title: Interest in research among medical students: Challenges for the undergraduate education.
abstract: In recent decades, there has been a reduction in the number of graduates from medical schools who choose to pursue a career in scientific research. That has an impact on the profile of graduates, since medical education depends on understanding the formation of scientific evidence. The construction of new knowledge is also hampered by the reduction of medical scientists, whose clinical experience with patients provides an essential step towards medical Science evolution.
  The present cross-sectional study sought to identify the interest in research among medical students from a federal university in southern Brazil.
  Medical students from a federal university were asked to respond to a self-administered questionnaire that sought to identify the level of knowledge about the importance of scientific research in medical training, and the interest of this population in this element of their training.
  278 medical students from the first to the sixth year responded to the questionnaire, and 81.7% stated their interest in medical research. However, only 4.7% of respondents considered research as first in degree of importance to their medical training. The variable "interest in research" showed no statistically significant association with age, gender, presence of physicians in the family, or other prior college courses.
  Although interest in research is clearly present among the students, this is still an underexplored element among the population studied. The incorporation of research in the learning process depends on stimulus and guidance until it becomes culturally consolidated as an essential element of the medical training.
authors.affiliation: BA in International Relations, Medical Student - CAPES grant recipient, Young Talents for Science Program, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: David William
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Moraes
authors.affiliation: MD - Resident in Family and Community Medicine, UFCSPA, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maitê
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jotz
authors.affiliation: MD - Resident in Internal Medicine, UFCSPA, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Willian Roberto
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Menegazzo
authors.affiliation: Medical Student - FAPERGS grant recipient, UFCSPA, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Michele Sabrina
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Menegazzo
authors.affiliation: Medical Student - PIBIC ICFUC CNPq grant recipient, UFCSPA, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Steffi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Veloso
authors.affiliation: Medical Student - PIBIC ICFUC CNPq grant recipient, UFCSPA, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mayara Christ
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Machry
authors.affiliation: Medical Student, UFCSPA, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Monise
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Costanzi
authors.affiliation: MD, PhD in Health Sciences, UFCSPA and Instituto de Cardiologia/Fundação Universitária de Cardiologia (IC/FUC), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lucia Campos
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Pellanda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000193:education / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001938:Brazil; D002321:Career Choice; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012577:Schools, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult