Medical Student Awareness of Pediatric Ophthalmology as a Potential, Future Vocation.

Purpose: To explore whether earlier exposure to the pediatric ophthalmology subspecialty could help foster interest and enhance recruitment efforts among medical students to more effectively develop and connect with potential, future pediatric ophthalmologists.

Methods: A 22-question survey was administered via Qualtrics to medical students at 13 different accredited medical schools.

Results: The survey garnered 392 complete responses. Demographically, respondents included 34% men and 66% women, with the largest participant category being MS-2 level (44%) in the survey. Three-quarters of students expressed potential interest in working with children as practicing physicians. Notably, only 8% of students had encountered pediatric ophthalmology rotations during their training, and 40% were uninformed about the training necessary to pursue a pediatric ophthalmology fellowship. The following associations with higher awareness of pediatric ophthalmology were found to be statistically significant: female gender identity, individuals with a family member or friend who is an ophthalmologist, and students with a personal medical history involving an ophthalmologist.

Conclusions: This study highlights the significant deficiency in medical student exposure and education concerning pediatric ophthalmology. By recognizing this knowledge gap, this study underscores the necessity of enhancing pediatric ophthalmology exposure for medical students as a viable and rewarding career option.