Reported Mistreatment During the Surgery Clerkship Varies by Student Career Choice

Student mistreatment is often a major concern during the surgery clerkship. We hypothesized that mistreatment is decreasing and that career choice may reflect perceived mistreatment.

We surveyed 2319 physicians about their surgery clerkships. Mistreatment reporting was correlated to physician specialty and medical school graduation year.

The response rate was 18.9% (440/2319). Recent graduates reported less mistreatment than more senior graduates (24.3%-50%, p = 0.0198). General surgeons (3/31, 9%), neurologists (1/7, 14%), and subspecialty surgeons (8/35, 19%) reported the lowest mistreatment rates. Psychiatrists (9/16, 56%), internists (31/69, 45%), pathologists (5/13, 38%), and emergency physicians (5/14, 36%) reported the highest rates. The reported rate of mistreatment by nonsurgeons was higher than surgeons (30.4% versus 14.3%, p < 0.0046). Mistreatment included sexual harassment, verbal abuse, and lack of teaching.

Mistreatment during surgery appears to be improving. Its perception varies by the field of training, indicating variable interpretations of what constitutes mistreatment.