Welcome to the operating theatre! Introductory bootcamp in operating theatre specialities for medical students

Abstract

Introduction: Since the early 2000's, the appeal of certain operating room specialties has decreasedamong medical school graduate students. The recent reform of the second and third cycles of medical studies in France provides an opportunity to set up teaching programs around operating room specialties. We have organised a teaching unit which is part of the final year of medical studies. The main objectives are: (1) to examine whether a boot camp can modify students' opinions and preconceived assumptions about a surgical and/or anaesthetist career (2) to determine whether these changes in perception, have an impact on students' interest in pursuing a surgical/anaesthetic career compared with the current situation.

Materials and methods: The "working in the operating theatre" boot camp (UETB) took place after the written exams of the sixth year of medical school, before students choose their future specialty for residency. This program included practical workshops, readings and time for exchanges surgeons and anaesthetists. At the beginning and at the end of the UETB, feedback forms were collected.

Results: The cohort included 59 students from the Toulouse medical school, academic year 2023-2024. After attending the UETB, there was a significant qualitative improvement in interest in a surgical and intensive care-anaesthesia career. Feedback on how the UETB influenced the choice of a future specialty was very positive, with statistically significant qualitive improvement., Additionally, the students' perception of a work-life quality as a surgeon and/or anaesthetist improved significantly.

Conclusion: The outcome of this study makes a strong case for integrating additional exposure to the various surgical subspecialties into the graduate medical curriculum in France. By helping to dispel misperceptions of "a surgical/anaesthetist career" early on, opportunities such as the UETB program may enable addressing the attrition rate observed among surgical and anaesthetic residency applications.

Keywords: Anaesthesia Education; Career; Medical Students; Stereotype; Surgical Education; Undergraduate Medical Education.

Fig. 1

Test Scores of Each Component Before and After Participation in the Bootcamp. Abbreviation: *: Statistically Significant (p < 0.05); ns: Statistically Not Significant (p > 0.05). Test Score Result About Interest in Surgical Speciality Before and After Bootcamp: Each scale is as follows: 1 Very Uninteresting/3 Neutral/5 Very Interesting. A All Students B Students Previously Interested in a Surgical Career C Students Not Previously Interested in a Career in Surgery D Students who are do not have a baseline interest in a career in surgery and/or anesthesiology

Fig. 2

Test Scores of Each Component Before and After Participation in the Bootcamp. Abbreviation: *: Statistically Significant (p< 0.05); ns: Statistically Not Significant (p>0.05). Test Score Result About Interest in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Speciality Before and After Bootcamp: Each scale is as follows: 1 Very Uninteresting/3 Neutral/5 Very Interesting. A All Students B Students Previously Interested in an Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Career C Students Not Previously Interested in a Career in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care D Students who are do not have a baseline interest in a career in surgery and/or anesthesiology

Fig. 3

Test Scores of Each Component Before and After Participation in the Bootcamp. Abbreviation: *: Statistically Significant (p< 0.05); ns: Statistically Not Significant (p>0.05). Answer to the Question: Do You Think This Seminar Can Help You with Your Choices? Scale is as follows: 1 Very Unhelpful/3 Somewhat Helpful/5 Very Helpful. A All students B Students Previously Interested in an Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Career C Students Previously Interested in a Surgical Career D Students who are do not have a baseline interest in a career in surgery and/or anesthesiology

Fig. 4

Test Scores of Each Component Before and After Participation in the Bootcamp. Abbreviation: *: Statistically Significant (p< 0.05); ns: Statistically Not Significant (p>0.05). Answer to the Question: Do You Think That Work-Life Balance Is Difficult in the Surgical, Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Specialities? Scale is as follows: 1 Not at All /3 Moderately/5 Yes, Extremely. A All Students B Students Previously Interested in an Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Career C Students Previously Interested in a Surgical Career D Students who are do not have a baseline interest in a career in surgery and/or anesthesiology

Fig. 5

Subjective Results of Post-Bootcamp Programme Survey. A Likert Scale. Question 1: Did You Learn Anything You Did Not Know During the Lecture? Scale is as follows: 1 Nothing/3 A Moderate Amount/5 A Great Deal. Question 2: Did You Learn Anything You Did Not Know During the Practical Workshops? Scale is as follows: 1 Nothing/3 A Moderate Amount/5 A Great Deal. Question 3: Overall, What is Your Impression of the Bootcamp? Scale is as follows: 1 Very Unhelpful/3 Somewhat Helpful/5 Very Helpful. B Word cloud that reflects your motivation for choosing your future speciality. We asked students to name two words in the test they completed at the start of bootcamp (pre-test). To read the word cloud: the larger the word, the more frequently it is cited; the shades of colour hold no significance since they are solely used to enhance readability