Scholarly Concentrations: A Students’ Perspective on Their Role in the Residency Selection Process and Career Trajectory

This study examines the students’ perspective on the Scholarly Concentrations Program (SCP) at Morsani College of Medicine (MCOM) with respect to developing a habit of inquiry and life-long learning in the practice of medicine, career trajectory, and residency matching. Analyzing the students’ self-assessment of their SCP experience provides added insight into the overall effectiveness of the SCP.

A cross-sectional survey was administered electronically to 4th year medical students at the USF Morsani College of Medicine after Match Day between 2013 and 2022.

Students from all scholarly concentrations were more likely to be asked during interviews about their participation in SCP (53%) than not, and many students not asked about their participation initiated the conversation on their own (35%). The assessment of the role of SCP participation in matching was varied. SCP participation did not influence students’ choice of specialty (84%). Many students indicated that the SCP experience would help them be more successful in residency (64%). Most students sought residency programs that emphasized research (65%) and indicated a desire to practice medicine in an academic setting (70%).

This self-assessment shows that students value the SCP experience and that the experience motivated them to continue the pursuit of scholarship. SCP participation was a topic of conversation during most interviews across all concentrations, although students were not sure whether it contributed to successful matching. The data indicate that residency programs value participation in the SCP as well as research experiences as indicators of success in residency.