Promoting Clinical Academic Careers and Medical Research Skills through a Dedicated Research Training Programme: Outcomes from the MEDICORE Programme

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Interest in medical research and clinical academic careers amongst medical students is concerningly low, posing a threat to the long-term sustainability of the clinical researcher workforce. A likely contributing factor is a lack of knowledge and teaching about medical research. To address this, we developed and evaluated the MEDICORE teaching programme; a dedicated clinical academia training programme designed to address these gaps. DESIGN: The MEDICORE programme consisted of six biweekly in-person sessions from January-March 2024, targeting UK medical students. The learning outcomes addressed educational gaps about research identified by a prior national survey and the GMC Outcomes for Graduates. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Pre- and post-session assessments measured students' improvement in knowledge and attitudes towards medical research and clinical academic careers. RESULTS: 534 student responses were collected overall, with on average 89 participants attending each session. Seven UK universities were represented, with 83.3% from one institution. Students reported that the MEDICORE programme addressed a curriculum gap in research training (81.5%). There was a significant increase in the number of students who felt confident completing a full research project and disseminating research through publications or presentations. Post-MEDICORE, students felt more confident in the structure of clinical academic training (mean Likert scale increase 1.45±1.44, p<0.0001). The number of students interested in pursuing a clinical academic career increased from 39.1% to 85.8% (p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: MEDICORE demonstrates that dedicated research teaching is an effective intervention to promote research skills and the pursuit of future academic careers amongst medical students. Such efforts may help address predicted shortages in the clinical academic workforce.