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. 2022 Jun 27;3(3):e12775.
doi: 10.1002/emp2.12775. eCollection 2022 Jun.

Implementation and value of a student-run volunteer clinical research program at an academic medical center

Junghyuk D Park  1 , Kevin D Li  1   2 , Jeesoo Lee  1   3 , Ye Lim Lee  1 , Hena Sihota  1 , Grace E Yang  1 , Madison Kipp  1 , William R Mower  1 , Richelle J Cooper  1
Affiliations

Implementation and value of a student-run volunteer clinical research program at an academic medical center

Junghyuk D Park et al. J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open. .

Abstract

Clinical research output in the emergency department (ED) continues to be constrained by limitations in funding for researchers, demands of patient care on ED providers, and difficulties in obtaining high-quality data. In response, several institutions have established programs in which student volunteers are integrated into department workflows to increase clinical research output and introduce pre-health students to careers in medicine. One such program, the student volunteer clinical research program, presently consists of over 40 undergraduate and post-baccalaureate student volunteers who screen, consent, and enroll patients into prospective studies in the ED of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Ronald Reagan Medical Center. The program is led by student coordinators who collaborate with departmental research staff and faculty. Our program is unique in that it is primarily run by the students themselves. Experienced student research associates facilitate recruitment through a competitive biannual application process, train new volunteers to perform on-shift research duties, and monitor participants for compliance with both hospital and program policies. Participation in the program provides students with exposure to frontline medical research, opportunities to observe clinical medicine, and access to a variety of program-specific resources including student-led committees, career development resources, and mentorship from peers, alumni, and faculty. This concept piece serves as a structural model for other institutions seeking to implement volunteer clinical research or bolster existing programs through increased student-led initiatives.

Keywords: emergency medicine; postgraduate; post‐baccalaureate; research; student, undergraduate; volunteer.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors claim no conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Leadership and personnel structure of the student volunteer clinical research program. Parenthetical numbers indicate how many individuals typically occupy each role
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Overview of the student volunteer clinical research program new member onboarding, training, and evaluation process
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Flowchart of student volunteer research associates’ (RA) role in ED research workflow for observational and interventional research studies. Boxes shaded in blue indicate workflow stages with direct RA involvement
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Number of faculty and principal investigator manuscripts published in peer‐reviewed journals for research conducted with the support of the student volunteer clinical research program from 1998–2021. Publications are differentiated between research completed with exclusive student volunteer research associate (RA) support and combined RA support with staff research coordinator (SRC) assistance. This figure only details projects with data collected by the student volunteer clinical research program and does not represent all departmental research output
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Overview of committees in the student volunteer clinical research program
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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