Assessing the Impact of a Surgical Skills Outreach Program on High School Students

Students without mentorship or healthcare experience (HE) may face barriers to healthcare career knowledge. This study sought to examine the efficacy and impact of a surgical skills and healthcare professional outreach curriculum for high school students.

A preactivity and postactivity survey was administered before and after a 50-min didactic and hands-on session highlighting the path to medical school, healthcare fields, and a surgical skills session, followed by question/answer time with medical students and a physician. Surveys queried healthcare family/mentor presence, HE, healthcare career knowledge, and interest via a 5-point Likert scale.

Of 117 students, 104 (89%) completed both surveys. Most students had a family member/mentor in healthcare (72%), but few had previous HE (11%). After the teaching session, most students with and without mentors saw increased knowledge. When comparing final and initial ratings within students with or without mentors, those with (23 [30.7%] versus 50 [66.7%], P < 0.001) and without (6 [20.7%] versus 18 [62.1%], P = 0.0010) saw increases in the proportion naming more than six healthcare careers. Students with and without mentors saw increases in medical school interest. Students with HE reported no increases in knowledge or interest. However, students without HE saw an increased proportion of students naming more than six healthcare careers (P < 0.0010) and increased healthcare interest (P = 0.04), and medical school interest (P = 0.0020).

Outreach involving hands-on surgical skills and teaching led to increased interest in medical school and healthcare careers. Students without HE demonstrated increased healthcare career knowledge and interest, and medical school interest.