decreasing physical workload. Nurses who had affinity with coaching students experience more career perspective on learning departments.

CONCLUSION

Interviews provided in-depth insights. Interviews gave in-depth insight into the elements of learning departments that contribute to career perspectives of (student)nurses. The results can be used by nursing supervisors, teachers and policymakers to optimize nurses' work environment, to eliminate leave intentions and improve quality of patientcare. The results should be taken into consideration when coaching students, developing manuals and implementing or optimizing learning departments. Future research is recommended to investigate which tools/interventions are effective for nurses and other healthcare professionals to support career guidance.

Structural Racism in Psychiatric Research Careers: Eradicating Barriers to a More Diverse Workforce

Investigators from minoritized backgrounds are underrepresented in psychiatric research. That underrepresentation contributes to disparities in outcomes of access to mental health care. Drawing on lived experience, scholarly qualitative reports, and empirical data, the authors review how the underrepresentation of minoritized researchers arises from interlocking, self-reinforcing effects of structural biases in our research training and funding institutions. Minoritized researchers experience diminished early access to advanced training and opportunities, stereotype threats and microaggressions, isolation due to lack of peers and senior mentors, decreased access to early funding, and unique community and personal financial pressures. These represent structural racism-a system of institutional assumptions and practices that perpetuates race-based disparities, in spite of those institutions' efforts to increase diversity and in contradiction to the values that academic leaders outwardly espouse. The authors further review potential approaches to reversing these structural biases, including undergraduate-focused research experiences, financial support for faculty who lead training/mentoring programs, targeted mentoring through scholarly societies, better use of federal diversity supplement funding, support for scientific reentry, cohort building, diversity efforts targeting senior leadership, and rigorous examination of hiring, compensation, and promotion practices. Several of these approaches have empirically proven best practices and models for dissemination. If implemented alongside outcome measurement, they have the potential to reverse decades of structural bias in psychiatry and psychiatric research.

Predictors of self-reported research self-efficacy and perception of research amongst medical students in the United Kingdom: a national cross-sectional survey

PURPOSE

There has been a decline in the number of academic clinicians in the UK, and there are ethnic/gender disparities in the academic workforce. Higher research self-efficacy (RSE) and a positive perception of research (PoR) amongst students are associated with a higher motivation to engage in academic medicine. Hence, this study aimed to determine the factors that influence RSE and PoR amongst UK medical students.

METHODS

This is a multicentre cross-sectional survey of medical students in 36 UK medical schools in the 2020/21 academic year. Multiple linear regression was used to investigate the association between students' demographics and RSE/PoR. P-values less than a Bonferroni-corrected significance level of .05/28 = .0018 were considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

In total, 1573 individuals participated from 36 medical schools. There were no ethnic differences in PoR or RSE scores. Although there were no gender differences in PoR, female students had lower RSE scores than male students (adjusted β = -1.75; 95% CI: -2.62, -0.89). Research experience before medical school (adjusted β = 3.02; 95% CI: 2.11, 3.93), being in the clinical training phase (adjusted β = 1.99; 95% CI: 1.09, 2.90), and completing a degree before medical school (adjusted β = 3.66; 95% CI: 2.23, 5.09) were associated with higher RSE.

CONCLUSION

There were no associations between the predictor variables and PoR. Female students had lower self-reported RSE scores. Future studies should investigate the role of targeted research mentorship in improving RSE amongst female medical students.

The mentored experience to enhance opportunities in research (METEOR) program

PROBLEM

Medical students from groups that are underrepresented in medicine are less likely to pursue careers that incorporate research as compared to their white peers. Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA)-funded institutions encouraged centers to establish short-term, mentored summer research opportunities to motivate students underrepresented in medicine to enroll in medical school and ideally choose a career that incorporates research into their clinical practice.

APPROACH

The Mentored Experience To Enhance Opportunities in Research (METEOR) Program was established in 2012 in partnership with the Clinical and Translational Science Institute at Children's National (CTSI-CN) and The George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Rather than a single summer experience, the METEOR Program is innovative in that it is intended to support the success of participants throughout the duration of their medical school training and beyond.

OUTCOMES

Scholarly output of participants of the first four cohorts included 23 empirical research articles in peer-reviewed journals, five review articles, eight case reports, one empirical research article in a student-led journal, one commentary in a professional journal, 20 university-based poster presentations, three national poster presentations, and one international poster presentation. Interviews revealed themes aligned with constructs of the Social Cognitive Career Theory. Overall mentorship was seen as a key component of the METEOR Program. In addition, the ability to come to campus prior to the start of medical school, as part of a cohesive cohort, along with the addition of lectures and field trips, further enhanced participants' experiences.

NEXT STEPS

Our findings will be incorporated into improvements to the program for future cohorts and may inform the design of similar mentored research programs. With increased enrollment, quantitative studies of the effectiveness of the program are planned.

Characteristics of academic medicine change agents as revealed by 4th-year medical students' reflections-on-practice

PROBLEM

At present, formal training in adult learning principles, educational theories, and educational methods is not a core objective of most medical school curricula. As academic medical centers aim to develop the next generation of medical educators, students must be provided an opportunity to learn educational principles, engage in supervised teaching activities, and develop experiences in academic medicine to foster interest early in their development as educators.

INTERVENTION

We developed a longitudinal medical education elective for fourth-year medical students, which was comprised of attending five seminars, leading 15 teaching sessions, formulating a medical education project, and writing a reflective essay. The seminars covered the history of medical education in the USA, adult learning theory and teaching principles, use of various teaching strategies and formats, construction and organization of curricula, effective models of evaluation and feedback provision, and principles of educational research.

CONTEXT

This exploratory quasi-experiment incorporated a concurrent mixed methods data collection approach via pre- and post-seminar surveys and narrative reflection essay document analyses.

IMPACT

Learners revealed favorable changes in their self-efficacy and self-perceived knowledge and attitudes towards medical education. A qualitative analysis of the reflective essays revealed five thematic categories (learning impacts, medical educator growth, leadership growth, medical school reflections, and future professional plans) and thirteen sub-categories. Students found many opportunities to implement high-quality educational projects, expressed commitment to pursuing teaching careers, and felt better equipped to assume a leadership role as change agents in academic medicine.

LESSONS LEARNED

Findings are likely relevant to critical stakeholders who advocate for the inclusion of formal educational skills training into medical education curricula.

Solutions: Bridging the Diversity Gap in Urology Trainees

OBJECTIVES

To address healthcare inequities, diversifying the physician workforce is an important step and improved efforts to recruit Underrepresented in Medicine (URiM) students is vital. We aim to examine the current state of minority recruitment and provide solutions to increase diversity in urology residency training.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective analysis of self-reported race and ethnicity data for active urology trainees using the Data Resource Book by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education from 2011-2020. We also performed a longitudinal analysis comparing the number of urology applicants to urology trainees from 2016 to 2020 using the Electronic Residency Application Service statistics database. URiMs were designated in alignment with ACGME definitions. Categorical variables were summarized as frequencies and percentages and compared using chi-squared test between race and ethnicity.

RESULTS

We identified 11,458 active urology trainees for analysis. Of these, 6638 (57.9%) identified as White, 1690 (14.7%) as Asian/Pacific Islander, 442 (3.9%) as Hispanic, 380 (3.3%) as Black, 11 (0.1%) as Native American, 608 (5.3%) as other race/ethnicity and 1689 (14.7%) as unknown race or ethnicity. In 2011, 8.1% of trainees identified as URiM which remains the same at 8.2% in 2020.

CONCLUSIONS

As we strive to improve patient care and support our URiM colleagues, diversity, equity, and inclusion must be prioritized. Despite increases in students entering medical school and the expansion of urology training spots, the numbers of URiM in urologic training remains stubbornly unchanged. This work highlights an area of residency training that requires critical transformation.

Effect of Medical Student Contributions on Academic Productivity: Analysis of Student Authorship Over Time

INTRODUCTION

Understanding the trend of student authorship is crucial in determining its correlation to scholarly impact for corresponding authors. Our objective is to investigate student authorship rates over time in articles published in JAMA Internal Medicine (IM), as well as to examine potential effects student authors have on scholarly impact scores of corresponding authors via H-index measures.

METHODS

Authorship data including student authors (SA), first student authors, and corresponding authors (CA) from prior JAMA IM publications between 2010 and 2018 were collected, with a total of 701 studies. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and independent sample t-tests were performed to assess for differences in the mean by publishing year and student authorship, respectively.

RESULTS

Of 4591 total authors, 683 (14.9%) were considered student authors. The percentage of student authorship increased from 46.3% to 58.0% between 2010 and 2018, respectively. No difference in average H-indices of CA between SA and non-SA groups (overall NSA H_i mean: 30.2, vs SA H_i mean: 32.1, p=0.371) was noted.

DISCUSSION

Student participation in research is not a disadvantage to scholarly impact for corresponding authors. Increased student authorship reflects a promising trend towards greater student participation in research within the field of medicine.

Teaching Medical Research to Medical Students: a Systematic Review

PHENOMENON

Research literacy remains important for equipping clinicians with the analytical skills to tackle an ever-evolving medical landscape and maintain an evidence-based approach when treating patients. While the role of research in medical education has been justified and established, the nuances involving modes of instruction and relevant outcomes for students have yet to be analyzed. Institutions acknowledge an increasing need to dedicate time and resources towards educating medical undergraduates on research but have individually implemented different pedagogies over differing lengths of time.

APPROACH

While individual studies have evaluated the efficacy of these curricula, the evaluations of educational methods and curriculum design have not been reviewed systematically. This study thereby aims to perform a systematic review of studies incorporating research into the undergraduate medical curriculum, to provide insights on various pedagogies utilized to educate medical students on research.

FINDINGS

Studies predominantly described two major components of research curricula-(1) imparting basic research skills and the (2) longitudinal application of research skills. Studies were assessed according to the 4-level Kirkpatrick model for evaluation. Programs that spanned minimally an academic year had the greatest proportion of level 3 outcomes (50%). One study observed a level 4 outcome by assessing the post-intervention effects on participants. Studies primarily highlighted a shortage of time (53%), resulting in inadequate coverage of content.

INSIGHTS

This study highlighted the value in long-term programs that support students in acquiring research skills, by providing appropriate mentors, resources, and guidance to facilitate their learning. The Dreyfus model of skill acquisition underscored the importance of tailoring educational interventions to allow students with varying experience to develop their skills. There is still room for further investigation of multiple factors such as duration of intervention, student voluntariness, and participants' prior research experience. Nevertheless, it stands that mentoring is a crucial aspect of curricula that has allowed studies to achieve level 3 Kirkpatrick outcomes and engender enduring changes in students.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-020-01183-w.

Creating the Next Generation of Evidence-Based Veterinary Practitioners and Researchers: What are the Options for Globally Diverse Veterinary Curricula?

Veterinary educators strive to prepare graduates for a variety of career options with the skills and knowledge to use and contribute to research as part of their lifelong practice of evidence-based veterinary medicine (EBVM). In the veterinary curriculum, students should receive a grounding in research and EBVM, as well as have the opportunity to consider research as a career. Seeing a lack of a cohesive body of information that identified the options and the challenges inherent to embedding such training in veterinary curricula, an international group was formed with the goal of synthesizing evidence to help curriculum designers, course leaders, and teachers implement educational approaches that will inspire future researchers and produce evidence-based practitioners. This article presents a literature review of the rationale, issues, and options for research and EBVM in veterinary curricula. Additionally, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 key stakeholders across the eight Council for International Veterinary Medical Education (CIVME) regions. Emergent themes from the literature and interviews for including research and EBVM skills into the curriculum included societal need, career development, and skills important to clinical professional life. Approaches included compulsory as well as optional learning opportunities. Barriers to incorporating these skills into the curriculum were grouped into student and faculty-/staff-related issues, time constraints in the curriculum, and financial barriers. Having motivated faculty and contextualizing the teaching were considered important to engage students. The information has been summarized in an online "toolbox" that is freely available for educators to inform curriculum development.

Factors that Influence Underrepresented in Medicine (UIM) Medical Students to Pursue a Career in Academic Pediatrics

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of medical students who are underrepresented in medicine (UIM) from two urban medical centers with an interest in pursuing academic pediatrics.

METHODS

Focus groups were conducted at Children's National Hospital (CN) at three different times with UIM medical students from two urban medical centers. The investigator team was comprised of both junior and senior UIM and non-UIM pediatric academic faculty with experience in qualitative research. Twenty medical students UIM from Howard University College of Medicine (HUCM) and George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences (GWSMHS) participated in the focus groups. The medical students targeted were first, second and fourth years to review experiences pre-and post-third year clerkships.

RESULTS

Eighteen of the 20 students completed the demographic data of which 16 identified as Black/African-American. Fifteen of the participants were female and 3 were male. Findings indicated that mentorship, serving as role models, working with children and seeing UIM academic pediatricians positively influenced the students to pursue academic pediatrics. Family had a major influence on students' interest to pursue medicine. A barrier to pursuing academic pediatrics for UIM medical students included educational debt and lack of knowledge about the field. The students felt that there were fewer expectations of them during secondary school years which affected them throughout their journey to medical school.

CONCLUSIONS

Early mentorship for UIM medical students is important to increase exposure to academic pediatrics. Future study on the experience of UIM medical students and their pursuit of academic roles could help produce a more diverse workforce. Also, pipeline programs for students to be exposed to academic pediatrics early in their education career would be beneficial.

Developing Future Academic Physicians: the Academic Medicine Scholars Program

Retention among academic medicine faculty is problematic, and there has been a decline in the number of physicians pursuing careers in academia. The education of future physicians relies upon physicians who pursue careers in academic medicine. Therefore, efforts must be taken to increase the percentage of physicians who conduct research and/or teach medical trainees. Recognizing this need, the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) established the Academic Medicine Scholars Program ("Scholars Program"), which was designed to prepare outstanding osteopathic medical students for a career in academic medicine. Here we aim to determine the extent to which participants in NYITCOM's Scholars Program go on to pursue research and teaching endeavors during their residency and/or fellowship programs. An anonymous survey was administered to participants in the Scholars Program from 2012 through 2018 and asked about the participants' research and teaching experiences at the following time points: during the Scholars Program, residency, and fellowship, if applicable. Participation in the program led to a significant increase in survey respondents' teaching and research skills and an increased participation in scholarly activity as compared with the national average. The results also demonstrated that the program assisted alumni in securing positions in competitive residency and fellowship programs. As residents and fellows, alumni continued to pursue scholarly endeavors, primarily by publishing abstracts and posters, attending both regional and national conferences, and delivering lectures. We are hopeful that other medical schools will take part in producing capable academic medicine physicians by incorporating a similar program into their curriculum.

Identifying Effective Mentors in Scientific Communication: A Latent Profile Analysis of Mentor Beliefs

The need to specifically mentor graduate and medical students performing biomedical and biobehavioral research in communication skills is increasingly being highlighted to increase intention to pursue academic research careers, including physician–scientist careers. This study used data collected from 354 research faculty in 33 states across the United States to examine beliefs and perceived barriers about mentoring in scientific communication (writing, presenting, and informal discussion about science), with the goal of advancing evidence-based recommendations for mentoring interventions. Latent profile analysis identified four mentor profiles, based on beliefs regarding mentoring responsibility, expected outcomes, and barriers in scientific communication mentoring. Problem solvers, who acknowledged trainee problems but reported high efficacy in overcoming them, offered the highest levels of supportive and instructive mentoring. Since mentoring messages and actions influence trainee career development significantly, our results have important implications for faculty development to advance effective mentoring, especially in scientific communication.

The STRIVE Initiative: A Resident-Led Mentorship Framework for Underrepresented Minority Medical Students

BACKGROUND

Underrepresented minority (URM) trainees face unique challenges in academic medicine. Near-peer mentorship is an under-described method to support URM trainees.

OBJECTIVE

We created and evaluated the Student to Resident Institutional Vehicle for Excellence (STRIVE) program in a large urban medical school and associated residency programs.

METHODS

All URM residents were invited to participate in the STRIVE mentorship program consisting of 3 pillars of programming: medical school curriculum review sessions, panel discussions, and social events for medical students. The program was evaluated through participation rates and a 7-item survey delivered in May 2019 after 3 years of implementation.

RESULTS

The STRIVE initiative conducted 25 events. Thirty-five of 151 eligible (23%) URM residents participated as mentors for an average of 50 of 110 eligible (45%) URM medical students annually. Resident mentors participated for an average of 3 to 4 hours each year. Twenty of 32 eligible resident mentors (63%) completed the survey. Ninety-five percent (19 of 20) of survey respondents agreed that STRIVE made them a better mentor; 90% (18 of 20) reported that they would have appreciated an equivalent program during their medical school training; and 75% (15 of 20) agreed that the program helped them address the challenges of underrepresentation in medicine.

CONCLUSIONS

Over a 3-year period, STRIVE required a modest amount of resident time and was valued by the URM residents and medical students who participated in the program.