Objective: To explore medical students' perceptions and experiences regarding the surgery clerkship and surgeons.
Design: Between November 2021 and February 2022, an anonymous prepost survey study was performed among 2 consecutive cohorts of medical students. The survey was taken 6 weeks prior to the surgery clerkship and repeated shortly after the surgery clerkship.
Setting: Single-center prepost survey study.
Participants: Medical students studying at Erasmus Medical Center entering a 6-week surgery education block directly followed by a ten-week surgery clerkship.
Results: The preclerkship response rate was 100% (n=145). One out of 5 students considered a surgical career (21%). Half of the students expected to be negatively treated (55%), mainly in terms of hierarchy and offensive language. The postclerkship response rate was 70% (n=101). Interest in a surgical career increased significantly from 21% to 50% (p<0.001). Thirteen students (13%) reported being negatively treated during their surgery clerkship, mainly in terms of poor supervision of their learning process and nonconstructive feedback.
Conclusions and relevance: Stereotypes of surgeons and the surgical clerkship are strongly prevalent among medical students. Half of the students enter the surgery clerkship with negative perceptions. Fortunately, the surgery clerkship debunked prejudices and increased interest in surgery. Poor supervision and feedback during the surgery clerkship were experienced as negative treatment, emphasizing the importance of cultivating a safe learning climate.
Keywords: Surgery; clerkship; experiences; medical students; perceptions.
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