Virginia Via Research Day Book 2026

Medical Student Research Education and Simulation

01 The Impact of a Virtual Workshop to aid Third Year Medical Students Pursuing a Pediatrics Specialty in composing a Personal Statement

Emily D'Arpa, OMS-IV; Suzanne de Rooy, AD; Harsha Bhagtani, MD Corresponding author: edarpa@vt.vcom.edu

VCOM-Virginia, Blacksburg, Virginia

The goal of this QI project is to assess the effectiveness of a guided workshop to assist third year medical students in writing their personal statements in preparation for applications for residency, as well as sub-internships and audition rotations. Personal statements provide programs with an insight into applicants' lives that goes beyond grades and resume, and allows applicants to demonstrate personality as well as passion for their chosen specialty. The students partaking in this study are interested in pursuing pediatrics residencies. They were invited to attend an online virtual meeting with pediatric faculty members

who were available to provide advice and the criteria needed for a strong personal statement. Medical student attendees were asked to take survey questions before and at the conclusion of the workshop to evaluate the overall quality of the workshop and satisfaction with their ability to write their personal statements. To aid in determining the effectiveness of this project alongside the subjective and personalized opinions of the students' perception of familiarity with a good personal statement, researchers conducted a comparison review. Researchers compared the personal statements of the students who attended the workshop to students from

the prior class, who did not receive this workshop, via a neutral party, to determine if there was an effect. This project will assist medical school faculty in advising their students in a more effective manner to ensure they are able to write strong personal statements.

This study was approved by VCOM IRB #2025-004.

Table of Contents

158 Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM)