Revisiting Medical Student Expectations on the Surgery Clerkship

Abstract

Objective: Medical students frequently report ambiguity of expectations in their feedback of the surgery clerkship. Herein, we aimed to gauge general surgery resident and attending expectations of students on their clerkship.

Design: Residents and attending surgeons were surveyed on medical student expectations for rounding and floor duties, the operating room, clinic, and professionalism.

Results: There were slight differences in expectations between residents and attendings, which were then utilized to facilitate a discussion to create consensus expectations for students. Early outcomes demonstrate improved understanding of expectations by medical students.

Conclusion: Identifying differences in resident and attending expectations of medical students on their surgery clerkship can help improve the alignment of such expectations. We hope that longterm, this intervention can facilitate a better learning environment for medical students on their surgery clerkship.

Keywords: Undergraduate medical education; expectations; learning environment; surgery clerkship.