[Innovative Teaching Methods: Wet Lab-based Ophthalmosurgical Education for Medical Students]

An increased demand for young physicians in Germany is causing increased competition to attract the best minds, even during their undergraduate studies. Therefore, it is the task of the university hospitals to offer their students the best possible courses in order to arouse interest in the relevant subject area. We therefore examined the impact of an ophthalmosurgical wet lab on teaching undergraduate medical students.

Undergraduate medical students were offered voluntary participation in the ophthalmosurgical wet lab during an ophthalmology block week. At the beginning and at the end of the week, as well as at the end of the wet lab, the students answered questionnaires with questions about the interest in the field of ophthalmology and the specific assessment of the wet lab.

The interest of the students in ophthalmology was increased by the block week and additionally by the wet lab. The wet lab enriched the block week and was rated as very good by the participants. The overall rating of the block week was significantly better among participants in the wet lab than in the group without wet lab participation. The wet lab gave the students great pleasure, enabled them to apply the acquired knowledge, gain valuable insights into ophthalmology, and was easily implemented.

The integration of a wet lab into the block week was evaluated very positively by the students and gives them a valuable insight into the field of ophthalmology.