Gap Analysis of the Surgical Clerkships Experience According to the 2022 and 2023 AAMC GQ Survey

BACKGROUND: Surgery remains a male-dominated field, and mediating factors for this discrepancy remain ill-defined. Little research has explored the experience of female medical students in surgical clerkships, which can exert strong influence over career choice. This study investigates whether disparities in clerkship experiences contribute to this gender gap. METHODS: US medical students were surveyed on a variety of measures, including clerkship experiences, via the 2022 and 2023 AAMC GQ surveys. Differences in response pattern between male and female students were analyzed with chi-squared tests. RESULTS: In surgical clerkships, female students reported less physician oversight when performing histories (2022: 79.60% vs 86.20%; p<0.001, 2023: 82.40% vs 88.10%; p<0.001), physical, and mental status exams relative to their male counterparts (2022: 83.60% vs 88.90%; p<0.001, 2023: 86.70% vs 90.90%; p<0.001). For both males and female students, there was a raw increase in reported oversight in both categories from 2022 to 2023. CONCLUSION: Female medical students reported less physician oversight in surgical clerkships. This may stem from gender disparities in mentorship, bias towards male students, or conversely, greater trust in female students to perform histories and physicals. Regardless of etiology, gender disparities in clerkship oversight must be addressed as they hinder learning opportunities for female students and may contribute to the persistent gender gap in surgery. Notably, for both genders, oversight increased in 2023 compared to 2022, suggesting change in a positive direction. However, solutions are still needed to address gender discrepancies in the learning environment and empower a future generation of female surgeons.