Scientific profile of medical students in a public university

• Autor(a) principal: Soares, Audrey Cabral Branches
• Data de Publicação: 2017
• Outros Autores: Ferreira, Iago Gonçalves, Carreira, Luciana Brandão, Ribeiro, Thaís Cortez Silva
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Scientia Medica (Porto Alegre. Online)
• Texto Completo: https://revistaseletronicas.pucrs.br/scientiamedica/article/view/25177
• topic: medical education; research; students; medical.; educação médica; pesquisa; estudantes de medicina.

*** Scientific profile of medical students in a public university ***AIMS: To describe the characteristics of scientific activities conducted by medical students at the State University of Pará, Brazil, including their participation in research, events, and publications of medical articles.METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from March to June 2015 with over-18-year-old students from the medical school of the State University of Pará, after they signed an informed consent form for their participation. Thirty students from each academic year (6 in total) answered a questionnaire developed and applied by the researchers. The questionnaire addressed the students’ participation in research activities, the types of research developed, and their scientific production. The participants were grouped according to academic cycles (1st and 2nd years, 3rd and 4th years, and 5th and 6th years). The type of scientific research was classified into four categories: database search, experiments with animals, clinical practice at outpatient clinics and health centers, and analyses of biological samples. The categorical variables were expressed as frequencies and percentage and compared by the chi-square test. A p ≤0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.RESULTS: Out of 180 assessed students, 96 (53.3%) conducted research. Of these, 23 (12.7%) were 1st- or 2nd-year students, 33 (18.3%) were in the 3rd or 4th year, and 40 (22.2%) were attending the 5th or 6th year. Regarding the type of research, there was a larger participation in database search (26.7%) and in clinical studies (26.7%). Participation of undergraduates in scientific events consisted of poster sessions (40.6%) and oral presentations (14.4%).CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed a high frequency of participation of medical students in research activities, with a major focus on clinical studies and database search. Students from the 3rd to the 6th year showed a higher degree of participation. The students’ scientific production was made known more frequently through their participation in scientific events, especially in poster sessions. There was a paucity of publications by the investigated undergraduate students.