Association for Surgical EducationUse of decision-based simulations to assess resident readiness for operative independence
Section snippets
Setting and participants
Study participants were graduating chief residents at an academic general surgery training program. Data collection occurred in a single setting approximately 1 month before graduation. This study was reviewed by the University of Wisconsin Health Sciences Institutional Review Board and was approved as a no more than minimal risk study. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants.
Simulated procedures
Chief residents performed 3 simulated surgical procedures. The procedures were selected to assess
Demographics
Six graduating chief residents completed this study. Half of the study participants were men. All the graduating residents planned to complete fellowships. Fellowship specialties included critical care (n = 2), minimally invasive surgery (n = 1), and colorectal surgery (n = 3). The participants logged total major cases ranging from 870 to 1,162 (mean = 974.8; standard deviation [SD] = 103.1). They also logged an average of 15.0 (SD = 2.6) LVH repairs; 20.7 (SD = 6.1) open small bowel
Comments
New requirements from ABS for documenting graduating resident skills in the clinical and operative environments have highlighted the need for standardized assessments of resident operative performance. In this study, 6 graduating chief residents performed 3 simulated operative procedures: LVH repair, bowel anastomosis, and pancreaticojejunostomy. The aim of this study was to assess graduating resident readiness for operative independence on 3 simulated procedures using multiple assessment
Acknowledgements
Funding for this study came from the Department of Defense grant no. W81XWH-13-1-0080 entitled, “Psycho-motor and Error Enabled Simulations: Modeling Vulnerable Skills in the Pre-Mastery Phase.”
References (26)
- et al.
Changing demographics of residents choosing fellowships: long-term data from the American Board of Surgery
J Am Coll Surg
(2008) - et al.
Trends in research time, fellowship training, and practice patterns among general surgery graduates
J Surg Educ
(2011) - et al.
Early subspecialization and perceived competence in surgical training: are residents ready?
J Am Coll Surg
(2013) - et al.
Operative experience of surgery residents: trends and challenges
J Surg Educ
(2013) - et al.
The American Board of Surgery Certifying Examination: a retrospective study of the decreasing pass rates and performance for first-time examinees
J Surg Educ
(2012) - et al.
Interventions to address challenges associated with the transition from residency training to independent surgical practice
Surgery
(2014) - et al.
A comprehensive examination for senior surgical residents
Am J Surg
(2000) - et al.
Testing technical skill via an innovative “bench station” examination
Am J Surg
(1997) - et al.
Faculty evaluation of simulation-based modules for assessment of intraoperative decision making
Surgery
(2011) - et al.
Outcome measures for surgical simulators: is the focus on technical skills the best approach?
Surgery
(2010)
Intra-operative decision making: more than meets the eye
J Biomed Inform
ACS transition to practice program offers residents additional opportunities to hone skills
Bull Am Coll Surgeons
Executive Director’s report: looking forward—February 2013
Bull Am Coll Surgeons
Cited by (0)
Funding for this study came from the Department of Defense grant number W81XWH-13-1-0080 entitled, “Psycho-motor and Error Enabled Simulations: Modeling Vulnerable Skills in the Pre-Mastery Phase”.