Medical student mentorship in a university setting as a strategy for a career in surgery

Gender balance in surgery is a respectable and necessary goal. At the University of Louisville (UL) School of Medicine, we have compared percentages of UL medical student applicants to general surgery or surgical subspecialty residency programs, surgical residents, and surgical faculty with the rest of the nation. Although UL has at times paralleled or exceeded the nation in many of these categories, there is room for improvement and the comparison data allow for strategic planning initiatives. To promote gender balance among future generations of surgeons at UL, we recently implemented a mentoring program that pairs medical students with residents and faculty in surgery. We plan to track the success over time and correct any shortcomings of this program. Virginia Commonwealth University's commitment to gender balance in surgery is exemplary. As part of a more comprehensive vision to create a mentorship program for female medical students at the UL School of Medicine, we have recently recruited female surgical residents and faculty, whom we hope will provide the type of inspiration and guidance that will increase the number of women from UL who decide to train in general surgery and the surgical specialties. To understand why women across the nation are not generally at numerical parity in these fields, it is important to consider the length and intensity of the surgical residency programs in the context of the other goals and objectives that a woman might have for her future. This article does not address this broad topic but provides a perspective of how a medical school can evaluate and perhaps intervene to mentor medical students more effectively about the satisfaction derived from a career in surgery. As part of this project, we have evaluated each step of the path through medical school and a surgical residency by comparing data for our students, residency programs, and faculty with national data.