Initiatives for Early Medical Student Engagement with the Field of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery.

Abstract

Early exposure and mentorship in surgical specialties like otolaryngology - head and neck surgery are critical for medical students. This paper presents initiatives implemented at our institution to engage early-career medical students with the field. A hands-on laryngoscope workshop was organised, and a centralised online platform was created for research and mentorship opportunities using a collaborative project management tool. Both measures were advertised via e-mail to student interest groups and campus diversity groups. At the end of the workshop, participating students completed an online distributed survey. Students' perception of their knowledge of airway anatomy and related clinical scenarios significantly improved after the laryngoscopy workshop (p = 0.001 and p = 0.002, respectively). All attendees indicated that the workshop increased their comfort level with procedures and that they would recommend the workshop to colleagues. Nearly half of participants reported becoming 'very interested' in exploring otolaryngology - head and neck surgery through future elective courses. Implementation of such initiatives at other institutions can generate medical student interest and may improve diversity in otolaryngology - head and neck surgery.