Helping Trainees Develop Scholarship in Academic Medicine From Community Service

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Academic Medicine
• Community Service Scholarship

Background:

• Trainees often perceive a disconnect between community service and academic medicine.
• This perception may contribute to a lack of faculty diversity and declining interest in academic careers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an educational workshop based on the Kern model.
• To enhance medical trainees' understanding of the relationship between community service and academic medicine careers.

Main Methods:

• The workshop utilized the Kern model for curriculum development.
• Content included defining service and scholarship, benefits of community service scholarship, and practical steps for achievement.
• Interactive methods like mock cases and personal stories were employed.

Main Results:

• The workshop was delivered at five conferences to 139 trainees.
• Post-workshop assessments showed statistically significant increases in trainees' confidence to publish service-related work.
• Trainees reported more positive agreement that community service aligns with academic medicine.

Conclusions:

• The educational module effectively aligns community service with academic medicine.
• It boosts trainee confidence in pursuing academic careers through community service scholarship.