Vascular surgery: What increases the flow of students to the speciality?

OBJECTIVES: Vascular surgery is in increasing demand due to the higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease in the general population. Meanwhile, applications to join the speciality have been in decline in the last few years. St George's Surgical Society held a one-day conference to expose undergraduates to the speciality in the hope that this will inspire more undergraduates to pursue it as a career. METHODS: The conference consisted of introductory lectures delivered by a consultant vascular surgeon, followed by practical skills workshops simulating aortic anastomosis on porcine aortas. Pre-course and post-course questionnaires assessed positive and negative perceptions of vascular surgery, knowledge of and self-reported confidence in practical surgical skills and utility of the course in their decision to potentially pursue a career in vascular surgery. RESULTS: There was a significant increase of 27% ( p = 0.03) in the positive perception that vascular surgery includes a diverse range of procedures and subspecialties. Attendees reported a 27% significant increase ( p = 0.02) in the perception that vascular surgery had a wide array of opportunity for academic/research work. Finally, there was an 18% decrease ( p = 0.03) in the negative perception that vascular surgery is somehow female-unfriendly or discriminatory against females. There was also a significant rise in both interest (33%) and understanding (73%) of vascular surgery. CONCLUSIONS: A one-day conference can significantly impact students' perception especially when there is a lack of exposure within the undergraduate curriculum. This course helped to increase positive perception and dispute negative misconceptions about the speciality. The simulation workshops held at this conference increased students' confidence and awareness of relevant surgical skills. This conference provided a unique experience that positively impacted and inspired students and thus served as an important supplement to core medical curriculum.

Declining interest in general surgical training - Challenging misconceptions and improving access at undergraduate level.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, general surgery has faced a decline in applicants for postgraduate training. The St. George's Surgical Society hosted a national surgical conference with an aim to explore the reasons for the decline and to investigate the effectiveness of a one-day intervention on students' perceptions of general surgery and surgical skills. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The conference took place on 20th January 2018 at St. George's, University of London. During the conference, medical students received lectures on "careers in surgery" and small-group workshops introducing students to simulation-based laparoscopic machines. Delegates were invited to complete before and after questionnaires looking at various domains; (1) Perceptions of general surgery, (2) Simulation skills, and (3) Usefulness of the day. RESULTS: There were significant impacts on student perceptions of the speciality such as increases in the views that "general surgery contained the opportunities for personal and professional development" (26%, p = 0.04), and of "general surgery as a rewarding speciality" (26%, p = 0.05). There were also negative changes such as an increase in the perception that "general surgery is female unfriendly" (+32%, p = 0.01). There were positive findings in all aspects relating to the use of laparoscopic simulation. DISCUSSION: The challenges faced in improving access to general surgery has been highlighted. More importantly the benefits of a one day intervention in addressing misconceptions and improving knowledge was seen. This study also shows the benefits of simulation teaching in the undergraduate curriculum. CONCLUSION: The intervention has improved the perceptions on general surgery, surgical skills and knowledge and provided a platform for engaging students and clinicians.

Enhancing Medical Curricula: The Role of a 1-Day Plastic Surgery Course as an Educational Adjunct for Medical Students.

INTRODUCTION: Plastic surgery is underrepresented in medical school curricula. The St George׳s Surgical Society hosted a 1-day undergraduate course in plastic surgery. Our aim was to introduce students to plastic surgery and teach basic plastic surgical skills. METHODOLOGY: The skills day consisted of lectures from consultants and a core trainee followed by registrar-taught workshops in suturing, tendon repair, and local flap design. Precourse and postcourse questionnaires assessed perceptions of plastic surgery, confidence in performing basic plastic surgical skills, and usefulness of course components. RESULTS: Many perceptions of plastic surgery saw statistically significant changes. The belief that plastic surgery covers a wide range of specialties increased by 36% (p = 0.01). A -32% change (p = 0.00) was seen in the perception of plastic surgery only being pursued as a career for financial gain. Delegates reported greater confidence in all components of basic plastic surgical skills. The most useful activity was reported as performing surgical skills on real tissue. CONCLUSION: A 1-day course can significantly increase positive perceptions of plastic surgery, dispel preconceived false stereotypes, while improving student confidence in performing basic plastic surgery skills. It is important that university surgical societies provide opportunities for student education, to aid informed decisions about future careers.

Advances in 3D Modeling: Preoperative Templating for Revision Wrist Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Three-dimensional (3D) printing is a computer-directed process leading to the layered synthesis of scaled models. The popularity and availability of the technique has exponentially increased over the last decade, and as such is seeing a greater number of medical and surgical applications. METHODS: We report 3 cases involving the use of 3D printing as an aid to operative planning in the revision of wrist surgery. RESULTS: All patients underwent successful operative interventions with a £34 average cost of model creation. CONCLUSIONS: A growing number of reports are emerging in reconstructive surgical specialities including maxillofacial, orthopedic, and plastic surgery; from our experience, we advocate the economically viable use of 3D printing for preoperative templating.