‘Never Going to be a Cut Above [the Rest].’ Medical Students’ Perceptions of How Their Personal Protected Characteristics Impacted Surgical Learning

Our study demonstrated discrepancies in student experience based not only on their individual protected characteristics but also upon the way these intersect with one another. This resulted in suboptimal learning, suggesting that attitudes of surgical placement staff and student peers require review to improve student experience in the learning environment. The findings of this study have implications for the academic performance of students and also their postgraduate performance and patient safety.