Evaluating Research Preparedness and Skill Gaps Among Osteopathic Medical Students Pursuing Surgical Specialties

Objectives The objective of this study is to evaluate osteopathic medical students' self-reported research experiences, skill levels, and professional goals. This study specifically aimed to assess how students perceive their readiness to engage in research, explore the barriers they face in translating motivation into scholarly productivity, and identify which research tasks students feel most and least confident performing. These findings aim to clarify the disconnect between strong research motivation and limited output and to inform future efforts to improve research engagement among osteopathic students pursuing surgical careers. Methods A national, cross-sectional survey was administered to osteopathic medical students interested in surgical specialties. The survey assessed demographic characteristics, prior research experience, confidence in research skills, and future research goals. Responses were stratified by confidence in research, and associations between prior research activity and confidence in specific research skills were analyzed using the Cochran-Armitage test for trend. Results Among 75 respondents, 86.7% had never coauthored a peer-reviewed publication, and 70.7% had never published as a first author. Despite this, students with prior poster presentations reported high confidence in designing and executing research (83.3%), preparing manuscripts (92.6%), presenting research (81.5%), and teaching research fundamentals (90.9%) (p < 0.05). Podium presentations were associated with high confidence in designing research (55.6%), preparing manuscripts (60.9%), presenting (51.9%), and teaching (54.5%). Coauthor publications were associated with confidence in designing research (69.4%), manuscript preparation (70.7%), and teaching (63.6%), while first-author publications were associated with confidence in the same domains (38.9%, 41.5%, and 42.4%, respectively). Quickshot presentations were associated only with manuscript preparation (41.5%) (p < 0.05). Conclusions Osteopathic medical students interested in surgical specialties report confidence and motivation to participate in research but lack prior research presentations and publications, as well as statistical and data analysis skills. These findings highlight the need for structured research support, mentorship, and training in research methodology and analysis. To address these needs, national research program initiatives have been developed to provide osteopathic students with access to surgical research opportunities, mentorship, and skill-building resources. Such initiatives may help bridge the gap between student motivations and research productivity, improving equity and competitiveness in the residency selection process.