Medical student interest and recruitment in neurosurgery: a literature review.

ABSTRACT Objective Recent years witnessed the rise of publications describing factors influencing medical student recruitment in the field of neurosurgery such as undergraduate preparation, impact of research experience, and selection into residency programs. In this study, we provide a comprehensive review of the literature addressing the relationship of medical students within the field of neurosurgery. Methods A search of the literature was conducted on the PUBMED/Medline database through October 2018 to screen for studies on the subject of medical student interest and recruitment in neurosurgery. Papers were screened for eligibility, reviewed for inclusion and their findings critically discussed. Results Sixty-nine articles were included. The overwhelming majority of research on the relationship of medical students with neurosurgery was conducted in the US and UK. Data analysis was categorized into two groups: educational and non-educational factors. Eight areas of interest were identified including: baseline undergraduate education, early research involvement, attitude towards neuroscience, mentoring, existence of a gender gap, residency program requirements, availability of educational resources, and networking opportunities. Conclusion Our study bridges the gap of a fragmented knowledge on the topic of medical student involvement in neurosurgery with the aim to foster optimization of existing approaches. We suggest that medical institutions outside the US and UK implement university-based interest-groups to stimulate student interest with reinforced participation of faculty for leading educational initiatives and collaborative research. Finally, we advocate for the creation of national and international associations to support medical students in approaching the field of neurosurgery early in their education.