SOARinG to New Heights Through a Structured Medical Student Research Program

Since the US Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 became Pass/Fall in 2022, medical students competing for residency spots must distinguish themselves with alternative criteria. Research experiences and output offer valuable skill development and objective metrics to support competitive residency applications.

We describe the methodological development of a structured program to support, enhance, and track medical student research efforts at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville, explain the implementation of the program, and summarize initial program outcomes.

The Student Opportunities for Academic Achievement Through Research in Greenville (SOARinG) Program was established to serve as a centralized hub for rising second year medical student research. The program matched medical students with mentored research projects scheduled during the summer following first-year coursework. The program included a required weekly seminar series on research basics and current biomedical literature. SOARinG culminated with a student research symposium for which students submitted abstracts and presented a poster or a talk. Quantitative and qualitative program outcomes of student and mentor satisfaction with the program were measured through surveys.

The program was successfully implemented in summers 2021 and 2022. Most students (80-95%) in each class engaged in mentored summer research projects. Students reported overall satisfaction with research projects and mentor support. Overall, 69% of students rated their overall research experience in the program as extremely good or very good. Each student submitted an abstract and presented at the program's symposium or alternate research venue. Overall, 97% of research mentors reported that students were adequately prepared for summer research and suggested that students would benefit from additional skills-specific research training.

The SOARinG Program provided a formalized process for tracking and showcasing medical student research and allowed for increased student participation in research. Additionally, each participating student produced objective research output, thus enhancing future residency applications.