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Clinical academics difficult to recruit, concludes Edinburgh study
Medical students know that pursuing higher research degrees can make them more likely to be successful when applying for jobs. However, a study of 129 undergraduate medical students at the University of Edinburgh shows that over a quarter of students believe that the current economic climate would prevent them from being able to pursue a period of full time research in the future, and would therefore make them less likely to pursue a research based career.
A questionnaire was sent to all undergraduates on the medicine programme at Edinburgh University. It asked questions such as whether undergraduates wanted to carry out a research degree and what might prevent them from pursuing a research career. The response rate was 13%.
Interest in improving career prospects by pursuing a research degree was high, with 85% of respondents recognising the benefit of a research degree to career prospects. But only 29% of those questioned wanted a full time research career. Perceptions of potential income and level of debt were given as reasons that prospective candidates were deterred from pursing a full time research career.
The researchers who conducted the survey said the results provide "some reassurance that the impact of the ongoing global financial crisis has been limited among the small cohort of medical students who have their sights set on clinical academic careers."
Making students more aware of research funding opportunities and providing them access to...