Table 3. Studies with a qualita3tive component.
| Study | Type | Design | Study population and setting | Respondents (Response rate) | Outcome measures | Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| O'sullivan | X | IN | Students, residents and faculty members; University of California, San Francisco. | 40 (11 medical students) | Factors related to pursuit of academic medicine career. | Early exposure to research, finding the right mentors and role models are among the most important factors. Sociocognitive factors such as financial worries play a role. |
| McGee | X | IN; GTM | Participants; SURF program at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine + Participants; IMSD program at Mayo Clinic; 1997–2000. | 109 (20%) | Themes related to pursuing a PhD, MD/PhD or MD with a research intention. | Five major themes are relevant: Curiosity, Problem solving, independence, serving the world indirectly and a flexible perspective of one's own future. MD-bound students talked about a desire to help others directly through patient care, while MD/PhD or PhD-pursuing students wanted to help others indirectly through research. |
| Shapiro | Ret | GTM | Participant students and mentors; Summer research assistantship program in family medicine. | 11 students 10 faculty mentors | Motives behind participation | Most students were driven by curiosity, the will to learn about research and to improve their relations with faculty. Faculty mentors wanted to be more involved with the students and to attract more of them into research. |
| Murdoch-Eaton | X | Mixed: SG; FG; PA. | Students; Hull, York, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle and Sheffield Medical Schools. | Focus groups: 5 groups (one per school) Study groups: 15 students (three per school). Projects: 905 | Perceptions about undergraduate research and thematic analysis of Student Selected Component (SSC) projects. | Focus groups: students understood the benefits of research learning and skills, but mentioned practical difficulties. Study groups: confusion between research and clinical practice among students. Project analysis: Various skills research-related skills were gained by students. |
| Sanchez | X | FG | Students; Three national student conferences in the US: Interest in an academic medicine career. | 73 | Interest in academic medicine careers. | Lack of knowledge or competency cited as obstacles in pursuing academic medicine career. Mentorship and career development resources cited as potential improvement strategies. Higher involvement of ethnic minorities prompted. |
| Pacifi | X | Mixed: Q; IN; CS | Undergraduate Upper-level science major premed and non-premed students; Southeastern United States. | 135 (7.9%): 55 Premed 80 non-premed. 11 interviews | Influences and experiences regarding undergraduate scientific research | Premeds: talked more about serving humanity and the empathic aspects of research, viewed it as a tool to augment their professional outlook but not as a career. Non-premeds: talked more about the joy of discovery and were enthusiastic about a career in research. Both groups: had similar expectations from research. |
| Jones | X | IN | Students who did an intercalated BSc in primary Healthcare. | 24 (92%) | Perceptions and outcomes. | Greater awareness about research and critical appraisal. More informed career decisions. Deeper insights into the psycho-cognitive aspects of illness. |
| Robinson | X | IN | Academic supervisors and administrative staff; three UK medical schools. | 12 | Impact of research governance on research education. | Ethical approval bureaucracy cited as a main limiting factor. Supervisors tend to avoid them by modifying existing projects or abandoning supervision altogether. |
Abbreviations: X, cross-sectional; Ret, retrospective; Q, questionnaire; IN, interview; GTM, grounded theory methodology; SG, student groups; FG, focus groups; PA, project analysis; CS, case study.