Undergraduate surgical education in the twenty-first century

Although the subject of undergraduate surgical education has been debated extensively, especially in the past few years, most of the opinions and decisions made in this field have been those of practising surgeons. In this essay, a medical student's perspective is offered, indicating that if reform is to take place in the field of undergraduate surgical education four basic needs must be filled: increased medical student teaching by faculty members, increased self-directed learning in surgical clerkships, a reemphasis of the four basic principles of clinical medicine and a clear definition of the role of the specialist in undergraduate surgical education.