Student attitudes about surgery in older patients before and after the surgical clerkship.

Although emphasis has been placed on including content on treating the elderly in the medical school curriculum, little attention has been given to whether content on surgical management of the elderly should be provided in the surgical clerkship. The purpose of this paper is to describe geriatric principles emphasized in a surgical clerkship and changes in attitudes of students. Junior students (N = 175) were tested on attitudes before and after the clerkship. Attitudes about treating the elderly and surgery in the elderly changed significantly and positively. Attitudes about emergency surgery in the elderly became more realistic, particularly in those selecting surgery as a career. This study differs from others that found that students became more negative about treating the elderly as they progressed through medical school. The surgical clerkship provides a different perspective of the older patient from that seen on medicine or in long-term care, in that the elderly are usually admitted and treated successfully in a short time. The fact that the surgical clerkship, in contrast to other medical school experiences, can positively influence attitudes about aging for all students, regardless of career choice, is encouraging and suggests that including content on surgical management of the elderly can help students become more favorable about treating older patients.