ePoster
Presentation Description
Institution: Sunshine Coast University Hospital - Queensland, Australia
Background - Studied factors influencing the choice of surgical specialty frequently relate to lifestyle, surgical culture, and mentorship. However, there is limited data on the impact of formal teaching in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (PRS) on training doctors’ interest in the specialty. Combined with previously demonstrated lack of understanding of the specialty curriculum, education in PRS is an important avenue in engaging student interest in the specialty.
Methods - 27 medical students in their final or penultimate year were asked to rate their interest in PRS as a career (on a scale of 1-10) before and after a 7-week formal teaching period, with 9 students also completing a clinical rotation between 1-7 weeks in PRS.
Results - The response rate was 66% (18/27), with all students who rotated through PRS responding. The average interest rating before and after the rotation were 4.05 and 5.78 (42% increase). Students who had a clinical rotation in PRS had both a higher starting interest in the specialty (4.44 c.f. 3.67), as well as a greater increase in their interest rating (62.5% c.f. 18.18%). This difference was greater for students who had a 7 week rotation over a 1-2 week rotation. No students recorded a reduced interest after the teaching period.
Conclusion - Formal teaching in PRS appears to increase students’ interest in the specialty as a career. This interest is compounded by exposure to PRS in a clinical rotation, with longer rotations corresponding to a greater increase in interest.
Presenters
Authors
Authors
Dr Rhys Youngberg -
