Perceived Roles and Experiences of Social Scientists in Medical Education Research: A Narrative Study

Abstract

Background: This narrative study explores the experiences of social scientists in medical education research (MER) units housed in Canadian medical schools. Although MER has been gaining recognition as an important area of research to facilitate the translation of medical education into medical practice, the need for social science research in MER remains poorly understood. Moreover, available literature on the career progression of researchers in MER – with regards to factors like academic promotion, funding opportunities, and job satisfaction – have been largely limited to clinician or biomedical researchers. Purpose: To explore the experiences of social scientists in medical education research (MER) units housed in Canadian medical schools through the research question: How do social scientists experience the evolution of their careers into MER? Research Design: Narrative study. Data Collection and Analysis: This study involved semi-structured interviews with six faculty members of MER units in three medical departments in Canada. Findings: My analysis revealed the following themes: 1) challenges are systematic in nature but rewards tend to be interpersonal; 2) the development of MER units have helped improve social scientists’ experiences in MER; 3) interdisciplinary and interprofessional interactions act as both the greatest challenge and reward of a social scientist’s career in MER; 4) social scientists’ perceived experiences in MER are influenced by their perceived impact on institutional change; and 5) social scientists in MER retain and advocate for their identity as social scientists, but individual differences exist in the perceived gratification of advocacy work.