Processes and Outcomes from a Medical Student Research Training Program in Integrative, Complementary, and Alternative Medicine

Abstract

In response to the growing need to train a new generation of clinician scientists, a research program was developed to train medical students in integrative, complementary and alternative medicine (ICAM) research early in their careers. A total of 25 students (100%) successfully completed a 10 week program. Students reported significantly increased levels of knowledge in all 7 ICAM topics at the conclusion of the program. All students presented their work at one or more local research symposia. In addition, the average number of quality research outputs, which included manuscripts, awards, and abstracts presented at national and international meetings, was 1.5 per student, which exceeded benchmarks based on prior program outcomes. Results from this program may be useful when planning larger or longer term projects aimed at attracting physicians who will become our next generation of academicians, researchers, and healers.

The Enduring Value of Research in Medical Education

“…31 Furthermore, students who are involved in structured training programs, such as the National Institute of Health (NIH)-sponsored Medical Student Research Fellowship programs (MSRFs), or many other school-based or peer-based programs have shown an increased appeal for academic medicine and have greater involvement in further research projects after the experience. 16,18,33,38,[50][51][52][53] This supports the idea that an early introduction to research fosters future career decisio ns. 16,[27][28][29]33,36,43,46,49,[54][55][56] In addition to influencing the decision-making process, the experience and publications can help in advancing a medical career and facilitate a successful transition into the highly competitive field of academic medicine.…”

“…Participation in research can impact student career choices by influencing their decision to become a physician-scientist or to practice in an academic center. 31,33,40,41,43,[49][50][51][52] Eighty-five percent of students who performed a research project as man-datory for graduation reported that the experience impacted their careers. 31 Furthermore, students who are involved in structured training programs, such as the National Institute of Health (NIH)-sponsored Medical Student Research Fellowship programs (MSRFs), or many other school-based or peer-based programs have shown an increased appeal for academic medicine and have greater involvement in further research projects after the experience.…”

Impact of Research Training on Newly Graduated Health Professionals’ Motivation to Undertake Research

“…Both the quantitative and qualitative phases of this study highlighted the influence of confidence and value on motivation to do research and undertake research training. [57][58][59][60] The study findings showed that participants who had prior research training were more confident than those who had not been previously exposed to training. Previous research training was viewed positively by respondents and significantly influenced their expectations about participating in research.…”

The Impact of a Planned Strategy of Early Scientific Research Training on Medical Students’ Research Productivity

“…However, to bridge the gap in knowledge between scientists and clinicians, it is urgent to connect basic research and translational medicine at the college education stage (Niessen & Krieg, 2014). Student research and innovation program (SRIP) is one of the major training programmes and is broadly used to enhance the research ability (Dicianno et al, 2016;Fang & Meyer, 2003;Li et al, 2018). In detail, the SRIP at Ningbo University School of Medicine is usually to carried out in the following steps: (1) Collect research topics from the college-wide faculties and students; (2) Determine the research contents and objectives in the formal proposals; (3) Screen the SRIP candidates by competitive evaluation of proposals; (4) Approve the SRIPs by the academic committee of the university; (5) Finish the SRIPs within the project schedule following the guidance of the faculties; (6) Measure the performance of SRIPs by academic and non-academic achievements.…”