爱漫岛

Citation

Ashraf M, Ismahel H, Learmonth G, Bashir ABBA, Kennedy CK, Gillespie CS, Hudak K, Alabdulrahman M, Chaudhary A, Gardee A, Shah DM, Osman AR, Abdel-Fattah AM, Behan B & McCormick B (2025) Medical student perceptions and career intentions toward neurosurgery: results from an international multicentre study. Neurosurgical Review, 48, Art. No.: 661. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10143-025-03771-z

Abstract
Despite neurosurgery’s rapid evolution as a speciality, the presence of structured neurosurgical education in medical schools remains limited. There is growing concern that reduced exposure contributes to declining student interest in the field. The ScoTtish And iRish medical students’ perceptions Towards neurosurgery (STARTS) study aimed to assess medical students’ attitudes, perceptions, and experiences with neurosurgery, identifying factors that influence career interest and intent to pursue the speciality. A cross-sectional survey was distributed to medical students across Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland between January and June 2023. The study included all medical schools in these countries. The survey comprised demographic questions, Likert-scale responses, and free-text answers. Predictors of interest and intent to pursue neurosurgery were analysed using binomial generalised linear regression models. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis. A total of 2,795 complete responses were analysed. While 73% of students found neurosurgery interesting, only 25% intended to pursue it as a career. Neurosurgical interest was highest among first-year students and declined as they progressed through medical school. A lack of structured exposure was evident, with 89% of students having never completed a neurosurgical clinical placement and 84% reporting no direct exposure to the speciality. Factors significantly associated with an increased interest, and intention to pursue neurosurgery included membership in a student neurosurgical interest group (OR?=?2.14, p?

Keywords
Neurosurgery education; Medical student recruitment; Career interest; Exposure; Workforce development

Notes
Additional authors: Bryan Way Wern Lim, Caoilfhinn Tan, Dana Louise Hutton, Daniel Sescu, Emily Boyd, Hamzah S. Hanif, Huzefah Hanif, Jane Birdie Shi Qi Ong, Kateryna Kohut, Maha Shehab, Reagan O’Kane, Sarah-Jane Dempsey, Vidushi Sharma, Yu Heng Ho, Zara Tebay, Nadeen Ismahel, Saife Salem, Sophia Ismahel, Victoria Grace Collins, Javed Iqbal, Samih Hassan, Matthew R Walters, Roddy O’Kane, Naveed Ashraf & STARTS Study Group Collaborative

Journal
Neurosurgical Review: Volume 48