APEP - Anesthesiology Preceptorship Enrichment Program…A Popular Student Curriculum AND a Recruiting Tool?

BACKGROUND: APEP- Anesthesiology Preceptorship Enrichment Program, is a 7-month curriculum for MS1s and MS2s, providing early clinical exposure to anesthesiology. APEP students meet monthly with their anesthesiology preceptors in an intraoperative setting and review basic science lecture material with an anesthesia focus. APEP is a consistently popular annual curriculum, yet its effectiveness as a recruiting tool was unknown. This curriculum was evaluated for its effectiveness in attracting students into anesthesiology.

METHODS: Annual surveys were sent to APEP students querying if they were MORE or LESS interested in anesthesiology as a career choice after APEP participation. Because the survey was not anonymous, follow up data was obtained for each MS1 and MS2, confirming their match into anesthesiology. Non-survey data was also reviewed for students' APEP involvement, career choice and match results.

RESULTS: Of the 77 APEP students surveyed from 2006-2010, 54/77 (70%) were MORE interested in anesthesiology as a career choice after participating in APEP and 23 of the 54 (43%) applied to/matched into anesthesiology. Collected data also reinforced APEP's supporting role in developing student interest into the field of anesthesiology. From 2008-2012, of the 45 students who matched into anesthesiology, 28 (62%) were involved with APEP. Since the launch of APEP, there has been a 57% increase in students from the previous five years matching into anesthesiology which is 18 percentage points higher than the national upward trend.

CONCLUSIONS: APEP is an educational tool that is effective for attracting students into the field of anesthesiology.