A student's perspective on medical education research

Samantha Hiew is one of our Doctor of Medicine students undertaking a Department research project for her third-year research coursework, supervised by the DME’s Robyn Woodward-Kron.

Samantha Hiew and supervisor Associate Professor Robyn Woodward-Kron with Dr Eva Kipen, EXCITE alumna

I am a third-year medical student based at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. It is true that free time is a luxury that medical students can’t afford, but I do my best by procrasti-baking and bingeing on Netflix. I also enjoy stepping away from the medical and science part of my life by learning languages, reading (not a textbook!), and travelling.

My research project is based on a 2017 pilot study, done to identify bi-directional benefits of clinical placements for students and healthcare services, but with a focus on the general practice setting. I think this research is important because up until now, the focus has been on students being consumers, yet we are overlooking the contributions that students can make to the provision of healthcare and the care of patients.

My research will concentrate on the student’s perspective of their learning and contribution, as well as identifying gaps and areas of improvement. I am excited and hopeful that the findings will be able to inform and guide future research and develop our medical curriculum.