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Third year medical student knowledge gaps after a virtual surgical rotation
Sophia Hernandez1, Siyou Song2, Ogonna N Nnamani Silva3
1University of California, San Francisco Department of Surgery, San Francisco, CA, USA.
American Journal of Surgery
|April 10, 2022
Summary
Third-year medical students experienced knowledge gaps in surgical skills and perioperative management after virtual and shortened in-person rotations. Virtual didactics cannot fully replace clinical surgical experience.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Surgical Training
- COVID-19 Pandemic Impact
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated adaptations in medical education, including virtual learning.
- Third-year medical students' surgical rotations were modified, combining virtual didactic learning with shortened in-person experiences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify perceived knowledge gaps in third-year medical students following a virtual surgical didactic rotation (EMLR) and a reduced in-person surgery rotation.
- To assess the impact of these modified rotations on student confidence and learning.
Main Methods:
- Administered open-ended and Likert scale questionnaires to medical students post-rotation.
- Utilized semantic analysis by three blinded coders to identify themes in student-reported knowledge gaps.
- Collected data from 82 third-year medical students (51% participation rate).
Main Results:
- Significant knowledge gaps were identified in surgical skills (43.0% Post-EMLR, 44.1% Post-Inpatient), perioperative management (18.4% Post-EMLR, 26.5% Post-Inpatient), and anatomy (8.2% Post-EMLR, 26.5% Post-Inpatient).
- Students reported gaps in OR etiquette and team dynamics/hidden curriculum, particularly after the in-person rotation.
- Perceived confidence in performing inpatient tasks significantly improved post-clinical experience (p ≤ 0.01).
Conclusions:
- Virtual interactive didactics are insufficient to substitute for comprehensive clinical surgical experiences for medical students.
- Future medical curricula require adjustments to address the identified knowledge deficits in surgical education.
