Educational value of the operating room experience during a core surgical clerkship.
BACKGROUND
The amount and content of medical student teaching in the operating room and its alignment with clerkship goals was unknown.


METHODS
A qualitative research design using field observations, followed by qualitative and quantitative data coding and analysis.


RESULTS
A mean of 9.8% of the total case time (range 1.6%-20.2%) was spent teaching clerkship goals. Teaching strategies based on basic principles of learning were used during a mean of 66% of the total case time (range 30%-99%). The most common teaching strategy was active student participation (28%) followed by command (14%) and lecture (13%). Educational experience in the OR was rated 4.0 (out of 5) by faculty and 3.3 by students. No correlation existed between student satisfaction and time actively participating in the operation or time spent teaching to clerkship goals (P = .66, P = .95, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
Teaching in the OR is more focused on technical aspects of the operation than the goals of a core surgery clerkship.
Irani
Jennifer L
JL
Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Greenberg
Jacob A
JA
Blanco
Maria A
MA
Greenberg
Caprice C
CC
Ashley
Stanley
S
Lipsitz
Stuart R
SR
Hafler
Janet Palmer
JP
Breen
Elizabeth
E
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002982:Clinical Clerkship; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003162:Competency-Based Education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005180:Faculty, Medical; D013502:General Surgery / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D009873:Operating Rooms; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology; D013997:Time Factors