Medical students as agents of change: a qualitative exploratory study

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Health Professions Education

Background:

• Medical students possess potential for initiating healthcare change through quality improvement (QI).
• Early exposure to QI principles is crucial for effective change in healthcare organizations.
• Understanding student and mentor perspectives on QI projects is vital for capacity building.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore medical student and mentor experiences with QI projects.
• To assess the effectiveness of practice-based QI experiences in building improvement capacity.
• To determine if QI projects change medical students' practice and attitudes.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative interpretive description methodology was employed.
• Focus groups were conducted with medical students post-project.
• Semi-structured interviews were held with academic and clinical mentors.

Main Results:

• Facilitators and barriers to QI project completion were identified.
• Challenges included time constraints and differing professional perspectives.
• Interprofessional roles and responsibilities impacted project execution.

Conclusions:

• Experiential QI learning enhances medical student knowledge, skills, and attitudes.
• QI projects positively influence clinical staff and healthcare organizations.
• Students perceive themselves as key influencers of change, despite challenges.