Medical student awareness of and interest in clinical informatics

We aimed to investigate medical students' attitudes about Clinical Informatics (CI) training and careers.

We distributed a web-based survey to students at four US allopathic medical schools.

Five hundred and fifty-seven medical students responded. Interest in CI training opportunities (medical school electives, residency electives, or academic fellowships) surpassed respondents' prior awareness of these opportunities. Thirty percent of student respondents expressed at least some interest in a CI-related career, but they were no more aware of training opportunities than their peers who did not express such an interest.

Almost one third of medical students who responded to our survey expressed an interest in a CI-related career, but they were generally unaware of CI training and mentoring opportunities available to them. Early outreach to such medical students, through elective classes, professional society incentives, or expert partnerships, may positively influence the size and skill set of the future CI workforce.

We should work as a field to increase the quantity, quality, and publicity of CI learning opportunities for interested medical students.