There’s no doubt that one learns through it all : a qualitative exploration of the value surgery trainees assign to master of medicine research

Date
2022-04
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH SUMMARY: Background: Since 2011 The Health Professionals Council of South Africa (HPCSA) has mandated the completion of a Master of Medicine (MMed) research project for specialist registration. This has introduced several challenges for the training environment and there is concern that institutions do not adequately prepare trainees for their role as scholars. MMed research has therefore received much critical resistance and stakeholders have questioned its value as part of the specialist training curriculum. To gain a deeper understanding of the affordances, enablers, and challenges of MMed research we were interested to hear how trainees construct the meaning of value in relation to their experiences. Aim: To explore the value surgery trainees assign to their MMed research experiences. Methods: This qualitative study adopted a social constructivist epistemological perspective. We purposively sampled 9 participants who had completed their research in a single surgical division at Stellenbosch University. Data were generated via semi-structured interviews with individual participants and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results and discussion: We identified four key themes: 1) resentment, relief, realisation, and prerequisite; 2) the clinician versus clinician-scientist dichotomy; 3) research exposure and leadership, and 4) “there’s no doubt one learns through it all”. MMed research is a source of trainee stress but they can recognise in hindsight research has served an important role in professional development. Through experiential and social learning, trainees develop critical appraisal skills and an improved understanding of the research process and recognise the value of scholarly competencies for evidence-based medicine. Research supervision and leadership represent key enablers in this learning process. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that MMed research offers significant educational value to specialist trainees and therefore warrants continued inclusion in the curriculum. Research supervisors play an important role in managing the research process, initiating MMed candidates into the research community, and making explicit the hidden outcomes of postgraduate research. Therefore, amongst other recommendations for health professions education, we especially recommend that future research and faculty development initiatives should focus on the professional development of MMed research supervisors.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Agtergrond: Sedert 2011 het die Raad vir Gesondheidsberoepe van Suid-Afrika (RGBSA) die voltooiing van 'n Meester in Geneeskunde (MMed) navorsingsprojek vir spesialisregistrasie opdrag gegee. Dit het verskeie uitdagings vir die opleidingsomgewing meegebring en daar is kommer dat instellings nie voldoende voorbereid is vir hul rol as skoliere nie. MMed-navorsing het dus baie kritiese weerstand gekry en belanghebbendes het die waarde daarvan as deel van die spesialisopleidingskurrikulum bevraagteken. Om 'n dieper begrip te verkry van die voordeleinstaatstellers en uitdagings van MMed-navorsing, was ons geïnteresseerd om te hoor hoe leerlinge die betekenis van waarde in verhouding tot hul ervarings konstrueer te verken. Doel: Om die waarde wat chirurgie-leerlinge aan hul MMed-navorsingservarings toeken. Metodes: Hierdie kwalitatiewe studie het 'n sosiaal-konstruktivistiese epistemologiese perspektief aangeneem. Ons het doelbewus 9 deelnemers geneem wat hul navorsing in 'n enkele chirurgiese afdeling by die Universiteit Stellenbosch voltooi het. Data is gegenereer deur middel van semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude met individuele deelnemers en ontleed met behulp van refleksiewe tematiese analise. Bevindinge: Ons het vier sleuteltemas geïdentifiseer: 1) wrok, verligting, besef en voorvereiste; 2) die klinikus versus klinikus-wetenskaplike tweespalt; 3) navorsingsblootstelling en leierskap, en 4) "daar is geen twyfel dat 'n mens deur dit alles leer nie". MMed-navorsing is 'n bron van leerderstres, maar hulle kan agterna erken dat navorsing 'n belangrike rol gedien het, naamlik professionele ontwikkeling. Deur ervarings- en sosiale leer ontwikkel leerlinge kritiese beoordelingsvaardighede en 'n verbeterde begrip van die navorsingsproses en erken die waarde van vakkundige vaardighede vir bewysgebaseerde medisyne. Navorsingstoesig en leierskap verteenwoordig sleutelbemagtigers in hierdie leerproses. Gevolgtrekkings: Ons bevindinge dui daarop dat MMed-navorsing beduidende opvoedkundige waarde aan spesialisleerlinge bied en daarom voortgesette insluiting in die kurrikulum regverdig. Navorsingsleiers speel 'n belangrike rol in die bestuur van die navorsingsproses, die inisiëring van MMed-kandidate in die navorsingsgemeenskap, en om die verborge uitkomste van nagraadse navorsing uitdruklik te maak. In terme van gsondheidsberoepe opvoeding beveel ons dus onder andere aan dat toekomstige navorsings- en fakulteitsontwikkelingsinisiatiewe op die professionele ontwikkeling van MMed-navorsingsleiers moet fokus.
Description
Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2022.
Keywords
Surgeons -- Training of -- South Africa, Surgery -- Study and teaching (Continuing education) -- South Africa, Clinical competence -- South Africa, Surgery -- Study and teaching (Continuing education) -- Evaluation -- South Africa, Educational evaluation -- South Africa, Medicine -- Specialties and specialists -- South Africa, UCTD
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