Abstract
BackgroundAn observed decrease of physician scientists in medical practice has generated much recent interest in increasing the exposure of research programs in medical school. The aim of this study was to review the experience and attitudes regarding research by medical students in Canada.MethodsAn anonymous, cross-sectional, self-report questionnaire was administered to second and fourth year students in three medical schools in Ontario between February and May of 2005. Questions were primarily closed-ended and consisted of Likert scales. Descriptive and correlative statistics were used to analyze the responses between students of different years and previous research experience.ResultsThere was a 47% (327/699) overall response rate to the questionnaire. Despite 87% of respondents reporting that they had been involved in some degree of research prior to medical school, 43% report that they have not been significantly involved in research activity during medical school and 24% had no interest in any participation. There were significant differences in the attitudes towards research endeavors during medical school between students in their fourth year compared to second year. The greatest barriers to involvement in research in medical school appear to be time, availability of research mentors, formal teaching of research methodology and the perception that the student would not receive appropriate acknowledgement for work put towards a research project.ConclusionThe results of this self-report survey outline the significant differences in attitudes towards mandatory research as a component of critical inquiry and scholarship in the undergraduate curriculum in Ontario medical schools.
Highlights
An observed decrease of physician scientists in medical practice has generated much recent interest in increasing the exposure of research programs in medical school
The questionnaire consisted of 33 closed-ended questions addressed to report the experience and attitudes of Canadian medical students to explore a number of issues: why do students choose to be involved in research; what is the relevance of student research to career aspirations; what are the barriers to successful participation in research; are students adequately exposed to research methodology and critical appraisal? The survey was made available in both English and French and took on average only five to ten minutes to complete
The response rate from the second year classes (185/368; 50%) was similar to that of the fourth year classes (142/331; 43%); the response rates between the second and fourth year class did vary between the different medical school programs: University of Ottawa (78% vs. 18% respectively), Queen’s University (45% vs. 76%), University of Western Ontario (35% vs. 44%)
Summary
An observed decrease of physician scientists in medical practice has generated much recent interest in increasing the exposure of research programs in medical school. The aim of this study was to review the experience and attitudes regarding research by medical students in Canada. There has been a documented decline in the number of physician- scientists in medical practice [1]. Postulated explanations for the decline of the physician-scientist include less financial incentive, family, practice philosophy and inadequate exposure to research before career paths are determined [5,6]. Our objectives of this study were to survey Canadian medical students’ experience and attitudes towards research and investigate their perceived goals and barriers to such endeavors during their educational experience
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