Dyess Garrett, Butler Danner, Williams David, Bassett Maxon, Rallo Michael, Shahid Adnan, Khaleghi Mehdi, Tao Matthew, Thakur Jai, Chambless Lola
Medical School, University of South Alabama College of Medicine, Mobile, USA.
Neurological Surgery, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, USA.
Cureus. 2025 Aug 11;17(8):e89823. doi: 10.7759/cureus.89823. eCollection 2025 Aug.
Given growing concerns about an "arms race" among medical students to increase research output, it is essential to examine the role of research in the neurosurgery selection process by analyzing the diverse perspectives of program directors (PDs) nationwide.
All neurosurgery PDs were contacted to participate in structured interviews with purposive criterion-based sampling and thematic analysis. Those who agreed were asked eight open-ended questions regarding the role of medical student research in residency selection. Their responses were analyzed using qualitative research techniques. Results: A total of 31 (26.31%) PDs agreed to participate in interviews. Overall, research was viewed as a marker of interest and dedication to neurosurgery, with a focus on evaluating the quality of the journal the work was published, the authorship status of the student, and the ability to explain research. Most PDs interviewed value research experiences they determine to be of high quality over the pure quantity of research produced, but do not favor either basic science or clinical-based research. PDs also reported accounting for access to research support staff, infrastructure, and opportunity when assessing the research experience of applicants. Many PDs are concerned with the previously mentioned medical student research "arms race," voicing concern over a decrease in research quality as a potential long-term result. However, others believe that the increasing quantity of papers can be attributed to the competitive and demanding nature of neurosurgery.
While neurosurgery PDs value medical student research as a metric for interest and dedication to the field, opinions vary regarding the "arms race" of research as the number of publications per applicant continues to steadily increase, prompting discussions regarding potential solutions to preserve the quality of academic research moving forward.
鉴于人们越来越担心医学生之间为增加研究产出而展开“军备竞赛”，通过分析全国项目主任（PD）的不同观点来审视研究在神经外科选拔过程中的作用至关重要。
联系了所有神经外科项目主任，让他们参与基于目的标准抽样和主题分析的结构化访谈。同意参与的人被问及八个关于医学生研究在住院医师选拔中的作用的开放式问题。使用定性研究技术对他们的回答进行分析。结果：共有31名（26.31%）项目主任同意参与访谈。总体而言，研究被视为对神经外科兴趣和奉献的标志，重点在于评估研究发表期刊的质量、学生的作者身份以及解释研究的能力。大多数接受访谈的项目主任重视他们认为高质量的研究经历，而非单纯的研究产出数量，但不偏袒基础科学研究或临床研究。项目主任们还报告说，在评估申请人的研究经历时会考虑获得研究支持人员、基础设施和机会的情况。许多项目主任担心前面提到的医学生研究“军备竞赛”，对研究质量下降作为潜在长期结果表示担忧。然而，其他人认为论文数量增加可归因于神经外科竞争激烈和要求苛刻的性质。
虽然神经外科项目主任重视医学生研究作为对该领域兴趣和奉献的衡量标准，但随着每个申请人发表论文数量持续稳步增加，对于研究“军备竞赛”的看法各不相同，这引发了关于未来保持学术研究质量的潜在解决方案的讨论。
