The impact of medical student interest in surgery on clerkship performance and career choice

Background: Interest in surgery has declined for two decades. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of one's interest in surgery on career choice. Methods: Students who completed the surgical clerkship (2016-2017) were invited to complete surveys assessing rotation experience, learning style, burnout, and grit. Students were grouped according to interest or no interest in surgery after the clerkship. Results: Surveys were completed by 62 students of whom 51.6% reported an interest in surgery. No minority students expressed interest compared with Caucasian (51.1%) and Asian (71.4%) students (p = 0.02). Disinterested students had higher emotional exhaustion (EE, 20 vs 25, p = 0.03). There was no difference in clerkship grade between groups (86.3% vs 85.3%, p = 0.56). Students who matched into surgery had lower EE and higher grit. Conclusions: Interest in surgery was not associated with improved clerkship performance. Disinterested students had higher EE, suggesting interest may play a role in adapting to clerkship challenges. (C) 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.