Teaching Entrepreneurship to Medical Students

A Proof-of-Concept-Study

Abstract

Startups have a strong, positive effect on our economy and are needed to drive continuous innovation in medicine and patient care. Countries like Germany invest billions into entrepreneurial education. In addition, current entrepreneurship policies focus on innovative startups originating as spin-offs from within academic institutions. Since medical students are at the intersection of medical research and patient care, it is important to inculcate them with a general understanding of the importance of entrepreneurship in medicine and in the life sciences. Most importantly, entrepreneurial education must motivate and enable those physician-scientists that will drive medical innovation through the founding of medical businesses, ultimately benefiting society as a whole. In a proof-of-concept study, the authors investigate whether medical students show interest in entrepreneurial education and whether a one-day seminar is suitable to convey relevant content in an interactive, practical format. Based on their findings and based on feedback from relevant stakeholders from the local startup ecosystem, the authors develop the concept for a future seminar on entrepreneurship for medical students in the Heidelberg/Mannheim area. It is the authors’ hope that entrepreneurial education will soon become an indispensable part of the broader medical education curriculum.