Medical student perceptions of a mistreatment program during the surgery clerkship

Medical student mistreatment remains a concern, particularly in the surgery clerkship. This is a single academic institution's report of medical student perceptions of a mistreatment program embedded in the surgery clerkship.

Students who completed the surgery clerkship and the mistreatment program volunteered to be interviewed individually or in focus groups. The interviews were transcribed and qualitatively analyzed.

Twenty-four medical students were interviewed and nine transcripts were obtained. Codes were identified independently then nested into four codes: Student Growth, Faculty Champion and Team, Student Perspectives on Surgical Culture, and Program Methods. Rank orders were then calculated for each major code.

Our mistreatment program has shown that providing students with an opportunity to define mistreatment, a safe environment for them to debrief, and staff to support and advocate for them empowers them with the knowledge and skillset to confront what is too often considered part of the hidden curriculum.