Enhancing Pre-clerkship Students' Readiness for Surgery: A Kern's Framework-Guided Workshop.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Curriculum Development

Background:

• Traditional medical curricula often lack focus on technical and interpersonal skills crucial for surgical clerkships.
• A novel workshop was designed using Kern's Six-Step Guide to Curriculum Design to bridge this gap.
• The workshop aimed to enhance medical learners' preparedness for surgical clerkship.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a structured workshop in improving medical students' readiness for surgical clerkship.
• To assess the impact of the workshop on learners' confidence, knowledge, and technical skills.
• To determine the workshop's potential as a scalable model for surgical education.

Main Methods:

• A five-station workshop was conducted, including OR introduction, ward management, surgical consults, technical skills, and clerkship survival.
• Multidisciplinary teams facilitated sessions with clinical vignettes, small-group discussions, and operative simulations.
• Learner confidence and suturing skills were assessed pre- and post-workshop using validated tools and questionnaires.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements in overall median confidence (P = 0.005) and suturing skills (P < 0.0001) were observed post-workshop.
• A majority of participants (86.4%) reported decreased anxiety regarding surgical clerkship.
• Most students had limited prior operating room exposure, highlighting the need for such training.

Conclusions:

• The workshop successfully addressed critical gaps in surgical education through a structured curriculum, near-peer teaching, and simulation.
• The integrated approach significantly enhanced clerkship preparedness by combining theoretical knowledge and practical skills.
• The developed curriculum serves as an effective and scalable model for improving surgical education and training.