Multiple variables influence the educational value of surgical clerkship sites

Effectiveness of Standardized Clerkship Teaching Across Multiple Sites

“…The importance of operating-room based learning found in this study echoes that of several previous studies [9,21,22], and its influence on choice of future careers has also been confirmed [23,24]. Results from this study, suggesting that students also value their involvement in outpatient settings, oppose the view that outpatient clinics are passive observational experiences [25].…”

“…This is mainly because learning tends to be case-specific; therefore the scope of expertise that students develop is dependent on the clinical experience they gain [8]. With growing class numbers, medical schools commonly spread clerkship rotations among several different hospitals, each with [9]. These variables include direct instructional contact with attending staff in the operating room, variety in the cases and diseases encountered, and opportunities for patient care.…”

General Surgery Versus Specialty Rotations: A New Paradigm in Surgery Clerkships

“…Studies have shown that direct instructional contact with faculty and positive perceptions of faculty and house staff teaching during the surgical clerkship are significant factors in determining student satisfaction with the clerkship, and are strong predictors for medical students entering a surgery residency [2][3][4][5]. However, data that demonstrates whether quality training and greater individualized instruction can be achieved by more active involvement of subspecialty surgery faculty is limited.…”

Challenges of Multisite Surgical Teaching Programs: A Review of Surgery Clerkship

“…Furthermore, students rate the operating room experience with the attending physician as an important component of their surgical clerkship training-emphasizing the importance of a positive role model. 5 It seems that enthusiastic role models and positive operating experiences are the important factors, irrespective of whether the students have their rotations in a university teaching hospital or an affiliated community hospital. Preceptors should, therefore, encourage students early in their medical training to consider a career in surgery.…”