A study of struggle in undergraduate medical education

Academic challenges can be uncomfortable to talk about. Perhaps for this reason, very few research studies have recruited medical students to ask them what it’s truly like to struggle in medical school. Unfortunately, this means that the tools that teachers use to help students improve are largely based on research that overlooks the student perspective.

I am a PhD candidate at Dalhousie University conducting a study exploring the lived experience of struggle in medical school. After graduating from medical school, I became motivated to find ways to improve the way teachers and educators support students through the various academic challenges they might encounter during medical education. I am inviting you to participate in a research study on academic struggle in undergraduate medical education.

Your participation would involve one audio-recorded interview lasting 45-90 minutes, according to how much time you have. This would happen in person or though Microsoft Teams. You are invited to participate if you feel that you have been struggling to meet your academic requirements (or have previously struggled), regardless of whether you have failed one or more evaluations.

Protecting your privacy is our first priority. I alone will have knowledge of your participation in the study. Your interview transcript will be anonymized, and your contact information will be kept private. Your decision to participate or decline participation will have no impact on your academic standing, nor any existing relationships you may have with a member of the research team.

If you are open to being interviewed, I will send you more information about the study and answer any questions you may have. Please contact me by email: Victoria.Luong@dal.ca.