Reported Mistreatment During the Surgery Clerkship Varies by Student Career Choice.

Background: Student mistreatment is often a major concern during the surgery clerkship. We hypothesized that mistreatment is decreasing and that career choice may reflect perceived mistreatment.

Methods: We surveyed 2319 physicians about their surgery clerkships. Mistreatment reporting was correlated to physician specialty and medical school graduation year.

Results: The response rate was 18.9% (440/2319). Recent graduates reported less mistreatment than more senior graduates (24.3%-50%, p = 0.0198). General surgeons (3/31, 9%), neurologists (1/7, 14%), and subspecialty surgeons (8/35, 19%) reported the lowest mistreatment rates. Psychiatrists (9/16, 56%), internists (31/69, 45%), pathologists (5/13, 38%), and emergency physicians (5/14, 36%) reported the highest rates. The reported rate of mistreatment by nonsurgeons was higher than surgeons (30.4% versus 14.3%, p < 0.0046). Mistreatment included sexual harassment, verbal abuse, and lack of teaching.

Conclusions: Mistreatment during surgery appears to be improving. Its perception varies by the field of training, indicating variable interpretations of what constitutes mistreatment.