Abstract
Evidence suggests that early exposure to surgical techniques, surgical knowledge and mentors strongly correlates with students’ interest, knowledge and confidence in general surgery as a postgraduate career choice. Preclerkship exposure to surgery and implementation of a formal surgical curriculum is often restricted owing to attending surgeon time commitments and cost limitations. To promote earlier exposure to surgery, a group of senior medical students at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont., developed and implemented a novel pilot program with a surgical lecture series and a surgical skills laboratory for preclerkship students. This commentary discusses the effectiveness of these initiatives.