Article
Surgeons and anatomists acting as role models in the gross anatomy environment: Perception and specialty preferences of medical students
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Published: | March 7, 2017 |
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Question: Up to date, only sparse data is available about the possible impact of role modelling on students' future choice for specialization in their residency. Surgery disciplines face continuous loss of students' interest resulting from multiple reasons. One of them frequently mentioned is the experience of negative role models during medical training. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible impact of surgeons acting as role models prior to clinical training during the dissection course on the students´ future interest in surgery.
Methods: 2nd year medical students attending the dissection course (control group (CG), n=25) and a group of students (study group (SG), n=25) additionally participating in a course with surgical demonstrations (in German: Fit für den OP (FOP)) were investigated. Questionnaire data were gathered at three time points: before, during and after the semester. Moreover, an online-questionnaire was applied to all previous FOP-participants (n=70) to retrospectively analyze the students choice of elective courses, doctoral thesis or career preferences.
Results: Professors were more frequently perceived as positive role models by students participating in FOP (p=0.039). Compared to students attending the dissection course only, SG participants evaluated role modelling more frequently as a relevant teaching method (p=0.003). 93% of the SG felt an increased appeal of surgical specialties. In comparison to the CG, students of the SG exhibited a higher interest in surgical electives (p=0.043). Retrospective data from previous FOP participants (return rate=63.6%) proved that students had chosen surgical electives with highest priority in comparison to other electives (1st elective: 25.4%; 2nd elective 23.2%), preferred surgical topics in their doctoral thesis (24.5%) and showed a similar high interest in surgery as students who had just finished the FOP course (p=0.450).
Conclusion: Teaching anatomy paralleled by a course like FOP with surgical demonstrations could foster the perception of surgeons as positive role models. This could be a chance to increase students' interest in surgery early in medical education. Specialty preferences of their electives or doctoral thesis indicate a permanent effect on students´ interest in a surgical specialty during clinical training.