Does Global Surgery Interest Influence the Choice of Surgical Residency Program?

Objective: Medical students actively seek global health opportunities. Surgical residents also show great enthusiasm for international missions, rotations and global surgery. Unfortunately, only 18% to 34% of all surgery residency programs offer such international opportunities.

Surgery resident participation in short-term humanitarian international surgical missions can supplement exposure where program case volumes are low.

Background: General surgery training programs face declining case volume and diversity. We wanted to determine if resident participation in international surgical missions would increase exposure to cases underrepresented in our program case mix.

Methods: Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education program data from 2008 to 2011 (University of Medicine and Dentistry-New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ) were analyzed to identify categories where volume was below national average.

Increasing educational indebtedness influences medical students to pursue specialization: a military recruitment potential?

Background: Cost of medical education and student indebtedness has increased dramatically. This study surveyed medical students on educational debt, educational costs, and whether indebtedness influenced career choice. Responses should impact (1) Department of Defense (DoD) recruitment of physicians and (2) future of primary care.

Don't know, don't care: revisited.

This study re-evaluates the awareness and attitudes of medical students concerning military programs, which can provide financial support for medical student education. An original study, 10 years ago, demonstrated a minimal awareness of these programs. With medical school tuitions rising dramatically in the intervening years, as well as the resultant student indebtedness increasing significantly, it is appropriate to readdress this knowledge of attitude toward financial options through military programs for medical students.