Introduction. Applying Skills in General Surgery is an elective course designed to encourage student interest in general surgery and to prepare students for surgical residency through daily didactic sessions, daily cadaveric simulations of common surgical procedures, and a porcine laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Methods. Fifteen third- and fourth-year medical students enrolled in the elective were given pre- and postcourse surveys with Likert scale questions evaluating perceptions of preparedness for residency and medical specialty choice. Survey results were compared using paired Student's t-test where P < 0.05 is significant. Results. Thirteen students had chosen a career in general surgery or a surgical subspecialty (Orthopedics, ENT, Urology); one was undecided, and one had chosen anesthesiology. Students who had chosen a specialty prior to the course were, on average, greater than ''somewhat sure'' of their career choice (AVG 4.38, SD 0.82) and postcourse surveys demonstrated no change in specialty choice. However, the top two reasons students enrolled in the course were to improve technical skills (>90%) and to prepare for residency (40%). Subjective data evaluating preparedness for residency are presented in the table. TABLE-ABSTRACT 64Pre-coursePost-courseP-valAVGSDAVGSDI understand the:Underlying anatomy3.470.924.670.620.002Role of radiology3.600.833.800.860.424Diagnostic algorithm3.071.164.130.740.008Treatment algorithm2.801.014.070.700.004I am comfortable with my:Suturing skill level3.000.934.330.620.001 Conclusions. Although the Applying Skills in General Surgery course does not appear to influence medical students' choice of specialty, this innovative educational model is excellent preparation for surgical residency based upon reported improvement in medical students' surgical skills and fund of knowledge regarding underlying surgical anatomy and algorithms of surgical diagnosis and treatment.