[Practical courses for students can not only improve the teaching quality but can also increase the attractiveness of orthopaedic and trauma surgery].

BACKGROUND: Students often complain about a lack of teaching of practical skills. This may be a cause for the low attractiveness of surgical disciplines. We therefore established a practical course to improve teaching quality to inspire the students for orthopedic and trauma surgery.

METHODS: The platforms of the course included the teaching and acquisition of suture techniques, arthroscopy and osteosynthesis techniques. A total of 119 students participated in 9 courses and performed a detailed evaluation.

RESULTS: The main motivation to participate was (i) to acquire practical skills (93 %), (ii) to learn about orthopaedic and trauma surgery (66 %) and (iii) to facilitate decision-making for the occupational choice (21 %). 94 % judged the quality of the course as "excellent", and all 119 participants indicated that they would recommend the course to other students. 43 of 45 students, who had not yet decided on their occupational choice, indicated that the course stimulated them for a career in orthopaedic and trauma surgery.

CONCLUSION: This course not only can improve the teaching quality but also can increase the attractiveness of muskuloskeletal surgery.