A pilot curriculum in international surgery for medical students

Background As medical student interest in global surgical care grows, a comprehensive curriculum is necessary to understand surgical care in resource-limited environments. Methods We developed a surgical elective encompassing a multiyear medical student curriculum, with the goal of improving students' understanding of global surgical care, consisting of a junior seminar and a senior clerkship. This student elective focused on the global burden of surgical disease, ethics of care in low-resource settings, and care of marginalized U.S. populations. Students who participated in the fourth year clerkship at a tertiary center in Northern India completed a reflective essay on their experience. Qualitative analysis was conducted using constant comparison and axial coding to establish a grounded theory. Results Medical students showed a desire to serve the poor, build collaborative relationships, and integrate international health into their future career. Conclusions This novel curriculum provides students a clinical and public health basis to understand challenges of surgical care in low-resource environments while laying the groundwork for students with a future career in global health.