An Innovative Model for Preclinical Exposure: West Virginia University Externship in Anesthesia.

BACKGROUND: Medical students often have limited opportunities for clinical exposure in the first and second years of training, especially in the operating room setting. We describe one approach designed to address this deficiency. The West Virginia University externship in anesthesia provides students with first-hand experience observing and performing common procedures.

METHODS: Six externs worked with the anesthesia department for four weeks, learning the basics of anesthesia, anesthetic drugs, airway management, and intravenous line placement. The externs spent much of their time in the operating room, where they were exposed to a variety of cases. The externs evaluated the program before and after taking part.

RESULTS: Student participants expressed satisfaction with the externship experience. It increased their self-reported knowledge of and comfort level with certain perioperative procedures and concepts. Post-survey responses showed higher scores compared to the pre-survey responses.

CONCLUSIONS: An innovative model, the externship program promotes interest in anesthesia while introducing students to the operating room setting and training them to perform common clinical procedures.