Undergraduate teaching in a day surgery unit: a 2-year evaluation

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Undergraduate Medical Studies

Background:

• Healthcare is shifting towards outpatient and community care, necessitating changes in medical school curricula.
• The rise of day-case surgery requires adapting traditional inpatient-focused surgical training.
• King's College School of Medicine and Dentistry introduced a surgical course in a day surgery unit in 1995.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a surgical course conducted in a day surgery unit for undergraduate medical students.
• To compare the academic performance of students in the day surgery course with those in traditional surgical attachments.
• To assess student, teacher, and manager satisfaction with the day surgery course.

Main Methods:

• A formal evaluation was conducted comparing student performance in end-of-year clinical and multiple-choice examinations.
• Student, teacher, and manager acceptability of the day surgery course was assessed.
• The course was implemented for one-third of the first clinical-year undergraduate medical students.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in examination performance were found between students on the day surgery course and those on other surgical attachments.
• Students reported significantly higher satisfaction with the day surgery course on nine criteria and lower satisfaction on four criteria.
• Teachers and managers viewed the teaching positively, acknowledging both costs and benefits.

Conclusions:

• Day surgery centers are suitable and successful venues for teaching medical undergraduates.
• Integrating experience from both inpatient and day-case settings provides a more realistic reflection of current surgical care.
• Adapting surgical education to contemporary healthcare delivery models is essential for medical schools.