Medical Students in the Operating Room: Helpful, Not a Hindrance.

Abstract

To the Editor: We thank Barnum and colleagues1 for their study highlighting the potential of using medical students in the operating room to reduce infection rates from indwelling catheter placement. As students in the final year of our medical school journey, we appreciate the acknowledgment of medical students’ utility in the surgical setting. In our experience, we have encountered a number of doctors and surgeons who have seen our involvement in the health care team as a hindrance. Instead, the medical student should be seen as a valuable addition and an asset to the health care team, and more should be done to get students involved in clinical skills. In addition to furthering our medical education and improving our clinical skills, we believe that being included on the surgical team adds value to the clerkship rotation and increases interest in choosing surgery as a career.2 The process of learning during a clerkship rotation can bring about a positive contribution to the team. One study showed that the quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation was improved in cardiac arrest scenarios where medical students were involved (with supervision).3 There have also been cases where medical students have improved patient safety, including one case involving sterile technique in the operating room and another involving infection exposure in the emergency department.4 We believe that medical students are an asset in any health care setting. We urge health care professionals who might think medical students are a hindrance to their practice to reconsider the value we can bring to the health care team. Ahmed SoualhiFifth-year medical student, King’s College London School of Medical Education, Hodgkin Building, London, United Kingdom; [email protected]; ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3979-1474.Loubna KrariaFifth-year medical student, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Scotland.Osama MunajjedFifth-year medical student, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Scotland.