Practicing primary care physicians' perspectives on the junior surgical clerkship

Changing emphasis on educating generalist physicians prompted us to survey practicing primary care physicians to determine their perception of the lecture content and clinical skills required of students in our third-year surgical clerkship.

A 72-item questionnaire was developed. Respondents were asked to evaluate the relative importance of lecture topics and clinical skills on a 5-point Likert-type scale. Respondents were also asked about their medical practice and demographic information. Primary care physicians were randomly selected from among those registered in our state's medical association.

Nearly 70% of physicians in the sample responded. Although there were significant differences in responses among the primary care physicians surveyed, virtually all indicated that faculty should teach pathways in surgical management with emphasis on when to refer the patient to a surgeon.

The changing health care climate necessitates a closer examination of undergraduate surgical curricula with attention to the educational needs of the generalist physician.