Implementation and value of a student-run volunteer clinical research program at an academic medical center

Clinical research output in the emergency department (ED) continues to be constrained by limitations in funding for researchers, demands of patient care on ED providers, and difficulties in obtaining high-quality data. In response, several institutions have established programs in which student volunteers are integrated into department workflows to increase clinical research output and introduce pre-health students to careers in medicine. One such program, the student volunteer clinical research program, presently consists of over 40 undergraduate and post-baccalaureate student volunteers who screen, consent, and enroll patients into prospective studies in the ED of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Ronald Reagan Medical Center. The program is led by student coordinators who collaborate with departmental research staff and faculty. Our program is unique in that it is primarily run by the students themselves. Experienced student research associates facilitate recruitment through a competitive biannual application process, train new volunteers to perform on-shift research duties, and monitor participants for compliance with both hospital and program policies. Participation in the program provides students with exposure to frontline medical research, opportunities to observe clinical medicine, and access to a variety of program-specific resources including student-led committees, career development resources, and mentorship from peers, alumni, and faculty. This concept piece serves as a structural model for other institutions seeking to implement volunteer clinical research or bolster existing programs through increased student-led initiatives.