Recruiting students into surgery

Purpose: We initiated a program to improve student perceptions of surgery as a career. This study was performed to determine if providing a multi-faceted program to recruit students into surgery increased the percentage of the class applying to surgery residencies. Methods: The Valentine Mott Surgical Society (VMSS), a multi-faceted program was designed to recruit students into surgery residencies (general, uro, neuro, ent, optho, derm, and ortho) was started in 1998 and fully implemented in 1999. Faculty in all specialties facilitated educational conferences, research opportunities in surgical laboratories and clinical projects, hands-on workshops, a competition to attend the ACS meeting, mock interviews with feedback, and individualized advising and mentoring. Results: By X2, an increase in students matching in surgery occurred after full implementation of VMSS, p < 0.05. Compared with baseline (1993–1997), the average percent of students entering surgery (1999–2003) increased from 18.2 ± 1.7% to 22 ± 1.0%. By 2003, the percentage of our graduating class matching in surgery residencies reached 26%. The demographics of this group were diverse: 31% were female; 27% were under-represented minorities; and 19% did not have English as a first language. Virtually all were the first in their families to become surgeons and most were the first to enter the profession of medicine. The quality of the students entering surgery remained high. In 2003, 56% of the students going into surgery were members of AOA and 37% were inducted into the Gold Humanism Society. Conclusions: After implementation of the Valentine Mott Surgical Society a significant increase in the number of students who matched in a surgical residency was noted. The quality of our students who selected surgical residencies remained high and the applicants were diverse in terms of gender, ethnicity, and prior family experience with a surgical career. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of a focused prospective program to foster student interest in surgery.<TBL LOC="DISPLAY"><NO>TABLE—ABSTRACT 60</NO>Percent of Graduating Class Matching in a Surgical Residency<TBLBDY TOP-STUBS="1" LEFT-STUBS="0" BOTTOM-STUBS="0" RIGHT-STUBS="0"><R><C CSPAN="1" RSPAN="1" CA="C" RA="B"><TOP-BORDER TYPE="BAR" STYLE="S"><BOTTOM-BORDER TYPE="BAR" STYLE="S">PRE-V.M.S.S.</C><C CSPAN="1" RSPAN="1" CA="C" RA="B"><TOP-BORDER TYPE="BAR" STYLE="S"><BOTTOM-BORDER TYPE="BAR" STYLE="S">1993</C><C CSPAN="1" RSPAN="1" CA="C" RA="B"><TOP-BORDER TYPE="BAR" STYLE="S"><BOTTOM-BORDER TYPE="BAR" STYLE="S">1994</C><C CSPAN="1" RSPAN="1" CA="C" RA="B"><TOP-BORDER TYPE="BAR" STYLE="S"><BOTTOM-BORDER TYPE="BAR" STYLE="S">1995</C><C CSPAN="1" RSPAN="1" CA="C" RA="B"><TOP-BORDER TYPE="BAR" STYLE="S"><BOTTOM-BORDER TYPE="BAR" STYLE="S">1996</C><C CSPAN="1" RSPAN="1" CA="C" RA="B"><TOP-BORDER TYPE="BAR" STYLE="S"><BOTTOM-BORDER TYPE="BAR" STYLE="S">1997</C><C CSPAN="1" RSPAN="1" CA="C" RA="B"><TOP-BORDER TYPE="BAR" STYLE="S"><BOTTOM-BORDER TYPE="BAR" STYLE="S"></C></R><R><C CSPAN="1" RSPAN="1" CA="L" RA="T">(%)</C><C CSPAN="1" RSPAN="1" CA="C" RA="T">20</C><C CSPAN="1" RSPAN="1" CA="C" RA="T">19</C><C CSPAN="1" RSPAN="1" CA="C" RA="T">23</C><C CSPAN="1" RSPAN="1" CA="C" RA="T">13</C><C CSPAN="1" RSPAN="1" CA="C" RA="T">16</C><C CSPAN="1" RSPAN="1" CA="C" RA="T"></C></R><R><C CSPAN="1" RSPAN="1" CA="L" RA="T">V.M.S.S.</C><C CSPAN="1" RSPAN="1" CA="C" RA="T">1998</C><C CSPAN="1" RSPAN="1" CA="C" RA="T">1999</C><C CSPAN="1" RSPAN="1" CA="C" RA="T">2000</C><C CSPAN="1" RSPAN="1" CA="C" RA="T">2001</C><C CSPAN="1" RSPAN="1" CA="C" RA="T">2002</C><C CSPAN="1" RSPAN="1" CA="C" RA="T">2003</C></R><R><C CSPAN="1" RSPAN="1" CA="L" RA="T"><BOTTOM-BORDER TYPE="BAR" STYLE="S">(%)</C><C CSPAN="1" RSPAN="1" CA="C" RA="T"><BOTTOM-BORDER TYPE="BAR" STYLE="S">14</C><C CSPAN="1" RSPAN="1" CA="C" RA="T"><BOTTOM-BORDER TYPE="BAR" STYLE="S">20</C><C CSPAN="1" RSPAN="1" CA="C" RA="T"><BOTTOM-BORDER TYPE="BAR" STYLE="S">21</C><C CSPAN="1" RSPAN="1" CA="C" RA="T"><BOTTOM-BORDER TYPE="BAR" STYLE="S">22</C><C CSPAN="1" RSPAN="1" CA="C" RA="T"><BOTTOM-BORDER TYPE="BAR" STYLE="S">21</C><C CSPAN="1" RSPAN="1" CA="C" RA="T"><BOTTOM-BORDER TYPE="BAR" STYLE="S">26</C></R></TBLBDY></TBL> [Copyright &y& Elsevier]