The Effect of a Vascular Lecture Series in Medical Student Preclinical Years on Interest in Vascular Surgery

BACKGROUND: New training paradigms in vascular surgery necessitate medical student interest in vascular disease. We examined the effects of incorporation of a vascular disease educational module during the second year of the medical school curriculum on acquisition of vascular disease-specific knowledge and interest in the treatment of vascular disease among medical students.
METHODS: A vascular disease educational module comprised of seven hours of traditional lectures and one two-hour case centered learning session were devised and administered to second year medical students. At the completion of the module, all students participated in a survey that evaluated vascular disease-specific knowledge, interest in treating vascular disease, and career choices. Third year medical students were given an identical survey to serve as a comparison group. Total lecture hours during the first and second year medical school curriculum delivered by non-physicians, non-surgeon physicians, and surgeons were obtained from medical school records.
RESULTS: Prior to the introduction of this educational module, 946 total lecture hours were delivered to first and second year medical students, 490 (52%) were given by non-surgeon physicians, 445 (47%) by non-physicians, and 11 (1%) by surgeons. One-hundred twelve second year medical students and 39 third year medical students participated in the survey. After the vascular disease educational module, second year students answered 7.1 ± 1.4 out of 9 vascular disease questions correctly while third year students answered 7.2 ± 1.7 questions correctly (p=0.96). After the module, over 60% of second year medical students reported a ‘somewhat’ or ‘much greater’ interest in the treatment of vascular disease and interest in a vascular surgery or vascular medicine rotation. Subsequent enrollment in the vascular surgery third year clerkship increased by 3-fold for students who had been exposed to the second year lecture series.
CONCLUSIONS: Incorporation of educational modules specific to vascular disease during the second year of medical school allows second year students to acquire vascular knowledge similar to third year medical students. Early involvement of vascular surgeons in Medical Student education has the potential to significantly increase interest in the field.