D. M. Carmona Matos1, M. K. Mandabach1, A. W. Chang1, B. R. Herring1, V. Strickland1, H. Chen1, B. L. Corey1 1University Of Alabama at Birmingham,Surgery Department,Birmingham, Alabama, USA
Introduction: Medical students’ interest in surgical careers has declined progressively over the past few decades. Nevertheless, it is known that positive learning experiences can foster student interest in potential fields of study. In this project, we sought to identify the competencies and areas of improvement of surgical clerkship instructors as perceived by third year medical students.
Methods: Our medical school has a mandatory 8-week surgical clerkship for third-year medical students. At the end of their clerkship students are required to complete surveys on their surgical clerkship instructors. Surveys were collected during a period of 3 academic years (2012-2015) and individual summaries per instructor were generated. The analysis was limited to the open feedback sections: “What was done well?” and “Suggestions for improvement”. A survey content analysis was carried out using the qualitative data analysis software ATLAS.ti Scientific Software Development GmbH, Berlin (MAC version 1.6.0).
Results: A total of 533 survey summaries were analyzed. Instructors were sorted by rank: interns (12.4%), residents (49.1%), assistant professors (15.8%), associate professors (9.8%) and full professors (12.9%). Most instructors belonged to the general surgery, orthopedic surgery, vascular surgery and plastic surgery divisions. We found 89.5% of the summaries comprised feedback on competencies while 64.5% had suggestions for improvement. The most frequently used words were: teach/er/ing (n=1236), time (n=897), work/ing (n=834), surgeries/procedures (n=701), patients (n=629), questions (n=537). There were no significant differences in most common words based on instructor rank, gender or division. A quotation analysis showed that surgical instructors were most valued in terms of their teaching ability, enthusiasm, and availability. In addition, instructor work ethic, student hands on experiences and team based learning were highly regarded. In terms of improvements, students focused on issues such as providing clear expectations, allotting additional non-lecture instruction time, and improving student feedback.
Conclusion: These results suggest that, regardless of instructor rank, gender or division, students valued a set of common competencies. Students consistently described what surgical clerkship instructors did well as: making time for questions and education, showing enthusiasm for teaching, and allowing students to be involved with patients in clinics and the OR. Students desire clear expectations, increased non-lecture instruction time, and better feedback. This information can help reinforce and improve individual instructor’s skills and the surgical clerkship experience.