Policy for the Recruitment of Medical Students as Research Participants
Because medical students understand the importance of research, they are often willing to participate in surveys and other research studies with no more than minimal risk associated. However, because they are first and foremost students, it is important to protect their role as learners. To ensure students can prioritize their time for coursework, the following policies have been instituted for researchers seeking to recruit medical students as participants in studies.
For studies involving no more than minimal risk, such as surveys:
- Study must have documented IRB approval
- Student researchers must not have access to any identifying information
- Study's Principal Investigator or Co-Pi or Investigator must be a member of the Boonshoft SOM Faculty or an enrolled student
Inquiries can be sent to the Associate Dean of Medical Education or their designee and an application must be submitted at least one month prior to proposed recruitment. Application includes:
- Proof of IRB approval
- Research protocol
- How subjects will be recruited
- Recruitment script
- What information will be collected, such as the instrument or survey, and how it will be used
- Plan for de-identification of data, if applicable
- Expected time commitment for participant involvement
Recruitment emails will be sent by the Associate Dean of Medical Education, principal investigator, or academic representatives upon approval. Recruitment emails not sent by the Associate Dean of Medical Education must contain the following sentence in the recruitment email: "Medical student participation in this study has been approved by the Associate Dean of Medical Education."
Researchers seeking to recruit medical students as participants in studies that have more than minimal risk associated need to contact the Associate Dean of Medical Education during planning stages of the project (i.e., prior to IRB submission). Student participation in any research activity, regardless of associated risk, is voluntary.
Approved by Dean’s Council on July 24, 2019
