Poster5-04: MEDICAL STUDENT PREPARATION FOR THE OR: DOES INTENDED SPECIALTY MATTER?  
Jessica C Heard, BS, Kerry Swanson, BS, Charles E Welch, MD, Zhamak Khorgami, MD, Geoffrey S Chow, MD; University of Oklahoma-Tulsa

Purpose: Each year, medical students and physician assistant (PA) students participate in surgery clerkships and are expected to attend and be prepared for operating room (OR) cases. There is limited data comparing perceptions of preparedness for surgical procedures between students intending to enter procedural specialties and those entering non-procedural specialties. In this study we examine the differences between intended specialty and the perception of preparedness for surgical cases. 

Methods: Medical and PA students at one institution were surveyed using a 7-point Likert Scale to evaluate perceptions of OR preparation. Survey questions assessed student perceptions of preparedness for various aspects of surgical procedures, how much time was spent in preparation, resources used, and if they perceived their preparation as helpful. 

Results: Response rate for the survey was 49% (n=95). Students planning to enter procedural specialties versus non-procedural specialties reported similar rates of being prepared to discuss relevant anatomy (91%, 83%, p-value 0.357), indications and contraindications (80%, 67%, p-value 0.184), procedural steps (40%, 26%, p-value 0.154), and complications of surgical cases (77%, 66%, p-value 0.236). Students planning to enter procedural specialties perceived that their preparation for surgical cases was more helpful (procedural 83%, non-procedural 60%, p-value 0.023), were more likely to use Up-To-Date (85%, 57%, p-value 0.004), and surgical atlases (57%, 29%, p-value 0.008) than their non-procedural counterparts, but less likely to rely on online videos (56%, 86%, p-value 0.027).

Discussion: Students entering procedural specialties feel similarly prepared for cases than their counterparts, with a trend towards feeling more prepared.  There is a significant difference between the cohorts in their perception of the helpfulness of their preparation for cases and when comparing what type of resources the students used. This finding has implications for surgical educators and training programs as medical students today increasingly use non-traditional educational resources.  This study suggests that medical student career aspirations affect which resources a particular student chooses for preparation.