Surgical undergraduate teaching and community-based education : new environments for surgical teaching

Abstract

Research was undertaken to determine the status of the surgical workforce in rural South Australia and to identify factors which may be useful in building a profile of a potential rural surgeon. The Dept. of Surgery at the University of Adelaide resolved to address the issue of a more relevant curriculum by implementing significant change within the final year surgical teaching program. Surgical elective terms, including rotations to rural hospitals, were devised and offered as options for the students, and the impact of these country placements upon the students was assessed. Graduate follow-up studies were also performed on the group. It was confirmed that there is a shortage of rural sugeons in South Australia and that rural surgery and day surgery attachments are as effective as traditional teaching hospital clerkships in terms of objective assessment.