Regular Workshops for Intercalated Research Degree Medical Students Create a Community of Practice and Support...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Clinical Research Training

Background:

• Medical students pursuing intercalated research degrees often encounter difficulties with research environments and thesis completion.
• A need exists to enhance research skills and ease the transition for students into research activities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore medical research students' experiences and perceptions of structured support workshops.
• To understand the perceived value of these workshops in upskilling and supporting students.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study involving focus groups with eight Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery with Honours (BMedSc(Hons)) students.
• Thematic analysis was used to analyze focus group transcripts.
• Open-ended questions explored student perceptions of workshop content, delivery, professional development, and community building.

Main Results:

• Four key themes emerged: Professional Development (skill acquisition, research environment comfort), Community of Practice (reduced isolation, peer learning), Workshop Delivery (timing, frequency, format), and Workshop Content (relevance, applicability).
• Students perceived the workshops as beneficial, supporting their overall experience and professional growth.
• Subthemes provided detailed insights into workshop effectiveness.

Conclusions:

• Structured support workshops are valuable for intercalated medical students, enhancing their educational experience and professional development as emerging clinical academics.
• These findings suggest that targeted workshops can effectively improve the support for early-career clinical academics.
• Insights can inform the design of future interventions for research trainees.