Higher clinical performance during a surgical clerkship is independently associated with matriculation of medical students into general surgery

• Published in: The American journal of surgery Vol. 207; no. 4; pp. 623 - 627
• Main Authors: Daly, Shaun C., M.D, Deal, Rebecca A., B.S, Rinewalt, Daniel E., M.D, Francescatti, Amanda B., M.S, Luu, Minh B., M.D, Millikan, Keith W., M.D, Anderson, Mary C., M.D, Myers, Jonathan A., M.D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-04-2014; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Academic achievement; Academic measures; Adult; Age; Bone surgery; Clinical Clerkship - methods; Clinical Competence; Education, Medical, Undergraduate - organization & administration; Educational Measurement - methods; Female; General surgery; General Surgery - education; Hospitals; Humans; Internal medicine; Licenses; Male; Medical examiners; Medical residencies; Medicine; Multivariate analysis; Neurosurgery; Orthopedics; Otolaryngology; Pediatrics; Physicians; Predictors; Program Evaluation; Residency; Retrospective Studies; Specialties, Surgical - education; Students, Medical; Studies; Surgery; Surgical Procedures, Operative - education; United States; Workforce; United States; Academic measures; General surgery; Residency; Predictors
• ISSN: 0002-9610; 1879-1883
• DOI: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2013.07.037

Abstract Background The purpose of our study was to determine the predictive impact of individual academic measures for the matriculation of senior medical students into a general surgery residency. Methods Academic records were evaluated for third-year medical students (n = 781) at a single institution between 2004 and 2011. Cohorts were defined by student matriculation into either a general surgery residency program (n = 58) or a non–general surgery residency program (n = 723). Multivariate logistic regression was performed to evaluate independently significant academic measures. Results Clinical evaluation raw scores were predictive of general surgery matriculation ( P = .014). In addition, multivariate modeling showed lower United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 scores to be independently associated with matriculation into general surgery ( P = .007). Conclusions Superior clinical aptitude is independently associated with general surgical matriculation. This is in contrast to the negative correlation United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 scores have on general surgery matriculation. Recognizing this, surgical clerkship directors can offer opportunities for continued surgical education to students showing high clinical aptitude, increasing their likelihood of surgical matriculation.