Turki Mohammed Adil A, Zargaran Alexander, Murtaza Aasim, Thomas Amal, Spiers Harry, Gill Moneet, Aggarwal Shaurya, Turki Sarah, Zargaran David
1 Department of Medicine, St George's, University of London, London, UK.
2 Department of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Vascular. 2019 Jun;27(3):338-344. doi: 10.1177/1708538118809854. Epub 2018 Oct 26.
Vascular surgery is in increasing demand due to the higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease in the general population. Meanwhile, applications to join the speciality have been in decline in the last few years. St George's Surgical Society held a one-day conference to expose undergraduates to the speciality in the hope that this will inspire more undergraduates to pursue it as a career.
The conference consisted of introductory lectures delivered by a consultant vascular surgeon, followed by practical skills workshops simulating aortic anastomosis on porcine aortas. Pre-course and post-course questionnaires assessed positive and negative perceptions of vascular surgery, knowledge of and self-reported confidence in practical surgical skills and utility of the course in their decision to potentially pursue a career in vascular surgery.
There was a significant increase of 27% ( p = 0.03) in the positive perception that vascular surgery includes a diverse range of procedures and subspecialties. Attendees reported a 27% significant increase ( p = 0.02) in the perception that vascular surgery had a wide array of opportunity for academic/research work. Finally, there was an 18% decrease ( p = 0.03) in the negative perception that vascular surgery is somehow female-unfriendly or discriminatory against females. There was also a significant rise in both interest (33%) and understanding (73%) of vascular surgery.
A one-day conference can significantly impact students' perception especially when there is a lack of exposure within the undergraduate curriculum. This course helped to increase positive perception and dispute negative misconceptions about the speciality. The simulation workshops held at this conference increased students' confidence and awareness of relevant surgical skills. This conference provided a unique experience that positively impacted and inspired students and thus served as an important supplement to core medical curriculum.
由于普通人群中心血管疾病患病率较高，血管外科的需求日益增加。与此同时，近年来申请加入该专业的人数一直在下降。圣乔治外科协会举办了为期一天的会议，让本科生接触该专业，希望这能激励更多本科生将其作为职业追求。
会议包括由血管外科顾问进行的 introductory lectures，随后是在猪主动脉上模拟主动脉吻合的实践技能研讨会。课前和课后问卷评估了对血管外科的积极和消极看法、对外科实践技能的了解和自我报告的信心，以及该课程在他们决定是否可能从事血管外科职业方面的实用性。
认为血管外科包括各种不同手术和亚专业的积极看法显著增加了27%（p = 0.03）。与会者报告称，认为血管外科有大量学术/研究工作机会的看法显著增加了若27%（p = 0.02）。最后，认为血管外科对女性不友好或歧视女性的消极看法下降了18%（p = 0.03）。对血管外科的兴趣（33%）和理解（73%）也有显著提高。
为期一天的会议可对学生的看法产生重大影响，尤其是在本科课程中缺乏相关接触的情况下。本课程有助于增加对该专业的积极看法，并消除对它的消极误解。本次会议举办的模拟研讨会增强了学生对相关外科技能的信心和认识。本次会议提供了一次独特的体验，对学生产生了积极影响并给予激励，因此成为核心医学课程的重要补充。
