How medical alumni now see their junior clerkships in surgery

The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness and value of the junior medical student surgical clerkship for physicians now in practice. Questionnaires were sent to all Mercer University School of Medicine alumni (1986-2007) using a five-point Likert scale. One hundred and fifty-seven responses were received from 873 recipients (18%), 71 per cent training in nonsurgical specialties. "Scrubbing in" on cases was the most valuable activity (82%), followed by faculty rounds (76%), resident work rounds (70%), and lectures (69%). Least useful activities were question and answer sessions (54%), grand rounds (53%), and morbidity and mortality conferences (57%). The amount of time in the operating room was appropriate for 61 per cent, but to 8 per cent the operating room was a waste of time. Faculty evaluations gave the most effective feedback (75%). Alumni in surgical specialties and obstetrics and gynecology rated their experiences higher than nonsurgical physicians. Overall, only 44 per cent saw the material learned as important to general medical education. Opinions regarding the value of surgical clerkships to current practices were mixed. Undergraduate surgical education should emphasize common surgical conditions, surgical decision-making, and simple procedures relevant to a nonsurgical practice.