Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
J Med Syst. 2023 Sep 1;47(1):96. doi: 10.1007/s10916-023-01988-3.
Medical students in the Netherlands have a relatively low exposure to cardiothoracic surgery and cardiology. This results in discrepancies between starting levels of medical residents and expected standards in clinical practice. Another side effect is the international decline in interest in a career in these cardiovascular fields. To compensate for this, extracurricular education programs focused on cardiothoracic surgery and cardiology have been set up. This study aims to evaluate the impact and benefits of an extracurricular education program on students' knowledge of cardiothoracic surgery and cardiology and to explore possible factors involved in (academic) career decision making. 66 participants were enrolled in the extracurricular education program VECTOR and were included in a cross-sectional cohort study. All participants scored their familiarity with different aspects of cardiothoracic surgery and cardiology prior to and after the course. Data was analyzed using Linear regression and Wilcoxon Signed Rank testing. Participants demonstrated a significant trend towards improved familiarity with cardiothoracic surgery and cardiology after the program (p = < .001). Significant increased knowledge scores were reported for all specified subdomains after the course with an increase in academic interest in cardiology (p = < .001) and cardiothoracic surgery (p = < .001). Students revealed that clinical responsibilities and a healthy work-life balance were considered most important when deciding upon their future career. This study highlights the benefit of an extracurricular education program in cardiothoracic surgery and cardiology for undergraduates and could possibly aid students in preparing for clinical practice.
荷兰的医学生对心胸外科和心脏病学的接触相对较少。这导致了住院医师的起始水平与临床实践预期标准之间存在差异。另一个副作用是国际上对这些心血管领域职业的兴趣下降。为了弥补这一点，已经设立了专注于心胸外科和心脏病学的课外教育计划。本研究旨在评估课外教育计划对学生心胸外科和心脏病学知识的影响和益处，并探讨（学术）职业决策中涉及的可能因素。66 名参与者参加了课外教育计划 VECTOR，并被纳入横断面队列研究。所有参与者在课程前后都对不同方面的心胸外科和心脏病学的熟悉程度进行了评分。使用线性回归和 Wilcoxon 符号秩检验对数据进行分析。参与者在课程后表现出对心胸外科和心脏病学熟悉程度显著提高的趋势（p < .001）。课程后所有指定子领域的知识得分均显著增加，对心脏病学（p < .001）和心胸外科（p < .001）的学术兴趣增加。学生们表示，在决定未来职业时，临床责任和健康的工作生活平衡被认为是最重要的。本研究强调了心胸外科和心脏病学课外教育计划对本科生的益处，并可能有助于学生为临床实践做好准备。
