In the last decades, there has been an increasing interest in improving medical student recruitment in neurosurgery. Student attributes predictive of selection and success in residency are poorly understood and residents’ selection...
moreIn the last decades, there has been an increasing interest in improving medical student recruitment in neurosurgery. Student attributes predictive of selection and success in residency are poorly understood
and residents’ selection criteria are not standardized among different countries. Although some studies have reported institutional experiences, there does not exist a model to guide medical students to
build their applications or for programs to identify potential successful residents throughout the process.
OBJECTIVE: Recent years have witnessed an increase in articles describing factors influencing medical student recruitment in neurosurgery, such as undergraduate preparation, impact of research experience, and selection into residency programs. In this study, we provide a comprehensive review of the literature addressing the relationship of medical students within neurosurgery.
METHODS: A search of the literature was conducted on the PubMed/MEDLINE database to October 2018 to screen for studies on medical student interest and recruitment in neurosurgery. Articles were screened for eligibility and reviewed for inclusion and their findings critically discussed.
RESULTS: Sixty-nine articles were included. Most research on the relationship of medical students with neurosurgery was conducted in the United States and United Kingdom. Data analysis was categorized into 2 groups: educational and noneducational factors. Eight areas of interest were identified: baseline undergraduate education, early research involvement, attitude toward neuroscience, mentoring, existence of a gender gap, residency program requirements, availability of educational resources, and networking opportunities.
CONCLUSIONS: Our study bridges the gap of fragmented knowledge on
medical student involvement in neurosurgery with the aim of optimizing existing approaches. We suggest that medical institutions outside the United States and United Kingdom should implement university-based interest groups to stimulate student interest, with reinforced participation of faculty for leading educational initiatives and collaborative research. We advocate the creation of national and
international associations to support medical students in approaching neurosurgery early in their education.
