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Purpose: Early exposure and surgical mentorship can augment interest in surgery. We evaluate the effect and feasibility of offering education and mentorship opportunities in surgery to premedical students at our institution through an undergraduate surgery interest group (USIG). Materials and Methods: We conducted a 1-year assessment of our USIG and reviewed its organizational structure, funding resources, media promotion, and educational activities. Our USIG hosted introductory-level surgical skills workshops, guest lectures by surgeons, and various facility tours. To assess participants' interests, as well as the influences on them to pursue a surgical profession, we analyzed pre-and post-event questionnaires. Similar questionnaires were completed by medical students in our medical student surgery interest group to compare any differences in perception between premedical and medical students. Results: Our USIG currently has 378 undergraduate student members, with a higher proportion of women than in our medical student surgery interest group (P < 0.003). Neurosurgery was the most popular career choice among undergraduate participants. Participants reported the highest satisfaction with suturing and high-fidelity trauma surgery skills workshops. Undergraduate participants indicated that their intrinsic interest in the sciences is the highest motivation to pursue a surgical profession. Resident lifestyle and social obligations of a surgical career were actually positive influences for undergraduate participants; in contrast, medical students viewed those variables as negative factors. Conclusion: Our USIG was met with enthusiasm by premedical students and faculty alike. Participation strengthened premedical students' interest in pursuing surgery and increased their understanding of the surgical profession. Early mentorship may positively influence premedical students' perception of surgical careers. USIG is economically feasible and timeefficient; we encourage other academic institutions and educators to consider investing in similar interest groups.

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Purpose Senior medical students are variably prepared to begin surgical training; and a national curriculum was established through the American College of Surgeons to better prepare senior medical students for surgical training. The purpose of our course is to prepare senior medical students to more effectively enter surgical training programs. We recently enhanced our independently developed surgical training preparation course by increasing exposure to surgical anatomy, medical physiology, surgical skills, and point-of-care ultrasound. We evaluated the impact of our interprofessional training course to increase confidence and readiness among senior medical students entering surgical training. Methods The course focused on pre- and post-operative patient care, surgical anatomy, human physiology, and bedside ultrasound. Didactic lectures in anatomy, human physiology, and bedside ultrasound were provided prior to all hands-on simulated patient care sessions and mock surgical procedures. To evaluate our interprofessional curriculum, we administered pre- and post-course surveys, pre- and post-course knowledge tests, and a final surgical anatomy laboratory practical examination to 22 senior medical students who were enrolled in the course. All students created a final surgical anatomy presentation. Results The students demonstrated a 100% pass rate in surgical anatomy. The knowledge test, which included assessment of knowledge on perioperative surgical decision making, human physiology, and bedside ultrasound, demonstrated an average improvement of 10%. Statistically significant improvements in median confidence values were identified in 10 of 32 surveyed categories, including surgical skills (p < 0.05); 84% of student goals for the course were achieved. The medical students’ surveys confirmed increased confidence related to the use of point-of-care ultrasound, teamwork experience, and basic surgical skills through small group interactive seminars and surgical simulation exercises. Conclusion Our preparation for surgical training course resulted in high student satisfaction and demonstrated an increased sense of confidence to begin surgical training. The 10% improvement in medical student knowledge, as evaluated by a written examination, and the significant improvement in confidence level self-assessment scores confirms this surgery preparation course for senior medical students successfully achieved the desired goals of the course.

Cadaveric simulations are an effective way to add clinical context to an anatomy course. In this study, unembalmed (fresh) cadavers were uniquely prepared to simulate pleural effusion to teach chest percussion and review thoracic anatomy. Thirty first-year medical students were assigned to either an intervention (Group A) or control group (Group B). Group A received hands-on training with the cadaveric simulations. They were instructed on how to palpate bony landmarks for identifying the diaphragm and lobes of the lungs, as well as on how to properly perform chest percussion to detect abnormal fluid in the pleural space. Students in Group B practiced on each other. Students in Group A benefited from the training in several ways. They had more confidence in their percussive technique (A = mean 4.3/5.0, B = 2.9/5.0), ability to count the ribs on an intact body (A = mean 4.0/5.0, B = 3.0/5.0), and ability to identify the lobes of the lungs on an intact body (A = mean 3.8/5.0, B = 2.3/5.0). They also demonstrated a greater ability to locate the diaphragm on an intact body (A = 100%, B = 60%) and detect abnormal pleural fluid (A = 93%, B = 53%) with greater confidence (A = mean 3.7/5.0, B = 2.5/5.0). Finally, the hands-on training with the unembalmed cadavers created more excitement around learning in Group A compared with Group B. This study shows that simulating pleural effusion in an unembalmed cadaver is a useful way to enhance anatomy education. Anat Sci Educ 10: 160-169. © 2016 American Association of Anatomists.