A successful research assistantship program as reflected by publications and presentations

Abstract

Background: Many family practice programs operate student research assistantship programs, but little information is available about the outcomes of these programs. Our summer assistantship program has trained 60 students, all of whom received training in the basic steps of the research process and were required to develop and execute a research project.

Methods: To objectively measure the outcomes of our program, we recorded the number of publications and national presentations achieved by students enrolled in our family practice summer research assistantship program.

Results: Nine students have published articles in refereed scientific journals. Nine students have presented research findings at national meetings. Three students have won prestigious student research awards.

Conclusions: Our results suggest students in a research assistantship program can learn basic research skills and execute effective research projects.