Reevaluating Innovations in Medical Student Neurosurgery Education: Lessons Learned Today from Data Collected Before COVID-19

Ryan E Radwanski; Graham Winston; Iyan Younus; Sergio W Guadix; Nathan A Shlobin; Michael Rothbaum; Michael W Kortz; Justin M Campbell; Alexander Evins; Jeffrey P Greenfield; Susan C Pannullo

doi:10.1016/j.wneu.2021.11.022

Reevaluating Innovations in Medical Student Neurosurgery Education: Lessons Learned Today from Data Collected Before COVID-19

World Neurosurg. 2022 Jul:163:171-178. doi: 10.1016/j.wneu.2021.11.022.

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurological Surgery, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey, USA; Medical Student Neurosurgery Training Center, Brain and Spine Group, Inc., Bridgewater, New Jersey, USA. Electronic address: Ryan.Rad@Rutgers.edu.
² Department of Neurological Surgery, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, USA; Medical Student Neurosurgery Training Center, Brain and Spine Group, Inc., Bridgewater, New Jersey, USA.
³ Department of Neurological Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Medical Student Neurosurgery Training Center, Brain and Spine Group, Inc., Bridgewater, New Jersey, USA.
⁴ Department of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA; Medical Student Neurosurgery Training Center, Brain and Spine Group, Inc., Bridgewater, New Jersey, USA.
⁵ Department of Neurological Surgery, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA; Medical Student Neurosurgery Training Center, Brain and Spine Group, Inc., Bridgewater, New Jersey, USA.
⁶ Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA; Medical Student Neurosurgery Training Center, Brain and Spine Group, Inc., Bridgewater, New Jersey, USA.
⁷ Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Medical Student Neurosurgery Training Center, Brain and Spine Group, Inc., Bridgewater, New Jersey, USA.

PMID: 35729818
DOI: 10.1016/j.wneu.2021.11.022

Abstract

Objective: Virtual learning has made neurosurgery education more available to medical students (MSs) of all stages than ever before. We aimed to evaluate the impact of on-site learning in order to assess whether a return to this method of teaching, when safe, is warranted for MSs of all years.

Methods: Registrants of the 2019 MS Neurosurgery Training Camps were sent precourse and postcourse surveys to assess changes in self-assessed confidence in concrete neurosurgical skills. Data were analyzed using a 2-tailed paired Student's t-test for continuous variables. A P value <0.05 was considered significant.

Results: The 2019 Training Camp had 105 attendees, of whom 94 (89.5%) completed both surveys. Students reported statistically significant improvements in every surveyed skill area, except for understanding what is and is not sterile in an operating room. The cohort of MS 3/4 students indicated a postcourse decrease in confidence in their ability to understand what is and is not sterile in an operating room (93.69 ± 16.41 vs. 86.20 ± 21.18; P < 0.05). MS 3/4 students did not benefit in their ability to perform a neurologic examination or tie knots using a 1-handed technique.

Conclusions: Neurosurgical education initiatives for MSs should continue to be developed. Hands-on neurosurgical training experiences for MSs serve as a valuable educational experience. Improvement in training models will lead to capitalizing on MS education to better improve readiness for neurosurgical residency without concern for patient safety.

Keywords: Medical education; Neurosurgery; Residency preparation; Training camp.

MeSH terms

COVID-19*
Education, Medical*
Humans
Internship and Residency*
Neurosurgery* / education
Students, Medical*