Scoping Review of Interventions and Experiences Increasing Medical Student Interest in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Abstract

Increasing medical student exposure to Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation is an important factor for future growth of the field. Therefore, it is important to determine which types of interventions during medical school have the greatest impact on medical students' decision to pursue a career in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. The purpose of this study is to perform a scoping review of the current literature that has analyzed how different interventions and experiences impact medical school students' decision to pursue a career in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. A systematic and comprehensive search strategy was implemented across five different journal databases and yielded 18 articles meeting the inclusion criteria. A majority of studies analyzing specific interventions looked only at pre- and post-survey comparisons of the immediate impact of the intervention on interest in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and few looked at longitudinal outcomes such as match characteristics. The most frequently cited factor that was shown to positively impact interest in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation was early exposure. Participating in clinical rotations also had a positive impact but was most effective when combined with early exposure. This review highlights the need for national recommendations for integrating Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation into all four years of medical education.

DOI

10.1097/PHM.0000000000002148

Publication Date

3-1-2023

Keywords

Medical education, physical medicine and rehabilitation

ISSN

1537-7385

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