Unscheduled undergraduate teaching in surgery: a multi-institutional analysis

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Hospital Administration
• Surgical Training

Background:

• Undergraduate medical teaching often occurs informally and unscheduled.
• Non-consultant hospital doctors (NCHDs) are significant contributors to this teaching.
• The extent and nature of this informal teaching require quantification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the level of unscheduled teaching provided by NCHDs in Irish teaching hospitals.
• To understand the methods employed in this informal teaching.
• To assess student preferences for teaching modalities and subjects.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire survey was distributed to consultants, NCHDs, and medical students in Irish teaching hospitals.
• The survey aimed to assess the prevalence and characteristics of unscheduled teaching.
• Response rate was 46% (364/800).

Main Results:

• 71% of responding doctors reported independently teaching medical students.
• Interns and senior house officers (71%) are actively involved in unscheduled teaching.
• Medical students expressed a preference for small group teaching and increased surgical teaching time.

Conclusions:

• A substantial volume of unscheduled undergraduate medical teaching is delivered by NCHDs in Ireland.
• Current formal curricula do not typically include interns in teaching roles.
• Integrating interns into scheduled surgical teaching programs may optimize medical education.