title: Are the kids alright? Review books and the internet as the most common study resources for the general surgery clerkship.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To define resources deemed most important to medical students on their general surgery clerkship, we evaluated their material utilization.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective study was conducted amongst third-year medical students using a 20-item survey. Descriptive statistics were performed on the demographics. Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney analyses were performed on the Likert responses (α = 0.05).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Survey response was 69.2%. Use of review books and Internet was significantly higher compared to all other resources (p < 0.05). Wikipedia was the most used Internet source (39.1%). 56% never used textbooks. Analyses of surgery subject exam (NBME) results or intended specialty with resources used showed no statistical relationship (all p > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Resources used by students reflect access to high-yield material and increased Internet use. The Internet and review books were used more than the recommended textbook; NBME results were not affected. Understanding study habits and resource use will help guide curricular development and students' self-regulated learning.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA. Electronic address: janice.taylor@surgery.ufl.edu.
authors.forename: Janice A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA. Electronic address: christiana.shaw@surgery.ufl.edu.
authors.forename: Christiana M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Shaw
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA. Electronic address: sanda.tan@surgery.ufl.edu.
authors.forename: Sanda A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Owensboro Health, University of Louisville, Owensboro, KY, USA. Electronic address: john.falconemd@owensborohealth.org.
authors.forename: John L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Falcone
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002982:Clinical Clerkship / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida; D013502:General Surgery / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D058013:Test Taking Skills / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013782:Textbooks as Topic
keywords: Internet; Medical student education; Surgery education