Smiles and tears: undergraduate students' experience in an outpatient palliative radiotherapy clinic.

Background: Admission into medical schools or other health-related professional schools has become increasingly competitive. As a result, many undergraduate students aspiring to become health care professionals volunteer or work in a health care setting to better equip themselves for the challenge. While there have been a number of papers written about the experiences of medical and nursing students, there is limited amount of literature regarding the experience of undergraduate students in clinical practice environments. Insight into their perspectives and roles could promote patient care and research. Goal: The purpose of the present qualitative study was to explore and describe the experience of being a clinical research student in an outpatient palliative radiotherapy clinic. Methods: Students who have worked as clinical research assistants at the palliative radiotherapy clinic were first asked to write responses to two open ended questions that were qualitatively analyzed for general themes. Subsequently, students were interviewed using an interview guide with open-ended questions that were related to the themes that emerged from their initial responses. Analysis of the students' responses followed the grounded theory approach. Results: Of the 10 students who participated, 6 are pursuing careers as a medical doctor, 2 are pursuing health-related careers, 1 is in medical school, and 1 is a doctor. The length of time the students have worked as a clinical research assistant at the clinic ranges from 4 months to 2 years. After analyzing the students' responses, patterns were categorized and 7 themes emerged: (1) the value of patient interaction in inspiring students to pursue medical careers; (2) the changed attitude towards palliative patients and clinical research; (3) the lack of educational preparation for the skills and knowledge needed for this position; (4) the importance of being challenged with opportunities that are unfound outside of an academic hospital; (5) developing an appropriate and realistic emotional response to clinical experiences (e.g., death); (6) gaining insight into doctor and patient relationship, and (7) the initial difficulty at finding a niche in a health care setting where research comes secondary to patient care. Conclusion: Working as a research assistant is more than 'just a job' for many undergraduate students. The students in this study consistently reported that through their smiles and tears while working in a tertiary palliative cancer care setting, they developed skills and gained knowledge that would be inaccessible within the classroom setting. This experiential learning is crucial in shaping the character of a future clinician or researcher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]