Involvement of medical students in asurgery congress: impact on learning motivation, decision-making for acareer in surgery, and educational curriculum.

Ibrahim Alkatout,Dirk Bauerschlag,Magret Krüger,Veronika Günther,Daniar Osmonov,Klaus-Peter Jünemann,Nicolai Maass,Sebastian Lippross,Johannes Ackermann,Thilo Wedel,Jan-Hendrik Egberts,Thomas Becker,Ingolf Cascorbi,Sandra Brügge

doi:10.1007/s10354-020-00802-w

Abstract

SummaryDuring the preclinical period of medical school, the clinical relevance of theoretical knowledge is given little attention. Medical students of the second year were invited to participate in an interdisciplinary congress for robot-assisted and digital surgery. The students had to evaluate the impact of the congress on their learning motivation, decision-making for a career in surgery, and relevance for their educational curriculum. Participation in the congress increased their learning motivation for preclinical subjects, and significantly increased their interest in a surgical career. Most students considered active involvement in medical congresses a valuable supplement to the medical curriculum. Congress participation during the preclinical period was ranked positively by medical students. Greater learning motivation and enthusiasm for the pilot teaching project as well as for surgical disciplines were registered. Thus, early involvement of medical students in scientific congresses should be an integral part of their educational curriculum.

Highlights

In most German medical schools, the curriculum is divided into a preclinical and a clinical period
If the participation of medical students in a surgical congress is to be included in the curriculum as a matter of principle, one would first have to think about the funding
Female medical students performed significantly better in the virtual reality task of using a skin suturing pad and were able to complete more sutures with the robotic system than male students

Summary

Introduction

In most German medical schools, the curriculum is divided into a preclinical and a clinical period. The preclinical period (2 years) includes anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry as well as basic natural and social sciences such as biology, chemistry, physics, and medical sociology/psychology. In the USA, a student must obtain a bachelor’s degree (4 years) before being accepted at a medical school. This pre-medical education does not necessarily have to be linked to medical science. In Great Britain, the first year of medical school covers anatomy, biochemistry, and physiology, while the second year is focused on basic clinical subjects such as pathology, pharmacology, and neurosciences. The sixth/final year includes the consolidation of skills and prepares the student for clinical practice [1]

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