What question did this study set out to answer?

This study aims to understand how early exposure influences medical students' perceptions and interest in neurosurgery.

April 12, 2026Canadian Journal of Surgery0 citationsOpen Access

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FOFranciska Otaner NBNorbert Banyi MMMeerab Majeed

Key Points

This study aims to understand how early exposure influences medical students' perceptions and interest in neurosurgery.
Conducted qualitative focus groups with 6 medical students from multiple universities.
Utilized semi-structured Zoom interviews and grounded theory for analysis.
Identified and discussed themes related to mentorship and curricular opportunities.
Early exposure through mentorship and clinical experiences increased interest in neurosurgery.
Gender-related barriers significantly deterred female students from pursuing neurosurgery.
Proposed reforms included enhancing access to neurosurgery electives and structured mentorship programs.

Abstract

Background: Despite student interest in neurosurgery, percep tions of the field are often shaped by stereotypes and limited expos ure.While early exposure is known to influence career decisions, few studies have explored its impact on medical student percep tions.Methods: We conducted a qualitative, multi institutional focus group with 6 medical students from Universit Laval, McGill University, and the University of Toronto to explore how early exposure shapes their perceptions of neurosurgery and iden tify potential strategies to support interest in the field.Participants were selected from a prior survey cohort.Semistructured Zoom interviews were transcribed and analyzed using grounded theory.Results: Three themes emerged: (1) early exposure through men torship, research, or clinical experiences promoted interest, coun tered stereotypes, and encouraged students to pursue further exposure; (2) genderrelated barriers, particularly around family planning and underrepresentation, were major deterrents for female students; and (3) curricular gaps limited opportunities to explore neurosurgery early, leaving some students feeling unpre pared to apply when interest developed later.Participants pro posed targeted reforms: introducing preclerkship electives, increasing access to neurosurgery during clerkship, offering simu lation opportunities, providing funding for conferences, and creating structured mentorship with diverse role models.To our knowledge, this was the first cross institutional qualitative study exploring Canadian medical student perceptions of neurosurgery.Addressing the barriers identified will require collaboration among medical schools to implement reforms that are consistent and sustainable across institutions.Conclusion: Equipping stu dents with earlier, broader, and more equitable opportunities to explore neurosurgery can help sustain student interest and support diversity within the field.Achieving these goals will require target ed developments in undergraduate medical education.

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