Louisville Medicine Volume 69, Issue 5 | Page 12

A BRIGHT FUTURE FOR LEADERSHIP
Students learning to dress in sterile gowns
A student passing a needle through the custom suture board
Students with senior faculty mentor , Dr . Morton Kasdan
( continued from page 9 ) topic by experts in each field , including physicians , surgeons , nurses and attorneys . Teaching comes in many forms including in-person lectures , instructional videos , 9 and peer demonstrations . Study topics include gowning and gloving , operating room etiquette , surgical knot tying , proper instrument handling , basic suturing techniques ( e . g ., simple interrupted , running , mattress , and deep dermal sutures ) and wound healing principles . Students practice with a variety of suture materials , instruments and a suture board designed by the senior faculty member . These custom-built suture boards are cost-effective , durable and easy to assemble with a wooden board and synthetic microfiber cloth . 8
A prospective cohort study found that students participating in this program were more comfortable performing basic surgical skills . 6 Upon completion of the program , our surveys found that 33 % of undecided students and 80 % of students overall reported an increased interest in a surgical career . 6 These findings suggest this program is a valuable component of medical student education .
Over the past three years ( 2019-2021 ) at the University of Louisville School of Medicine ( ULSOM ), 19.6 % of students matched into a surgical specialty . The National Residency Matching Program ( NRMP ) data shows roughly 19.0 % of graduates ( only MDs were calculated for this statistic ) matched into a surgical specialty during this time frame . This demonstrates that our students pursue surgical specialties at a rate higher than the national average . This is likely due to ULSOM ’ s strong mentorship and programs , like the surgical skills class , that facilitate early exposure and interest in the field of surgery .
Appropriately trained instructors leading workshops under faculty guidance can effectively minimize the time commitment of senior surgeons . 6 Student teachers can lay the foundational concepts of knot tying and suturing , while faculty mentors observe and refine these techniques . With this structure , attendings are more available to engage with students . In many instances , these faculty members serve as ongoing mentors to students pursuing surgical residencies .
Student leadership has contributed to the longevity of this program . Students selected for this teaching position spend several hours of one-on-one time with faculty mentors to develop their technical skills . They commit to teaching their peers each weekend during their second year of medical school , equating to over 100 hours of student teaching .
The authors would like to thank Dr . Morton Kasdan and his wife Ann Kasdan for their commitment to this program and for opening their home to the medical students . We would also like to acknowledge the many faculty mentors and nurses who have volunteered their time including John Weeter , MD , Ryan Wermeling , MD , Lethia Collins , MSN , CRNFA , FNP , Maria Noel , ST , Sharon Grote , RN , CNOR , CRNFA , and many others . These individuals and the dedicated student teachers have all played vital roles in the success of this program .
The surgical skills class will continue to provide preclinical students with early exposure to the field of surgery , surgeon mentors and a positive , supportive learning environment for years to come .
References
1
Miller S , Shipper E , Hasty B , et al . Introductory Surgical Skills Course : Technical Training and Preparation for the Surgical Environment . MedEdPORTAL . Nov 28 2018 ; 14:10775 . doi : 10.15766 / mep _ 2374-8265.10775
2
Berman L , Rosenthal MS , Curry LA , Evans LV , Gusberg RJ . Attracting surgical clerks to surgical careers : role models , mentoring , and engagement in the operating room . J Am Coll Surg . Dec 2008 ; 207 ( 6 ): 793-800 , 800 e1-2 . doi : 10.1016 / j . jamcollsurg . 2008.08.003
3
Vanyolos E , Furka I , Miko I , Viszlai A , Nemeth N , Peto K . How does practice improve the skills of medical students during consecutive training courses ? Acta Cir Bras . Jun 2017 ; 32 ( 6 ): 491-502 . doi : 10.1590 / s0102-865020170060000010
4
Davis CR , Toll EC , Bates AS , Cole MD , Smith FC . Surgical and procedural skills training at medical school - a national review . Int J Surg . 2014 ; 12 ( 8 ): 877-82 . doi : 10.1016 / j . ijsu . 2014.05.069
5
Loftus TJ , Filiberto AC , Upchurch GR , Jr ., et al . Performance Improvement With Implementation of a Surgical Skills Curriculum . J Surg Educ . Mar-Apr 2021 ; 78 ( 2 ): 561-569 . doi : 10.1016 / j . jsurg . 2020.08.030
6
Kachare SD , Kapsalis C , Yun A , et al . Students teaching students : A survey of a medical student led surgical skills workshop - A prospective cohort study . Ann Med Surg ( Lond ). Aug 2020 ; 56:43-47 . doi : 10.1016 / j . amsu . 2020.05.034
7
Meredith LT , Kasdan ML . A Basic Surgical Skills Class for Preclinical Medical Students . Am Surg . Dec 1 2019 ; 85 ( 12 ): e575-e576 .
8
Weeks D , Kasdan ML , Wilhelmi BJ . An Inexpensive Suture Practice Board . Eplasty . 2015 ; 15 : e53 .
9
Kachare SD , Abell SR , Kachare MD , Jhang J , Wilhelmi BJ , Kasdan ML . Basic suture technique : Instructional videos explaining suturing for medical students in a qualitative study . Ann Med Surg ( Lond ). Dec 2019 ; 48:122-123 . doi : 10.1016 / j . amsu . 2019.10.027
Akhila Ankem and Brooke Barrow are fourth-year medical students at the University of Louisville School of Medicine .
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