Name
Correlation between career interest and project focus in a required
scholarly concentration course completed in the pre-clerkship phase of the
curriculum
Date & Time
Tuesday, June 9, 2026, 10:57 AM - 11:12 AM
Location Name
Estes B
Speakers
Authors
Brandon D. Brown, Medical University of South Carolina
Marc Heincelman, MUSC
Michele Watson, MUSC
Andrea Shrader, MUSC
Paulina Horton, MUSC
Donna Kern, MUSC
Presentation Topic(s)
Other
Description
Purpose: Medical schools commonly offer scholarly concentration programs
(SCPs), yet their structure and content vary significantly. While previous
research has examined the link between SCPs and residency specialty
selection, and considered social cognitive career theory, no studies have
evaluated how students' early career interests relate to their chosen
scholarly concentration pathway. This study aimed to assess whether alignment
between students' initial career interests and their selected scholarly
concentration pathway influences career decision-making and specialty
stability.
Method: All students completed the mandatory 8-week Flex Scholarly
Concentration course during their M2 year, selecting and mentoring scholarly
projects within four pathways: Research, Physician as Teacher, Health
Humanities or Global Health, and Population Health or Epidemiology. Students
completed career interest surveys at the beginning of M1 and again after the
scholarly concentration course in M2. We operationalized
"alignment" by matching students' stated specialty interests with
their pathway selection (e.g., surgical specialty with surgery-related
scholarly project). Survey data from 142 students who completed both M1 and
M3 assessments were analyzed to examine associations between career
interests, pathway choice, and specialty stability.
Results: Among the 142 students analyzed, 67.6% selected a scholarly
concentration pathway aligned with their initial career interests. After
completing the course, 61.3% reported continued alignment between their
pathway and career interests (p<0.005). Overall specialty interest
stability from M1 to M3 was 47%, with 53% experiencing changes. Specialties
demonstrating greater stability included internal medicine (16%),
otolaryngology (13%), surgery (10%), and pediatrics (9%).
Conclusion: Integrating curricular interventions to support career
decision-making is increasingly important given residency match
competitiveness. This study demonstrates that providing early opportunities
for "alignment" between students' career interests and scholarly
pathways may help stabilize career exploration. The intervention helped
identify mentors and evaluate students' career decision-making processes,
potentially offering new approaches for providing career advising earlier in
medical education.
(SCPs), yet their structure and content vary significantly. While previous
research has examined the link between SCPs and residency specialty
selection, and considered social cognitive career theory, no studies have
evaluated how students' early career interests relate to their chosen
scholarly concentration pathway. This study aimed to assess whether alignment
between students' initial career interests and their selected scholarly
concentration pathway influences career decision-making and specialty
stability.
Method: All students completed the mandatory 8-week Flex Scholarly
Concentration course during their M2 year, selecting and mentoring scholarly
projects within four pathways: Research, Physician as Teacher, Health
Humanities or Global Health, and Population Health or Epidemiology. Students
completed career interest surveys at the beginning of M1 and again after the
scholarly concentration course in M2. We operationalized
"alignment" by matching students' stated specialty interests with
their pathway selection (e.g., surgical specialty with surgery-related
scholarly project). Survey data from 142 students who completed both M1 and
M3 assessments were analyzed to examine associations between career
interests, pathway choice, and specialty stability.
Results: Among the 142 students analyzed, 67.6% selected a scholarly
concentration pathway aligned with their initial career interests. After
completing the course, 61.3% reported continued alignment between their
pathway and career interests (p<0.005). Overall specialty interest
stability from M1 to M3 was 47%, with 53% experiencing changes. Specialties
demonstrating greater stability included internal medicine (16%),
otolaryngology (13%), surgery (10%), and pediatrics (9%).
Conclusion: Integrating curricular interventions to support career
decision-making is increasingly important given residency match
competitiveness. This study demonstrates that providing early opportunities
for "alignment" between students' career interests and scholarly
pathways may help stabilize career exploration. The intervention helped
identify mentors and evaluate students' career decision-making processes,
potentially offering new approaches for providing career advising earlier in
medical education.