Perception of Research Education among Medical Students of the University of the Philippines College of Medicine: A Mixed-Methods Study

Background. The University of the Philippines College of Medicine has been lauded for its research output, especially among faculty members. Research is also integrated in its curriculum for medical students in pursuit of “six-star physicians.” However, there has been no consolidated analysis on the outcomes of feedback collected from students.

Objectives. The study aims to describe the perception of research education among medical students in Learning Units III to VII (LU III-VII) from academic year 2017-2018 to 2019-2020 in the University of the Philippines College of Medicine (UPCM).

Methods. Through a mixed-method descriptive design, students enrolled in the MD and MD-PHD program from LU III-VII of the UPCM were invited to participate in a survey. Furthermore, a review of the student research database and course evaluations were conducted.

Results. A total of 197 student-initiated studies were conducted according to the college database, varying in types and approaches. However, only 4% of the registered research was published. Research-oriented courses were also rated highly among the medical students. This was consistent with positive attitudes towards research among the majority of participants. However, only 32.2% of the target sample size participated in the survey.

Conclusion. Participants of the survey had positive perceptions regarding their research education. However, there are several areas for improvement such as provision of grants, publication assistance, compliance with research registration, and mentorship in data analysis.