About the Study

Why is this research important? 

Medical school is an uphill battle. It’s normal for students to struggle—at some point in their training—to keep up with the academic demands of their program. Yet, academic struggle can sometimes be deeply impactful and, with medical students already experiencing rates of burnout significantly higher than the general population, it would be hard to argue that repeatedly facing failure (or risk of failure) in medical school does not contribute to those alarming statistics.

 

There have been efforts to improve teaching practices around academic difficulties and remediation over the last few decades. However, these approaches are usually based on research studies that measure test scores and look for factors that lead to underperformance. Very few studies have actually asked students what they are going through, and what might help them improve. Thus, this study aims to highlight the voices and stories of real medical students, so that we might learn something from their experiences and perspectives.

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Who can participate?

You can participate in this study if you are a medical student (current student, or recent graduate within 6 months) in undergraduate medical education at any medical school in Canada. You must be at least 18 years old, and fluent in either English or French. We are seeking students who self-identify as struggling academically (or having struggled in the past during medical school), regardless of whether they have failed one or any assessments or evaluations.

 

What will the interview be like?​

If you agree to take part, you will be asked to participate in one interview that is expected to last 45-90 minutes. You can end the interview at any time. This will take place in person (for Dalhousie students) or online via Microsoft Teams at a time that is convenient for you.

 

The interview will be conversational. I will ask you to describe your experience with academic struggle in medical school. For instance, they may ask you about the emotions your experience around struggle, the nature of the challenges you experienced, and the supports you received. Your interview will be audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim.

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Will my privacy be protected?

Absolutely. Your participation in this study will be known only to the principal investigator of this study (Victoria Luong). However, if you would rather be interviewed by a different researcher, you can reach out to that person directly and your participation will also be known to that person. We will not share your identity with the other members of the research team, nor a third party. Your interview will take place in a private location/method of your choosing (in person or online through Microsoft Teams).

 

All identifying or potentially identifying information that is disclosed during the interviews will be removed from the transcribed version of the interview. Your transcript will be given a unique code or pseudonym. A master list containing identifying information (such as your name and contact information) will be securely stored in a password-protected file separate from your research information (e.g., interview transcripts), and will only be accessible to the primary researcher (Victoria Luong). During the study, all electronic records will be kept in a secure folder on OneDrive to which only Victoria Luong will have access.

 

Other members of the research team will only have access to the transcripts after the identifiable information has been removed. Because of her unique role at Dalhousie University, Anna MacLeod will not have access to transcripts from medical students at Dalhousie.

 

Direct quotes will be pulled from interview transcripts when research results are shared; however, pseudonyms will be attributed to quotes, and participants will not be identified in publicly presented findings. Data included in presentations and publications cannot be withdrawn.

 

We will not disclose any information about your participation except as required by law or our professional obligations. If we notice that you are at an immediate risk of harming yourself or other people, we are required by our professional code of ethics to seek assistance.

 

You may contact the research team to request that your data or portions of your data be destroyed at any time during the interview or up to two weeks after your interview is complete (i.e., prior to the beginning of data analysis). This means that your data from your first interview can be destroyed up to two weeks after your first interview, and data from your follow-up interview can be destroyed up to two weeks after your follow-up interview.