Session Information
Session Title: AA 2022 Posters - General Rehabilitation
Session Time: None. Available on demand.
Disclosures: Michael Nemec: No financial relationships or conflicts of interest
Background and/or Objectives: Many medical schools do not have PM&R departments, residencies, or providers. The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) is one such medical school, where students have little exposure to rehabilitation medicine. Therefore, a survey was conducted to gauge UTMB students’ understanding and perceptions of the field.
Design: Survey
Setting: Online survey
Participants: All currently enrolled school of medicine students were invited to participate in an online 16 question multi-part survey, which generated responses from 103 students out of 920. Participants were stratified according to medical school class (MS): MS1 (21%), MS2 (21%), MS3 (39%), MS4 (18%).
Interventions: A 16-question multi-part survey was electronically sent to all currently enrolled school of medicine students.
Main Outcome Measures: Results of a 16-question multi-part survey assessing medical student knowledge, interest, and exposure to PM&R.
Results: Results demonstrated that a majority of students became familiar with the field before entering their clinical years (91%). Yet, an overwhelming majority had no exposure to rehabilitation medicine related activities (81%), and were not familiar with the daily work of a physiatrist (78%). When asked what aspects of PM&R students were interested in learning about, the majority of respondents reported: the daily work of physiatry (79%), conditions physiatrists treat (68%), and procedures performed within the field (76%). Lastly, a majority of students would have liked for PM&R to be integrated into the curriculum (81%), and would have considered PM&R as a career if there was clinical exposure to it (63%).
Conclusions: This data strongly suggests that a majority of UTMB School of Medicine students have minimal exposure and little knowledge of rehabilitation medicine. However, students have a strong desire to learn more about the field, and may have considered PM&R as a career if resources were available. A concerted effort should be made to integrate rehabilitation educational experiences into all medical school curricula.
Level of Evidence: Level V
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Nemec M, Bliznak VN, Singh H, Raifaisen NP. Perceptions and Knowledge of Physiatry in a Medical Student Population with Limited Rehabilitation Resources [abstract]. PM R. 2022; 14(S1)(suppl 1). https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/perceptions-and-knowledge-of-physiatry-in-a-medical-student-population-with-limited-rehabilitation-resources/. Accessed May 23, 2025.« Back to AAPM&R Annual Assembly 2022
PM&R Meeting Abstracts - https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/perceptions-and-knowledge-of-physiatry-in-a-medical-student-population-with-limited-rehabilitation-resources/