Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY, USA.
Med Educ Online. 2023 Dec;28(1):2212929. doi: 10.1080/10872981.2023.2212929.
Medical humanities research is an increasing area of interest for students as medical schools become more aware of the benefits of humanities and the arts on patient care. However, medical students may feel dissuaded from pursuing medical humanities work for fear of how it will be perceived on their residency applications. In this study, residency program directors (PDs) in New York state in psychiatry, ophthalmology, and otolaryngology were surveyed about their opinions on the competitiveness of students doing medical humanities research applying to their programs. Of the 64 PDs contacted, twenty submitted responses (31.3%). When asked if a residency applicant who only had medical humanities research experience would be seriously considered for their program, 95% of PDs said yes. Furthermore, 65% of PDs said that having medical humanities research experience in addition to clinical research increased a student's chance of being accepted to their program. Thirty percent of PDs indicated that the medical humanities were an important selection criteria for their program. Qualitative responses emphasized that non-traditional projects, such as personal essays, were as valid as published journal articles when conducted with academic rigor. Many PDs also believed that the medical humanities increased compassion, empathy, and communication skills in their residents. Considering these results, medical students should feel empowered to pursue medical humanities research, even if they are applying into a competitive surgical specialty. It should not diminish their chances of being seriously considered for a program, and may even confer an advantage over their clinical research peers.
医学人文学科的研究越来越受到学生的关注，因为医学院越来越意识到人文科学和艺术对患者护理的益处。然而，医学生可能会因为担心这对他们的住院医师申请会有何影响而不敢从事医学人文学科的工作。在这项研究中，对纽约州精神病学、眼科学和耳鼻喉科学的住院医师项目主任（PD）进行了调查，了解他们对从事医学人文学科研究的学生申请他们项目的竞争力的看法。在联系的 64 名 PD 中，有 20 名提交了回复（31.3%）。当被问及只有医学人文学科研究经验的住院医师申请人是否会被认真考虑加入他们的项目时，95%的 PD 表示会。此外，65%的 PD 表示，除了临床研究外，有医学人文学科研究经验会增加学生被他们项目录取的机会。30%的 PD 表示医学人文学科是他们项目的一个重要选择标准。定性回复强调，非传统项目，如个人随笔，只要具有学术严谨性，与已发表的期刊文章一样有效。许多 PD 还认为医学人文学科提高了住院医师的同情心、同理心和沟通技巧。考虑到这些结果，医学生应该有信心从事医学人文学科的研究，即使他们正在申请竞争激烈的外科专业。这不应减少他们被认真考虑加入项目的机会，甚至可能比他们的临床研究同行更有优势。
