Participation of Canadian anesthesiology departments in undergraduate medical education

Abstract

The contribution of anesthesiology departments to pre-clerkship has increased over the past fifteen years but remains much less than expected based on proportional faculty size. While the increase is encouraging, the relatively poor engagement is concerning, representing not only a missed opportunity but also a possible threat to the academic standing of the profession.

Point-of-care ultrasound in undergraduate medical education: an opportunity for anesthesiologists

“…Despite the expertise that anesthesiologists have to offer, they have had limited engagement in the UGME curriculum. 5 A 2017 study showed that in the majority of Canadian undergraduate programs, anesthesiologists spent significantly fewer hours teaching the UGME curriculum than expected based on their proportional faculty size; 6 of 17 departments contributed less than 1% of pre-clerkship hours. 5 The study went on to suggest that the majority of teaching from anesthesiologists in the undergraduate setting is provided by a small number of dedicated teachers.…”

“…POCUS represents a new opportunity for anesthesiologists to interact with undergraduates and highlight all that the specialty has to offer. 5 The cornerstones of any rewarding medical profession include the delivery of innovative clinical care, engagement in medical education, and creation of new knowledge through research. 5 Specialists who share anesthesiologists' interests in trauma and critical care, such as emergency room physicians and intensivists, offer partnership opportunities to get anesthesiologists involved in the development or refinement of the POCUS undergraduate curriculum.…”

Survey of medical students’ knowledge and perceptions of anesthesiology at one Canadian university: pre-clerkship and during clinical clerkship, a cohort study

“…Hamlin et al highlighted the relatively low levels of participation by anesthesiologists in the undergraduate curriculum across the country. 4 Despite this, 2013-2016 Canadian Resident Matching Service match data showed that anesthesia was ranked as either the fourth or fifth highest first-preference residency application. Anesthesia training programs have been oversubscribed every year, garnering up to 5.1% of firstpreferences by CMGs and yet never offering more than 3.7% of the total residency positions.…”

Pre-clerkship teaching: Are we missing an opportunity?

“…The authors focus their report on the pre-clerkship curriculum 1 and express their concern that the absolute volume of teaching to our year 1 and 2 medical students falls far below the ideal. The authors contend that we are jeopardizing the future of the specialty by failing to capture the early interest and imagination of the best and brightest students and, in so doing, that we are hindering the development of future educators, researchers, and leaders in our specialty.…”

“…7 Comme le mentionnent Hamlin et coll., les anesthésiologistes occupent une position privilégiée pour enseigner au niveau du premier cycle. 1 Notre formation diversifiée recoupe de multiples maladies, conditions et traitements, et bon nombre de nos connaissances et de nos compétences recoupent plusieurs spécialités et marient des compétences médicales et chirurgicales. Notre compréhension approfondie de la pharmacologie et de la physiologie constitue indubitablement un atout pour tout étudiant en médecine novice, et notre implication permettrait aux étudiants de faire le lien entre un contenu théorique et sa pertinence clinique.…”