UC Irvine

Early clinical exposure is key to medical students’ learning experiences, yet institutions differ vastly in the opportunities they offer to students. Currently, UC Irvine School of Medicine (UCISOM) only offers formal surgical scrub training at the start of clinical rotations (MS3) and does not offer any scrub training during the preclinical years (MS1-MS2), which may limit early learning opportunities in the operating room (OR). This study aimed to understand medical student preferences on the timing of surgical scrub training and barriers to learning in the OR. In an anonymous Qualtrics survey disseminated across all 4 UCISOM classes from 2/23/24 to 4/1/24, the majority of students stated that surgical scrub training should be offered in the preclinical years. Students also reported anxieties around OR learning that extended beyond technical skills to include OR hostility, suggesting a need to investigate how OR culture affects students' confidence in rotations. These results demonstrate a need to increase access to OR learning opportunities through a preclinical scrub training program. This study also serves as a starting point for understanding how medical programs can support their preclinical students in the pursuit of hands-on learning environments.