A Pre-surgical Residency Refresher Course that Advances Students from the Cadaver Lab to the Surgical Suite

Medical students and residency program directors recognize a need to improve student knowledge and preparedness for surgery or radiology specialties. Gross anatomy, basic surgery skill sets, and radiology are often cited as areas in which students need additional training. A novel 4-week senior elective course was developed for students pursuing surgical and radiology residencies. The course focused on teaching principles of surgery and surgical skills, surgical radiology, and advanced anatomy relevant to common surgical procedures. The course settings were the hospital operating suite, radiology department, simulation laboratory, and anatomy laboratory. The elective received high post-course evaluation scores from the students, who reported feeling more confident in their knowledge of anatomy and radiology, in their surgical and presentation skills, and in their preparedness for residency.