Description and assessment of a neurosurgery shadowing and research program: A paradigm for early and sustained exposure to academic neurosurgery

To describe and assess the educational value of a functional neurosurgery clinical shadowing and research tutorial for pre-medical trainees. Program participants observed functional neurosurgery procedures and conducted basic science and clinical research in neurosurgery fields. Former participants completed a brief online survey to evaluate their perspectives and experiences throughout the tutorial. Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. 15 pre-medical and post-baccalaureate trainees participated in the tutorial. All former tutorial participants were emailed. 11/15 former participants responded to the survey. Survey results suggest that the tutorial program increased participants' understanding of and interest in neurosurgery and related fields in neuroscience. The functional neurosurgery medical tutorial provides valuable clinical and research exposure in neurosurgery fields for pre-medical trainees. Our work is a preliminary step in addressing the crucial challenge of training the next generation of neurosurgeon-scientists by providing a pedagogical paradigm for development of formal experiences that integrate original scientific research with clinical neurosurgery exposure.