The Impact of the Psychiatry Medical Student Scholars Program

Providing medical students with psychiatry research opportunities early in their careers may contribute to fostering career interests and increasing research literacy and interest. In this report, the authors describe the Psychiatry Medical Student Scholars Program (MSSP) at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and the results from a survey of its impact on student career outcomes over 9 years.

All MSSP participants were invited to complete an online survey via SurveyMonkey to assess the impact of the program on their interest in psychiatry and research.

The MSSP began in 2012 with one student. There have been 47 MSSP participants from 2012 to 2021. Rapid growth of the MSSP was seen with class sizes ranging from 1 to 11. At the time of survey, nineteen MSSP alumni graduated medical school and 28 were still in medical school. Sixty-six percent of eligible participants responded, with a 53% response rate for medical school alumni and a 75% response rate for current medical students. Nine out of nineteen (47%) MSSP students who had graduated from medical school selected a career in psychiatry. Eighty-four percent of participants had presented or published their research. Sixty-eight percent of participants reported that the program has been valuable in deciding their future specialty.

Participants tended to credit exposure to psychiatric research as medical students with fostering interest in the field and aiding in their career decisions. The components of the program described can be replicated at other institutions to increase exposure to psychiatric research.