Medical Student Role in the Cardiothoracic Operating Room: A Needs Assessment to Optimize Engagement

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Cardiothoracic Surgery

Background:

• Focused preparation for the cardiothoracic operating room (CTOR) is lacking.
• Optimizing intraoperative engagement and medical student interest requires targeted resources.
• Current resources do not adequately address student educational needs in the CTOR.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize medical student educational needs in the cardiothoracic operating room.
• To guide the development of effective educational resources for the CTOR.
• To identify common student mistakes and expectations for knowledge and participation.

Main Methods:

• A web-based survey was distributed to cardiothoracic surgeons, trainees, and operating room staff.
• The survey investigated common student mistakes and expectations for knowledge and participation.
• Descriptive analyses were performed on multiple-choice polls and open-ended responses.

Main Results:

• The most frequent student mistake was misunderstanding their role (32.5%).
• Other common errors included inappropriate chatting (28.0%) and breaking sterility (26.2%).
• Respondents valued students understanding their role, knowing what to touch, and basic cardiopulmonary bypass knowledge.

Conclusions:

• Several areas for student improvement in the cardiothoracic operating room were identified.
• Developing targeted educational resources can enhance student interest.
• These resources may augment recruitment of students to cardiothoracic surgery.