Ad. Mason et al., Perceptions of pediatric emergency medicine fellows and program directors about research education, ACAD EM MED, 6(10), 1999, pp. 1061-1065
Pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) fellows who entered training after Janua
ry 1995 are required to complete three years of fellowship training. Additi
onally, they are required to receive instruction in related basic sciences
and to demonstrate research competence. Objectives: To determine: 1) whethe
r PEM fellows and program directors perceive their programs as providing ad
equate training in research principles, 2) the manner in which these princi
ples are taught, and 3) the commitment of fellows and program directors to
research and research training. Methods: Pediatric emergency medicine fello
ws who participated in the Fourth Annual PEM Fellows Conference (Miami, Flo
rida, March 1997) were surveyed. The survey was then extended via mail to a
ll PEM fellows and program directors in the United States and Canada. Resul
ts: A total of 159 of the 220 fellows (72%) in the United States and Canada
returned completed questionnaires. Fifty-three of 70 PEM fellows (76%) who
attended the conference completed questionnaires, and 106 of 167 fellows (
63%) who did not attend the conference responded by mail. Fifty-three of th
e 63 program directors (84%) returned completed questionnaires. Of 159 resp
onding fellows, 86 (54%), and of 53 responding program directors, 29 (58%)
reported that their programs lacked adequate training in one or more of the
surveyed research areas. Thirteen program directors (25%) reported no form
al research training in their curricula. Programs that included formal rese
arch training were perceived to have higher overall quality than programs t
hat failed to offer such formal training. Sixty-six of 158 responding fello
ws (42%) anticipated an ongoing commitment to research in their careers. On
e hundred fourteen of 153 responding fellows (75%) indicated that, if given
the option, they would have pursued a two-year "clinical track" PEM board
certification that did not include a research requirement. Conclusions: Mor
e than half of surveyed PEM fellows and program directors perceived importa
nt deficiencies in research education within their training programs. Furth
er research is necessary in order to evaluate the validity of these percept
ions.