The Medical Student Summer Research Program in Family Medicine

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: A variety of clinical research training programs exist throughout the United States, although little is known about their methods, content, and outcomes. This report describes a model of clinical research training designed to teach medical students research processes in family medicine, while yielding data for research studies. Authors present a description and evaluation of the program, focusing on students' research productivity. METHODS: Forty medical students participated in a 6-week clinical research training program from 2006-2012. This program was led by an experienced investigator and 10 family medicine faculty mentors. Classroom instruction provided an introduction to research design in Week 1 and research writing and dissemination in Week 6. In between, medical students implemented studies in multiple outpatient clinical settings in the Residency Research Network of Texas (RRNET). RESULTS: The Medical Student Summer Research Program in Family Medicine was well received by medical students who demonstrated consistent productivity year after year. All students displayed findings during Medical Student Research Day, and one third continued their work beyond that event, producing 22 presentations, two manuscripts, seven published abstracts, and seven research honors. CONCLUSIONS: Opportunities for medical students to develop research skills should be central to medical school education. Familiarity with the research process improves medical students' ability to understand, critique, and use evidence-based medicine in practice, to explain the latest findings to their patients, and to consider careers as clinician-scientists.