The impact of a novel surgical forum, ‘Virtual Surgical Speed Dating’, on career perception for medical students: a pilot study

BACKGROUND: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic limited medical student’s exposure to surgical specialities, potentially affecting their understanding of specialties and limiting access to mentorship. AIMS: To develop a novel online ‘round table’ session to increase medical student’s exposure to surgical careers, and to assess the value of the event as an educational tool. METHOD: A virtual education session was held, with questionnaires being completed before and after the virtual event. The event began with an introduction to surgical training. Participants rotated every 10 min in groups, with two specialties represented by a specialist registrar at each station. Data were analysed using a 5-point Likert scale, and a Student Evaluation of Educational Quality (SEEQ) questionnaire was completed. RESULTS: Of the 19 students involved, 14 (73.7%) were female, and 16 (84.2%) were undergraduate. The specialty attendees were most interested in before and after the event were neurosurgery (21.1%, n = 4) and cardiothoracic surgery (26.3%, n = 5), respectively. Five (26.3%) students changed the subspecialty they were most interested in after the event. Attendees’ knowledge of surgical training in Ireland improved from 52.6% prior to the educational session to 69.5% after (p < 0.001). The session resulted in an increase in the perceived importance of research (4 [IQR 2–4] versus 4 [IQR 4–5], p = 0.0021). CONCLUSIONS: This ‘Virtual Surgical Speed Dating’ event offered medical students an opportunity to interact with various surgical specialties despite the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The novel approach increased medical students’ exposure to surgical trainees, improved knowledge of training pathways and altered student values influencing career decision-making. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11845-023-03361-2.