Osteopathic Medical Student Attitudes Towards Research: Consumers or Creators?

Abstract

Osteopathic medical students tend not to engage in or produce research at the same level as their allopathic student colleagues, and while articles and editorials have examined historical and systemic reasons for this, fewer sources have looked at the role osteopathic student perceptions of and attitudes toward research may play. This presentation provided an overview of a mixed-methods research project at one osteopathic school that examined how students feel about research, the role research plays in their education and future career as physicians, and what research skills they would like to see taught in medical school. We also describe how we used the data gathered to modify a 3rd-year mandatory research rotation.