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Suture the Future: Evaluating the Impact of Early Surgical Exposure for High School Students
Kaelin Valerio1, Matthew A DePamphilis1, Ogonna N Nnamani Silva1
1Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
Background:
Early surgical exposure has been emphasized as a strategy to improve applicant preparedness and foster interest among diverse trainees. While such programs have shown promise at the undergraduate and medical school levels, opportunities for high school students remain underexplored. Therefore, this study aimed to review the structure, outcomes, and impact of early surgical exposure programs designed specifically for high school students.
Methods:
A PRISMA-compliant systematic review was conducted across the PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases. Studies were included if they evaluated the effect of surgical exposure programs for high school students on surgical interest (11/14 studies), understanding of the training pathways (5/14 studies), or self-confidence (8/14 studies). Programs that were ineligible for high school students, nonsurgery focused, or conducted outside the United States were excluded.
Results:
Of 752 reports screened, 14 studies including 1674 high school participants met inclusion criteria. All studies utilized survey data, with responses collected from 1335 students (79.7% response rate). Among respondents, 81% were female, 33% Hispanic, 40% White, 23% African American, 15% Asian, and 22% other race. Eleven programs (79%) were pipeline initiatives. All programs included seminars, 11 (79%) surgical skills workshops, 2 (14%) surgical observation, and 2 (14%) a research component. Following participation, the portion of students expressing interest in surgery increased from 52% to 66%. On average, interest level increased by 27%, understanding of surgical training pathways improved by 34%, and students reported greater confidence in their ability to pursue healthcare careers.
Conclusion:
Early surgical exposure at the high school level was associated with increased interest in surgery or surgical subspecialties, improved understanding of the training pathway, and greater self-confidence among a diverse cohort of students. These findings support broader implementation of structured early exposure programs to improve surgical education access, guide career decision-making and strengthen the future surgical workforce.
