Need to navigate undergraduate medical curriculum towards developing research skills

Abstract

Meenakshi Bhilwar, Ravi Prakash Upadhyay, Deepti Dabar, Timiresh K Das, Shailaja Daral

India is coming up as a leader in medical research in recent times and consequently, requires a plethora of medical personnel trained in research. The foundation of sound research sense can be laid down during the undergraduate level and the medical curriculum should include research as one of its important component. In India, there is insufficient exposure to scientific research in medical education as research techniques and methodologies are currently not an integral component of the undergraduate medical curriculum. Undergraduate medical students in India have limited opportunities to participate in research. This is largely due to the fact that the focus of medical education in India, as such, is more on clinical practice and direct patient care and research training is still a neglected element. Moreover, prior research experience and publications do not figure in the selection procedure for post-graduation, unlike in developed countries where an experience in research and a couple of publications makes the resume stand out. In India, undergraduates can hardly foresee any advantage of involving themselves in research, neither in monetary terms nor in terms of academic advantage. It is the need of the hour that undergraduate curriculum should make a niche for training in research and this is essential to produce well informed doctors and an adept researcher. The current paper defines the contours of the areas which could be worked upon in order to promote undergraduate research learning.