Perceptions and Attitudes toward Conducting Research: A Nuclear Medicine Student Perspective

Abstract

One of the well-established hallmarks of a profession is its ability to generate research to expand its unique professional knowledge base. Health care professionals in today's rapidly evolving, highly technological work environment also need the skills to use research findings in their practice. Practitioners, therefore, need to have the knowledge and skills to competently engage in research activities. There have been a number of studies investigating how health care professionals perceive their role in regards to research. However, little is known about how nuclear medicine (NM) students perceive research and if they see themselves playing a role in the future research in their field. Objectives: To determine the attitudes and perceptions of NM students toward conducting research and to explore factors that influence NM students' perceptions of conducting research. Methods: Seventy surveys were sent out via e-mail to NM students studying at the University of Toronto and Michener Institute joint degree-diploma program in Medical Radiation Sciences; 21 completed surveys were collected. Results: The majority of students reported having no intention of engaging in research in the future. General disinterest in research was the most common reason stated for not engaging in research. Discussion: Though the results of this preliminary study cannot be generalized to all NM students, it does reveal a negative attitude toward conducting research among the NM students surveyed. It has also been shown that general disinterest in research seems to be one of the most important barriers for students. Further studies with more in-depth analysis and a larger sample size are necessary to determine whether students feel they have a role to play in the future research in the NM field and to further explore barriers to research participation.