Breaking Down Barriers to Research

Anyone who has published scholarly works understands what a big undertaking it can be to take a project from idea to publishing the results. While it may be a lot of hard work, I would argue that it is worth the effort. Anyone who puts in the time to complete a well-designed, impactful project should take the time to publish those results so colleagues can learn from their endeavor. One way to accomplish this goal is to enlist the help of student pharmacists, either longitudinally or during a clinical rotation. The purpose of this article is to recognize some of the barriers to student research and identify possible solutions.

One study evaluated the motivational factors and perceived barriers to student involvement in research at a college of pharmacy to identify ways to potentially increase study participation in scholarly work.[1]

The highest rated motivational factors and perceived barriers to conducting research are listed below.

Motivational Factors

• The topic or specific area of research is interesting to me

• The faculty/preceptor/investigator leading the research is a person I am comfortable working with on a project

• I can be a more competitive candidate for a residency or other specialized training program

• The faculty/preceptor/researcher leading the research is energetic, engaging, or inspirational

Factors that prevent students from engaging in research

• I don’t have time because of classes and/or other obligations

• I don’t know how to get started

Faculty and preceptors should clearly explain their research ideas in an enthusiastic manner, with an emphasis on the benefit to the professional community or patients. This approach may elicit a more favorable attitude toward research. By being approachable, preceptors may find students more willing to contact them to inquire about any possible projects.

Another study echoes the barriers identified in this study. Lack of time (91.3%), unfamiliarity with the research process (81.8%), and too much coursework (80.5%) were cited as the top three perceived barriers that prevented students from pursuing research.[2]

As a method to overcome the barrier of time, preceptors should allow students ample time during the rotation day to have dedicated “project time.” This will allow students to work solely on the project they are assigned for the rotation. While not applicable to MCW School of Pharmacy, some schools offer a 12-week summer research program, which resulted in higher publishing rates.[3] Other methods to overcome barriers include introducing students to faculty-driven research topics or projects earlier in the professional program, allowing more time longitudinally to complete projects, or incorporating research-based, for-credit courses that span multiple years in order to engage students in meaningful projects that take time to complete. While these last two methods may not pertain to preceptors or clinical rotation-based projects, they may open the door to engaging students in research after a positive research experience earlier in their academic career. If faculty provide student mentorship early in the curriculum, the excuse of not knowing how to get started could be overcome.

In conclusion, there are numerous barriers and motivational factors related to student engagement in research. Presenting research opportunities to students in an enthusiastic manner, highlighting how research makes an impact, providing research time on rotation, and introducing students to research earlier in the curriculum are all opportunities to increase engagement of students in research.

The next article will focus on barriers and motivational factors for preceptors and faculty to engage in practice-based research. [1] Mersfelder TL, Sohn M, Girand HL. Factors influencing the involvement of doctor of pharmacy students in research and scholarship projects. Curr Pharm Teach Learn. 2021;13(7):796-803. doi:10.1016/j.cptl.2021.03.020 [2] Murray MM, Kolanczyk DM, Phatak A, et al. Barriers to and factors influencing the pursuit of pharmacy student research. Curr Pharm Teach Learn. 2020;12(11):1297-1303. doi:10.1016/j.cptl.2020.06.007 [3] Johnson JA, Moore MJ, Shin J, Frye RF. A summer research training program to foster PharmD students' interest in research. Am J Pharm Educ. 2008;72(2):23. https://doi.org/10.5688/aj720223