Impact of Early Exposure to Simulation Program on Undergraduate Medical Students’ Interest in Urology

BACKGROUND: Urological education is as important as surgical training for undergraduates. However, students in undergraduate medical schools have less exposure to urology as their curriculum focuses more on clinical skills, particularly community-based healthcare for a super-aging society. This study aimed to evaluate whether urology-related hands-on training could increase the interest of undergraduate medical students in urology. METHODS: A 1-day elective program in urological surgery at the University of Tsukuba, particularly in robotic, laparoscopic, and endoscopic surgeries, was offered to 85 fourth-year medical students from 2018 to 2020, prior to their clinical clerkship. The average age of the participants was 22 (range: 21-25) years. We used a scoring system that comprised 1-5 Likert-type items to assess training activity, interest in surgery, and interest in urology before and after the course. RESULTS: Before attending the program, the average scores of interest in urology were 3.53 in 2018, 3.15 in 2019, and 3.00 in 2020. The scores in surgery increased after the program; however, this was not significantly different from scores prior to the program. However, the average interest scores in urology were significantly increased to 3.91 ± 0.63 (P < .05), 3.88 ± 0.58 (P < .01), and 4.00 ± 0.61 (P < 0.01) in 2018, 2019, and 2020, respectively. Total likely scores of this program in 2018, 2019, and 2020 were 4.59, 4.76, and 4.88, respectively, indicating a motivation to study surgery and urology during clinical clerkship. CONCLUSIONS: Urological hands-on training facilitated interest in urology in medical students prior to their clinical clerkship.