What's Your Name Again? - Setting Expectations in the Surgical Clerkship

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Psychological Safety

Background:

• Misalignment in objectives between students and services can create learning barriers and mistreatment.
• Setting clear expectations is crucial for effective medical education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of mandated expectation setting on medical students' experience during surgery clerkships.
• To assess the effect of expectation setting on student comfort, self-advocacy, and mistreatment reports.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental design comparing a control group (no expectation setting) with an intervention group (mandated expectation setting).
• Surveys assessed student comfort, success, and confidence; formal mistreatment reports were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Students with expectation setting reported increased comfort asking questions and advocating for their education.
• Qualitative analysis highlighted improved direction, role clarity, and goal setting.
• Mistreatment reports, including rude language and humiliation, significantly declined post-intervention.

Conclusions:

• Mandated expectation setting enhances psychological safety for medical students in surgery clerkships.
• This practice can foster a more positive and effective learning environment for developing nontechnical skills.