Factors Influencing Decisions to Become Involved in Research: a Study of Pre-clinical Medical Students from New Zealand

BackgroundThe rate of medical student participation in research remains relatively low despite the number of benefits it affords. The aim of the current study was to explore the factors influencing the decision to become involved in research as it pertains to pre-clinical medical students at our institution.MethodsAn anonymous questionnaire was handed to second and third year (i.e. pre-clinical) medical students.ResultsA total of 249 students returned the completed questionnaire (response rate of 42%). A sizeable proportion of the respondents (40.2%) indicated an interest in being involved in research (e.g. ethics application, data collection or reporting of results), as medical students. Neither age nor debt-burden seemed to influence the students' interest in research. Intrinsic interests in research and career progression were cited as the main motives for involvement in scholarly activities. On the other hand, the main barriers to research participation were time and financial costs.ConclusionsCreative solutions specifically addressing the obstacles identified by medical students are needed in order to enhance their participation in research early in their careers. Given the limitations of this study, further research is required to corroborate our findings.