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The Association for Surgical Education

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Annual Meeting 2018 Presentations

C1 - 09: PREDICTORS OF MEDICAL STUDENT SUCCESS ON THE SURGICAL CLERKSHIP
Alexander R Cortez1, Young Kim1, Vikrom K Dhar1, Krishna P Athota1, R. Cutler Quillin2; 1University of Cincinnati, 2Columbia University Medical Center

 

Introduction: Despite studies suggesting a correlation between prior academic performance and success in medical school, there remains little data regarding predictors of performance on clerkship rotations. In this study, we aim to identify predictors of success on the surgical clerkship.

Methods: During the 2016-2017 academic year, 166 students completed the surgical clerkship and were invited to complete a survey which included the Kolb Learning Style Inventory, Grit Scale and Maslach Burnout Inventory. Students were grouped according to final clerkship grade of honors grade (HG) or either high-pass or pass grade (PG). Student demographics, Step 1 scores and performance outcomes were collected. Statistical analyses were performed using Student’s t-test, Fischer’s exact test and linear regression analysis.

Results: 62 students (37.4%) completed both surveys, of whom 14 (22.6%) achieved an honors grade. No difference in age, sex, race, learning style, burnout score, grit score, interest in surgery or prior rotation were noted between HG and PG groups (p=NS for each). HG students had higher Step 1 scores (251.4±11.2 vs. 238.9±14.2, p=0.001) and were more likely to plan on performing a surgical sub-internship rotation (71.4% vs. 35.4% p=0.03). A higher proportion of HG students found the operating room had a positive impact on their learning compared with PG students (92.9% vs. 60.4%, p=0.025). Step 1 score was predictive of in-house examination, shelf examination and final clerkship score (p<0.05 for each), but not clinical evaluation (p=NS). Students who scored in the top quartile of clinical evaluations were more likely to plan on doing a surgical sub-internship (80.0% vs 42.6%, p=0.017), but there was no difference in age, sex, race, learning style, burnout score, grit score, interest in surgery or prior rotation compared to lower scoring students.

Conclusions: Step 1 score is a strong predictor of medical student performance on the surgery clerkship; however, its predictive ability does not extend to clinical evaluations. Given that clinical evaluations play a strong role in identifying medical students who should pursue a career in surgery, resident and faculty engagement during the rotation is important to ensure these evaluations speak to the true abilities of the student.

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