Research Training and Scholarly Activity during General Pediatric Residency in Canada

Abstract

Objective: To describe the characteristics of research training and scholarly activity during pediatrics residency in Canada and identify facilitators and barriers to resident scholarly activity.

Study design: We conducted a mixed-methods, cross-sectional survey of pediatrics residents in Canada from April to June 2023. Trainees and medical education experts developed the 55-item survey, pilot tested, and distributed electronically to residents in all 17 Canadian residency programs. Responses were complemented with program-level data from pediatrics residency program directors.

Results: Of 644 Canadian pediatrics residents, 230 (36%) responded. Resident respondents conducted various types of scholarly projects, including retrospective clinical study (22%), qualitative research (15%), quality improvement (13%), and medical education research (12%). Discordance between the field of career interests and primary scholarly projects was common. Among respondents, 20% had abstracts accepted at national or international conferences, and 12% had manuscripts submitted to peer-reviewed journals. Resident respondents' self-perceived progress in their scholarly projects were discrepant from their actual progress. Key themes related to barriers and facilitators to scholarly activity included protected time for research, mentorship, and research skills training.

Conclusions: The research training and scholarly activity of pediatrics residents in Canada is variable. Establishing national standards, implementing progress monitoring mechanisms with tailored support, and offering flexible protected research time are important next steps.

Keywords: pediatric residency; research; research training; scholarly activity.