Physiatric research fellows' perceptions of the quality of their training

A survey was conducted to evaluate the physiatric research fellowship training. A 22-item questionnaire was sent to the 42 identified physiatrists who had completed at least a 1-yr research fellowship. Twenty-nine of these individuals (69%) responded. The physiatrists, all of whom have completed their research fellowships, uniformly cited competent faculty research mentors as being critical, even if they were not in the same department. Having protected research time as well as a research didactic program and journal club were highly rated issues. The trainees preferred a 2-yr fellowship that also stressed initiation of their own research, grant writing and management experience, and first authorship on research papers. We conclude that the majority of the research fellows agree on what are important issues with respect to their training.