Early Exposure of Medical Students to a Formal Research Program Promotes Successful Scholarship in a Multi-Campus Medical School.

OBJECTIVES

Many physicians today struggle to learn the complexities of the biological basis for evidence-based medicine. To bridge this gap, the Medical Scholar Research Pathway Program (MSRPP) founded in 2019 prepares medical students for analytical reasoning and critical thinking while engaging in faculty-mentored research projects in a community-based public medical school.

METHODS

MSRPP is an application-based extracurricular research program, designed for novice and experienced medical students. Three distinct pathways offer ample opportunities for pre-clinical and clinical students to participate in research on a flexible schedule. The program director guides students in one-on-one coaching meetings to set achievable goals with their faculty mentor, and plan their research deliverables, considering their interests and residency plans.

RESULTS

We report the implementation of a multi-year and multi-campus research training program for medical students across five campuses. Our results show that five class cohorts (2021-2025) of MSRPP students were twice as likely to seek formal research support than students not in the program. MSRPP students continuously growth their self-confidence to disseminate their research by practicing oral communication in monthly research reports and bi-annual research conferences. Moreover, students report they learn technical communication skills and feel inspired to participate in research by interacting with invited faculty seminars. MSRPP students have a significantly higher scholarship output as compared to non-MSRPP students. Early indicators show that students that participate in formal research programs have a measurable difference for matching into competitive residencies.

CONCLUSIONS

MSRPP students report that they have gained research competencies and technical skills to establish a baseline to promote their future research engagement. This study provides other peer medical schools with strategies to create the infrastructure to support and promote medical student research.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-024-02098-6.