A 25 year-experience on training medical students in scientific research

What is it about?

It deals with an extracurricular and voluntary Program of scientific formation in medical sciences for undergraduates

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Why is it important?

During that time period, 614 undergraduate students (400 women and 214 men) were admitted to that Program as initiation fellows, 471 of them also fulfilling the subsequent advanced phase. Consequently, 76% of the students completed the biennial challenge. Three quarters of the research projects accepted and assessed during the 25-year period focused on biological aspects whilst the remaining ones were centered in educational and psycho-social features. While a total predominance of medical students was evidenced until 2004, nursing and speech therapy students increased from 2005 onwards. Between 1991 and 2016, the Program quantitative achievements were as follows: participation in 1957 communications in scientific meetings and collaboration in 267 and 200 papers published in national and international journals, respectively. Likewise, indirect contributions to 55 PhD theses were recorded. Qualitatively, the main competences acquired after carrying out both stages were, as formerly reported: satisfactory literature search, critical reading of scientific papers, planning of research activities, feasibility, quality and pertinence of the projects, training with different procedures, data registration as well as proper wording of progress and final reports, abstracts, short communications and full length papers, among others

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