Training the next generation of physician researchers – Vanderbilt Medical Scholars Program

Abstract Background As highlighted in recent reports published by the Physician-Scientist Workforce Working Group at the National Institutes of Health, the percentage of physicians conducting research has declined over the past decade. Various programs have been put in place to support and develop current medical student interest in research to alleviate this shortage, including The Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Medical Scholars Program (MSP). This report outlines the long-term program goals and short-term outcomes on career development of MSP alumni, to shed light on the effectiveness of research training programs during undergraduate medical training to inform similar programs in the United States. Methods MSP alumni were asked to complete an extensive survey assessing demographics, accomplishments, career progress, future career plans, and MSP program evaluation. Results Fifty-five (81%) MSP alumni responded, among whom 12 had completed all clinical training. The demographics of MSP alumni survey respondents are similar to those of all Vanderbilt medical students and medical students at all other Association of American Medical College (AAMC) medical schools. MSP alumni published a mean of 1.9 peer-reviewed manuscripts (95% CI:1.2, 2.5), and 51% presented at national meetings. Fifty-eight percent of respondents reported that MSP participation either changed their career goals or helped to confirm or refine their career goals. Conclusions Results suggest that the MSP program both prepares students for careers in academic medicine and influences their career choices at an early juncture in their training. A longer follow-up period is needed to fully evaluate the long-term outcomes of some participants

Workplace Bullying: Cultures, Roles, and Lived Experiences

The purpose of this autoethnography was to examine my personal experiences with workplace bullying through the lens of existing research and theory and original inquiry into how other faculty members characterize workplace bullying, their related experiences, and the behaviors and tactics involved. The study involved 2 phases. Phase I employed the use of 2 dyadic interviews garnering an additional tier of qualitative information where descriptors of additional analytical memos emerged, such as the regional and organizational cultural dynamics involved in workplace bullying. Phase II used my own personal experiences with bullying in higher education. Four indepth vignettes were provided chronologically: graduate student-experience, entry-career, midcareer, and doctoral dissertation research. Each vignette was analyzed using constant comparative method between the literature and interviews to confirm and disconfirm my own experience with bullying in higher education. Several themes emerged from this research: (1) The nature of my personal workplace bullying experiences highlighted themes involving: bullying behaviors (both victim and bully), position and power (both victim and bully), organizational structure and cultural constructs, and the impact on the victim. The commonalities between my experiences, the literature, and the bullying experiences of other faculty who provided information in this study were: (1) Organizational culture works to support and protect workplace bullies; (2) Organizations with multi-layered hierarchies support workplace bullying behaviors; (3) Workplace bullying results in reports of significant psychological impact (e.g., feelings of anxiety, embarrassment, humiliation, fear, etc.); (4) Workplace bullying involves overt attacks (e.g., intimidation, recruitment of others, threats, etc.); (5) The context of regional culture may influence workplace bullying (i.e. perceptions, tactics, reactions, etc.); and (6) Power (i.e. positional, legitimate, coercive, reward, referent) is a central element in bullying behaviors

Training the next generation of physician researchers – Vanderbilt Medical Scholars Program

Abstract Background As highlighted in recent reports published by the Physician-Scientist Workforce Working Group at the National Institutes of Health, the percentage of physicians conducting research has declined over the past decade. Various programs have been put in place to support and develop current medical student interest in research to alleviate this shortage, including The Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Medical Scholars Program (MSP). This report outlines the long-term program goals and short-term outcomes on career development of MSP alumni, to shed light on the effectiveness of research training programs during undergraduate medical training to inform similar programs in the United States. Methods MSP alumni were asked to complete an extensive survey assessing demographics, accomplishments, career progress, future career plans, and MSP program evaluation. Results Fifty-five (81%) MSP alumni responded, among whom 12 had completed all clinical training. The demographics of MSP alumni survey respondents are similar to those of all Vanderbilt medical students and medical students at all other Association of American Medical College (AAMC) medical schools. MSP alumni published a mean of 1.9 peer-reviewed manuscripts (95% CI:1.2, 2.5), and 51% presented at national meetings. Fifty-eight percent of respondents reported that MSP participation either changed their career goals or helped to confirm or refine their career goals. Conclusions Results suggest that the MSP program both prepares students for careers in academic medicine and influences their career choices at an early juncture in their training. A longer follow-up period is needed to fully evaluate the long-term outcomes of some participants

Additional file 2: of Training the next generation of physician researchers – Vanderbilt Medical Scholars Program

Survey. (PDF 770 kb