Background: Previous studies have elucidated several benefits of engagement in research by medical students. The aim of the current study was to assess if any factors influenced the student’s actual involvement (not mere interest) in scholarly activities during medical school.
Methods: All medical students at the University of Otago were invited via e-mail to complete an online questionnaire. The outcome was a substantial contribution to a research project. The predictors were prior research experience, student’s entry route, and planned career type. Multiple regression analysis was undertaken to control for any confounding factors influencing medical students’ involvement in research.
Results: Valid responses were gathered from 669 students (yielding a response rate of 44.8%). Of those, 254 students (38.3%) had engaged in one or more research activities. Students who engaged in research activities indicated a higher likelihood of future involvement in research but expressed less interest in internal medicine sub-specialties as potential future careers.
Conclusion: A sizeable proportion of our samples has been involved in the research. Targeting medical students not yet involved in research may necessitate additional curricular and faculty support in order to stimulate their research curiosity.



中文翻译：

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医学生参与研究的预测因素：新西兰机构的结果

背景：以前的研究已经阐明了医学生参与研究的几个好处。当前研究的目的是评估是否有任何因素影响学生在医学院期间对学术活动的实际参与（不仅仅是兴趣）。
方法：通过电子邮件邀请奥塔哥大学的所有医学生完成在线问卷调查。结果是对研究项目的重大贡献。预测因素是先前的研究经验、学生的进入途径和计划的职业类型。进行多元回归分析以控制影响医学生参与研究的任何混杂因素。
结果：从 669 名学生那里收集了有效的回复（回复率为 44.8%）。其中，254名学生（38.3%）从事过一项或多项研究活动。从事研究活动的学生表示未来参与研究的可能性更高，但对作为潜在未来职业的内科子专业的兴趣较低。
结论：我们的样本中有相当一部分参与了研究。针对尚未参与研究的医学生可能需要额外的课程和教师支持，以激发他们的研究好奇心。