Objective suturing skill assessment in a hands-on course increases medical students’ aspiration to become surgeons

We investigated whether suture training and objective evaluation contributed to an increase in the number of students who wanted to become surgeons. Medical students received two hours of suture training during hospital-based clerkship. An objective assessment system (A-LAP mini) was used to evaluate suturing skills objectively and assess progress. Before and after training, the level of aspiration to become a surgeon was surveyed using the visual analog scale (VAS). Two hundred fifteen students participated in suture training, and complete data were obtained from 185 students. The VAS score for aspiration to become a surgeon before training was 60 [35-79] and significantly increased to 65 [45-85] after the training (p < 0.001). Students with a VAS score of ≥ 50 before training were defined as the S group and Students with a VAS score of < 50 before training were defined as the P group. The VAS for expectations for training (I am excited about the training) was significantly higher in the S group than in the P group (S vs. P = 85.30 ± 15.69 vs. 73.97 ± 22.89, p < 0.001). Also, the VAS for enjoying the training (I enjoyed the training) was significantly higher in the S group than in the P group (S vs. P = 94.39 ± 8.14 vs. 90.13 ± 12.99, p = 0.007). There were no significant differences in other factors. Students with lower aspirations to become surgeons found the task more challenging than their peers. Suture training with objective evaluation motivated medical students to become surgeons.