Click here for Frequently Asked Questions, (FAQ)

Goal

RWJMS medical students will produce a scholarly product that is a contribution to one of the Medical School 's missions: Education, Research, Clinical Care, or Community Health.

Objectives

The completion of the independent project will encourage in students:

• self-directed, independent, adult learning
• critical thinking and interpretation of the literature
• professionalism in the production of scholarly work

Methods

A broad range of initiatives will qualify for this project. In addition to the school's stated missions, efforts that cross over these, or are framed in other ways, are possible. Examples include global health, biomedical engineering, medical informatics, medicine and humanities, and medical anthropology. The requirement of the Independent Project can be met at any point during the four years, although it is recommended that it be completed prior October 1 of the senior year, so that the results can be included in any correspondence with future residency programs.

It is understood that a variety of independent projects will qualify. The essential component is the creation of an end-product that reflects an appropriate degree of effort (i.e., a minimum of 160 hours of effort). Examples of these end products that would be the outgrowth of a scholarly experience include a:

scholarly poster presention about the project at a local, regional or national meeting

oral presentation on the project at a local, regional or national meeting

scholarly paper, such as a literature review or a report of a research outcome

scholarly, reflective journal about a student's personal experience with a project that takes into account the context of the larger health care system, resulting in publication in such venues as Academic Medicine , Teaching and Learning Moments.

web-based or other electronic format (e.g., podcast) materials that contribute to the scholarly missions of the School

For projects that occur outside of the usual educational structure (e.g., projects that are not part of a research fellowship or medical education elective), students will need to identify an advisor who will monitor the effort and sign off on the final product. For students in a structured educational environment, much the same is expected to occur, except the faculty advisor will already be identified (i.e., the faculty member supervising the fellowship or elective experience). The faculty supervisor will still need to sign off on the final product.

Support

The Independent Projects will be monitored by the Office of Education in Piscataway/New Brunswick and by the Office of Academic and Student Affairs in Camden . Education Deans will assist students in identifying mentors and faculty with the expectations and analysis of the final products. Students are encouraged to discuss their projects in advance of initiation if they have any questions or concerns.

Progress Report

A yearly Independent Project Progress Report must be completed online.

Click Here to complete the Project Progress Report online.

Final Submission and Final Product

A completed final report with signatures and a copy of the Final Product must be submitted to the appropriate campus office for credit prior to graduation.

Click Here for the Independent Project Final Submission Form.