Development of a “Surgical Shadowing Scheme” to improve undergraduate experiences of surgery

Abstract

Purpose

To establish a sustainable model for a “Surgical Shadowing Scheme” (SSS) and assess how this affects undergraduate attitudes to surgical careers.

Patients and methods

Surgeons at university teaching hospitals associated with UCL Medical School and UCL Partners, United Kingdom, were approached for their willingness to participate in the scheme. Medical students were then invited to apply for the scheme, where students were individually matched to operating theater sessions with surgeons in their specialty of choice. Feedback was subsequently obtained, evaluating experiences of the placement and the effect this had on future career aspirations.

Results

After running for four consecutive years, approximately 220 students have participated in the scheme across a range of surgical units and specialties. A total of 91.5% of the students were pre-clinical (years 1–3), whilst the remainder were clinical (years 4–6). Fifty-four percent were female and 46% male. Eighty-three percent of the students did not have any previous experience of the specialty that they shadowed, and 67% agreed that participating in the scheme had either “increased” or “strongly increased” their desire to pursue a surgical career. Ninety-four percent said they would “recommend” or “strongly recommend” the SSS to a peer. Over a third of students reported scrubbing-up during their placements and 35% of these directly assisted the lead surgeon. Traditionally male-dominated surgical sub-specialties recruited a high proportion of female students.

Conclusion

This is the first published example of an established “Surgical Shadowing Scheme” for medical undergraduates. Our SSS has been highly valued by students and indicates that even a single high-quality surgical exposure is sufficient to increase the desire of undergraduates to pursue a surgical career. We hope that this SSS will act as a blueprint for other centers to develop their own shadowing schemes, in turn helping to ensure that surgery continues to inspire and attract the very best candidates for the future.

Keywords:

• Surgical Shadowing Scheme
• surgical education
• medical education
• medical student
• surgical careers
• women in surgery

Abbreviations

SSS, Surgical Shadowing Scheme; UCL, University College London.

Acknowledgment

We would like to extend our thanks to all the surgeons, trainees and local hospitals that have kindly participated in the SSS and helped contribute to its longevity and success. We would also like to thank Professor Deborah Gill and UCL Medical School for kindly providing unpublished data on gender split within UCL Medical School.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.