Students to Surgeons: Increasing Matriculation in Surgical Specialties.
Introduction Our nation suffers from a shortage in surgeons. This deficiency must be addressed at the medical student level. Increasing faculty and resident interaction with junior students augments surgical interest. Our surgical interest group has recently redefined its role to address these concerns. Methods A multifocal approach has been implemented to increase interest in the surgical specialties. Each academic year, senior students recruit first and second year students to our group to establish early exposure. Members receive didactic presentations from surgical faculty, addressing various topics, on a biweekly basis. In addition, scrubbing, knot-tying, and suturing workshops address technical skills throughout the semester. Membership and match data were collated and analyzed. Results Over the past 5 years, the enrollment in the student interest group increased significantly from 112 to 150. Accordingly, we have observed a parallel increase in the number of students who have successfully matched into surgical residencies. A record number of students (37) from the class of 2013 matched into surgical specialties, representing an 85% increase over the last decade. After creating bylaws and electing societal officers, the group has been recognized by the school's Student Council and given financial support. At present, the group is fiscally solvent with support from the institution, surgery department, and faculty. Conclusion As the demand for surgeons increases so too does the need to increase student interest in surgery. Our school has been successful because of our surgical interest group, and we encourage other schools to adopt a similar approach.
['Grover|Karan|K|', 'Agarwal|Prateek|P|', 'Agarwal|Nitin|N|', 'Tabakin|Marcia D|MD|', 'Swan|Kenneth G|KG|']
D002321:Career Choice D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate D005260:Female D006801:Humans D008297:Male D013043:Specialties, Surgical D066231:Surgeons D014481:United States D000078329:Workforce
medical student surgical interest group student interest group surgery BRSS Benjamin Rush Surgical Society medical education surgical education undergraduate