Background: Practical experiences in clinical traineeships can shape the later specialty choice of medical students.
Key question: The following study aimed to find factors in anesthesiological clinical traineeship that encourage students to specialize in the field.
Material and methods: As part of a nationwide online survey conducted by the working group for education of the German Association for Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Orthopädie und Unfallchirurgie, DGOU), study participants (n = 479) answered questions about their minimum 4‑week traineeship in anesthesiology. The information on items was analyzed in six content categories: 1) integration into the team, 2) acquisition of skills, 3) teachers, 4) quality of teaching, 5) structure of teaching and 6) satisfaction with the clinical internship. The respondents were subdivided into 4 groups by answering the question "Could you imagine an elective in anesthesiology during the final year (PJ)" with "Yes, I have made this decision after the clinical traineeship" (JdF, n = 212, 44%), "No I have decided against an elective during the final year after the traineeship" (NdF, n = 56, 12%), "Yes I have decided for an elective in anesthesiology before the internship" (JvF Yes: n = 144, 30%) and "No, I have decided against an elective in anesthesiology before the internship" (NvF: n = 67, 14%). Answers of the participants regarding the six content categories were compared between the four groups.
Results: The survey reached all medical faculties in Germany and included participants with an average age of 25.8 years and a balanced gender ratio. There were significant differences between satisfied and dissatisfied students in all four subgroups. Of the 479 respondents, 211 (44%) were already set regarding their decision of choosing anesthesiology as an elective during the final year before the clinical traineeship. Of the respondents 268 (56%) were influenced by the internship, 212 (44%) of them positively. In total, 81% of the trainees rated the internship as "satisfying". Students who were satisfied with the overall internship and who spoke in favor of the PJ elective in anesthesiology differed significantly from the other groups in the categories of team integration, skills acquisition, structure and quality of teaching. The teaching of practical skills and specialist knowledge as well as the integration into diagnostics and treatment planning promoted the recruitment of young people.
Discussion: The positively evaluated anesthesiology internship promotes later specialty choice, with quality and structure of the teaching affecting student satisfaction. Trainees who were attracted by anesthesiology gave better overall ratings and acquired more skills during the course of the internship. In order to win aspiring doctors for anesthesiology, the medical team has to integrate trainees well and support the acquisition of practical skills and specialist knowledge. In addition, didactics and practical relevance should be given high priority.
Zusammenfassung: HINTERGRUND: Praktische Erfahrungen in Famulaturen können die spätere Weiterbildungswahl prägen.
Fragestellung: Ziel der Untersuchung war es, Faktoren in der anästhesiologischen Famulatur zu finden, die Studierende ermutigen, sich auf das Fachgebiet zu spezialisieren.
Material und methoden: Im Rahmen einer bundesweiten Online-Umfrage beantworteten die Studienteilnehmenden (n = 479) Fragen zu ihrer mindestens 4‑wöchigen Famulatur in der Anästhesiologie. Die Befragten wurden in 4 Gruppen aufgeteilt: Diejenigen, die sich aufgrund der Famulatur ein Wahltertial im praktischen Jahr (PJ) in der Anästhesiologie vorstellen konnten (n = 212; 44 %), wurden mit denjenigen, die dies verneinten (n = 56; 12 %) und denjenigen, die sich schon vor der Famulatur festgelegt hatten (Ja: n = 144; 30 % und Nein: n = 67; 14 %) varianzanalytisch verglichen.
Ergebnisse: Die Umfrage erreichte alle medizinischen Fakultäten in Deutschland und befragte Teilnehmende im durchschnittlichen Alter von 25,8 Jahren. In allen 4 ausgewerteten Gruppen fanden sich signifikante Unterschiede. Die Studierenden, die mit der Famulatur zufrieden waren und sich für das PJ-Wahltertial in der Anästhesiologie aussprachen, unterschieden sich signifikant hinsichtlich Integration ins Team, Kompetenzerwerb, Struktur und Qualität der Lehre von den anderen Gruppen. Die Vermittlung von praktischen Kompetenzen und Fachwissen sowie die Integration in Diagnosefindung und Therapieplanung förderten ebenfalls die Nachwuchsgewinnung.
Diskussion: Eine positiv bewertete anästhesiologische Famulatur fördert die spätere Spezialisierungspräferenz für dieses Fach. Für das Fachgebiet gewonnene Famuli erlangten mehr Fähigkeiten im Verlauf der Famulatur. Um angehende Ärzte für die Anästhesiologie zu gewinnen, sollte das ärztliche Team die oben genannten Kriterien bei der Famulaturgestaltung bedenken.
Keywords: Medical school; Medical specialist choice; Teaching; Traineeship; Young doctors for anesthesiology.
© 2022. The Author(s).