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Background Neurosurgery can be a daunting career choice for medical students, with preparation for trainee application often being inaccessible and expensive. This article describes a student-led neurosurgical skills event supported by local neurosurgery faculty members. Such event was designed to offer a means to bridge this gap by providing an opportunity to practice neurosurgical techniques in simulation, and learn about what a career in neurosurgery involves. Methods Pre- and postskills laboratory surveys were used to ascertain the baseline confidence and knowledge of common neurosurgical techniques, as well as to what both the application to neurosurgery and the typical workload of a neurosurgeon involves. The conference offered six neurosurgical workshops as well as three lectures to provide practical and theoretical learning opportunities. The session included introduction to the candidates and faculty, identification of learning objectives, and career discussion. Postcourse feedback also was also used to assess learning outcomes. Results Eighteen students attended the event. Postskills event, students were significantly more likely to understand the principles behind all of the relevant neurosurgical skills included on the day. Additionally, students were more likely to understand what a career in neurosurgery involves, and how to approach applying for a training number. Respondents enjoyed the workshops, valued hands-on experience and interactions with consultants, found it affordable, and would recommend to their peers. Conclusions For medical students interested in a career in neurosurgery, opportunities to learn relevant techniques and skills are often expensive and difficult to come across. Here, we highlight affordable methods of simulation to result in significant student satisfaction. Additionally, providing ample opportunity to practice different neurosurgical techniques under almost 1:1 level tutoring enables significant increases in students' confidence and understanding of different neurosurgical concepts. We greatly encourage other medical student groups to develop their own hands-on simulation events to attract medical students to a surgical field often considered daunting and inaccessible, and address gaps in the medical school curriculum.
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Our primary objective was to determine the content and format that is most suitable for educational events targeting patients and carers who are living with advanced cancer. Secondary objectives included examining the differences in information needs between patients and their carers, and providing an estimate of the rate of participation in educational events targeting such patients and carers. Out-patients receiving palliative radiotherapy at Toronto Sunnybrook Regional Cancer Center and their carers were invited to complete the Advanced Cancer Information Needs Survey. One hundred forty-four respondents participated in the survey. The participants identified the management of pain, fatigue, and home palliative care resources as the areas in which information was most needed. Carers displayed greater interest, and the range of topics in which they continue to seek additional information is wider. Thirty-one percent of respondents said they would participate in an educational event. A 'one-on-one' interview approach and short written materials were the preferred sources of information. Our study examined potential content areas and preferred format for proposed educational events targeting patients and carers living with advanced cancer. We also highlighted the reasons for, and potential limitations of this approach. The investment of future effort in evaluating the impact of 1 on 1 interviews and 'short written materials' on the informational needs of patients and carers living with advanced cancer is warranted.
