Case Study: Foundations of a Successful Academic Surgery Development Program

Abstract

Medical students are often searching for ways to demonstrate leadership and to engage their peers in the career development process. At the University of Michigan Medical School, an academic surgery development program was created with the goal of providing opportunities to tackle these challenging aspects of professional development. This chapter provides an example of how medical students, residents, and faculty collaborated to facilitate productive relationships between medical students and surgeons. Many elements of Michigan’s “SCRUBS” group outlined below can be replicated or modified at any medical school. For those who see benefit and utility in the programming outlined here, we encourage medical students to take the initiative and reach out to faculty members, mentors and peers. Current medical students can be leaders at their own institutions by establishing career exposure and development, which will in turn benefit the futures of many other medical students.