WS2.779 Surgical outreach in schools: a way to address falling recruitment in surgery?

Aim: To address the recruitment shortfall in surgery by inspiring secondary school students to pursue an interest in surgery. Method: Core surgical trainees designed and lead a surgical experience programme comprised of two sessions. A theory session involving a talk describing the route into surgery, an interactive case-based discussion and some basic operative concepts. The practical component covered scrubbing, knot tying and laparoscopic simulation. A pre- and post-course questionnaire was completed by students. Medical students were offered the chance to be taught the practical skills and then have the opportunity to teach the students. Results: 71 students attended the surgical outreach programme across 8 schools within the region (14-18 years, M:F 39:32). There was a 25% increase in students expressing an interest in a career in surgery. The feedback received was very positive; 100% of students enjoyed the course and 70% expressed interest in further surgical teaching. The medical students enjoyed being involved with the programme. 100% felt that both their teaching and basic surgical skills had improved. 100% expressed interest in being involved with future teaching sessions. Conclusion: The aim of this programme was to inspire students at school level to a career in surgery. The response from students and teachers has been overwhelmingly positive and the feedback indicates we have achieved our initial goal. Through positive association with surgery; making the programme fun and interactive, as well as addressing any concerns or barriers to training earlier, we are hoping to motivate more young people to become surgeons.

Citation

Yates, C., Farrow, E., Wilson, J., & Condie, N. (2020, December). Surgical outreach in schools: a way to address falling recruitment in surgery?. British Journal of Surgery. 107, pp. 79-79

DOI

10.1002/bjs.12069

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14709/1039

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