Abstract
BACKGROUND: Competency-based education is the prevailing standard in most medical schools. The ‘scholar’ is one of seven roles proposed by CanMeds. Its competencies are the basis for evidence-based medicine (EBM) and the translation of scientific evidence into practice. However, it is often underrepresented in medical curricula, and it faces challenges from societal discourse. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a new week-long Biomedical Research Module for second-year medical students. METHODS: Based on the Translational Research Model and by using different didactic tools, the module was developed at the Medical Faculty of the University of Zurich in German-speaking Switzerland to enable students to participate in generating and translating scientific medical knowledge, independently evaluate the quality of research, and adopt a scientific attitude toward knowledge creation following the 5 A-cycle of EBM. A 14-item self-assessment rating questionnaire was developed reflecting the learning goals (plus four items on career planning) and completed by two independent student cohorts in 2023 and 2024. Using a repeated one-group pretest-posttest design, changes in students’ competencies and attitudes were analysed by inferential statistical methods. RESULTS: Data from 303 to 350 students were analysed. Changes between baseline and module completion were robust. The participants’ understanding of the principles of the process of medical knowledge generation and their competency to participate in it, their competency to independently evaluate the quality of research, and their competency to handle uncertainties in medical knowledge increased strongly (Cohen’s threshold, p < 0.01). While students’ perception of the importance of the basic principles of EBM was already at a high level at baseline, improvements in their scientific attitude were modest, and science-scepticism remained in a relevant portion of students. CONCLUSIONS: The Biomedical Research Module is effective in improving self-assessed competencies that are necessary for the application of EBM and the scholar’s role according to the 5-A cycle in second-year students. However, certain active skills require further training, such as statistics and development of a research plan. Furthermore, a minority perpetuated certain sceptical attitudes towards the scientific process. Alternative approaches to changing such attitudes require further research. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This is not a clinical trial. The responsible ethics committee waived the need for approval (BASEC-Nr. Req-2023-00325). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12909-025-07940-y.