Assessing Medical Student Preparedness for Orthopaedic Clinical Rotations: Insights from a Cross-Sectional Survey

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Orthopedic Surgery
• Radiology

Background:

• Orthopedic surgery is a competitive specialty demanding strong clinical and academic performance.
• Medical students often report low confidence in musculoskeletal (MSK) knowledge and radiographic interpretation despite exam requirements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess medical student perceptions of preparedness and exposure to MSK anatomy and radiology during preclinical training.
• To identify gaps in current medical education regarding essential orthopedic knowledge.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey was administered to 41 medical students at an orthopedic research conference.
• The survey utilized a 1-5 Likert scale to evaluate self-reported preparedness in MSK anatomy and radiography.
• Participants had completed preclinical training but not yet begun orthopedic rotations.

Main Results:

• While 67.6% felt prepared in MSK anatomy, only 23.5% felt prepared to interpret MSK radiography.
• A significant majority (76.5%) struggled to find quality resources, and 41.2% felt unconfident interpreting x-rays.
• All surveyed students agreed that formal MSK x-ray instruction would be beneficial, with 91% endorsing a dedicated anatomy course.

Conclusions:

• Medical students perceive significant deficits in their preclinical training concerning MSK anatomy and radiology.
• There is a strong demand for improved educational resources and formal instruction in MSK radiology and anatomy.
• Enhancing this training is vital for improving student confidence, clinical performance, and orthopedic residency match success.