Student attitudes about medical care and choice of a career in surgery.

The purpose was to see if students changed their attitudes about medical care during the surgical clerkship and whether those who selected surgery as a career differed from other students at the end of the clerkship and time of entrance into a residency. Students were assessed before and after the clerkship in regard to confidence about handling problems in the doctor-patient relationship, concerns about future practice, and attitudes about preventive aspects of care. In general, the class changed positively in dealing with patients, had more concerns about future practice, and were more negative about preventive aspects of care. Potential surgeons had concerns about future practices similar to those of other students but differed from the rest of the class by having more confidence in dealing with patients and more positive attitudes about preventive aspects of care. When they entered the clerkship, would-be surgeons had more favorable ratings than did other students on ego strength and acceptance of people. The study suggests that attention may need to be given to the experiences of students in the clerkship that lead to their increased concerns about future practice and, for those not selecting surgery as a career, their increased negative attitudes about preventive care.