Surgery clerkship orientation: evaluating temporal changes in student orientation needs

Abstract Background Surgery clerkship students at our institution receive a standardized orientation covering objectives, requirements, grading, and expectations. Limited data exist regarding the student perceptions of this approach. Methods Surveys were provided to students to rate the importance of orientation topics and their satisfaction with topic conclusion. Scores between student groupings over the clerkship year were analyzed with Student t tests and analysis of variance with Scheffe adjustments. Results Significant differences in the mean importance rating between topics exists ( P < .0001) as well as among satisfaction scores for topics ( P < .0005). Early clerkship students value course expectations higher than later students ( P = .03). Early clerkship students want more time devoted to hospital tours and expectations compared with later students (31% vs 8%). Conclusions Orientation needs for students change over the clerkship year. Beginning students prefer basic direction for time spent on the ward. Later students prefer information regarding shelf preparation. Surgery course directors can adapt the orientation based on the experience of clerkship students.