Abstract
BackgroundAlthough 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.MethodsThis 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.ResultsA 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.ConclusionsThere 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.
Highlights
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
Medical schools have a key role to play in this regard, as studies have shown that involving medical students in active research
In 2012, The Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE) produced a guide ‘Developing research skills in medical students’ which recommended that every medical student should understand research methods and the benefits that research brings to their profession [9]
Summary
Quality development standard: The medical school should in the curriculum include elements of original or advanced research. This guide concluded that understanding of research can be greatly enhanced by encouraging the active participation by students in research activities This correlates with the WFME’s 2015 quality improvement standard. Little data has been collated on how medical degree curricula may address this issue This scoping review looks to address this knowledge gap by examining options to engage students in elements of original research, in terms of ’doing research’ rather than ‘using research’ as discussed by the Thematic Network on Medical Education in Europe (MEDINE2) in ‘Tuning of Research Competencies in Europe’ for the bachelor component of the Bologna Cycle [11]
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