Are we losing future talent? A national survey of UK medical student interest and perceptions of cardiothoracic surgery

OBJECTIVES: Cardiothoracic surgery appears to have become a significantly less popular career option among UK medical graduates. This study aimed to elucidate the current levels of interest in pursuing a career in cardiothoracic surgery among surgically orientated UK medical students and to determine the factors underlying this decision. METHODS: An online cross-sectional survey generated using the LimeSurvey was distributed to the surgical societies of all 32 UK medical schools. This assessed current career intentions, previous experience and perceptions of cardiothoracic surgery and the factors that attract or deter them to the speciality. RESULTS: A total of 352 responses were obtained. Although 31% of the total cohort was considering a career in cardiothoracic surgery, only 14% of the final year students were. Seventy-five percent felt that they had received inadequate exposure to cardiothoracic surgery during their undergraduate curriculum, with 74% having spent no time on a dedicated cardiothoracic placement. Extracurricular exposure to the specialty was poor with 13% having attended a cardiothoracic conference/careers day. Approximately 50% of students were aware of the publication of surgeon-specific mortality data and previous scandals affecting the speciality; however, 80% claimed that this did not deter them. The main factor attracting students was the ability to significantly influence or save lives, whereas the main deterring factor was perceived competition levels. CONCLUSIONS: Although there remains healthy interest among UK students to pursue a career in cardiothoracic surgery, there is a worrying decline in desire over the course of medical school which appears to stem from a lack of engagement with the specialty both within undergraduate curricula and through extracurricular events.