A Mixed-Methods Needs Assessment for a Longitudinal Surgical Preparation Course in Undergraduate Medical Education

OBJECTIVE: To assess the unmet needs associated with surgical education and skill development during the pre -clerkship years of medical school.DESIGN: A mixed-methods design was employed that leveraged semi-structured interviews and quantitative surveys followed by qualitative analysis.SETTING: A large midwestern academic medical center. PARTICIPANTS: Eighteen participants were enrolled representing second year medical students with an inter-est in surgery, surgical residents, and attending surgeons from a diverse array of surgical specialties.RESULTS: Unanimous support for the creation of a pre -clerkship surgical skills course emerged due to 2 main themes: (1) gaps in current surgical education offerings and (2) the value of early exposure to surgery and surgi-cal skills followed by longitudinal practice. The compo-nents that participants deemed essential to a well -designed course were also revealed. Each stakeholder group (medical students, residents, surgeons) would benefit across all factors uncovered.CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant unmet need across all stakeholder groups for the creation of a longitudinal sur-gical skills course for pre-clerkship medical students. Future studies should seek to design a curriculum based on these study results and assess a pilot version of the curricu-lum to understand its feasibility under application. (J Surg Ed 80:537-546. (c) 2023 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Automated summary

This study aimed to identify the unmet needs in surgical education during the pre-clerkship years of medical school. A mixed-methods design was used, and the results indicated unanimous support for the creation of a pre-clerkship surgical skills course. Additionally, the study revealed the essential components of such a course. Further research is needed to design a curriculum based on these findings and assess its feasibility.