• Areti Tillou, Jonathan R Hiatt, Michael J Leonardi, Chi Quach, and O Joe Hines.
• Department of Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-6904, USA. atillou@mednet.ucla.edu
• J Surg Educ. 2008 Nov 1;65(6):465-9.

ObjectiveThe first year of surgical training sometimes includes marginally educational or service-related tasks with limited direct interactions with faculty. We instituted a prototype rotation to address the changing needs and expectations of our intern class. This study was designed to evaluate the new rotation 17 months after it was implemented.DesignInterns spend 4 weeks in our outpatient surgery center. Elements of the rotation include performance of operative cases and perioperative management of outpatients under direct faculty supervision, daily one-on-one structured teaching sessions with faculty, and call coverage twice monthly. At the conclusion of the rotation, interns make a presentation on a topic of their choosing to a teaching conference. Rotation evaluations and case and work-hour logs for the outpatient surgery rotation (OSR) were compared with those for the remaining intern rotations combined. A faculty survey of the OSR also was conducted.ResultsThe OSR consistently received maximum overall ratings (4 of 4), significantly higher than the average overall score for the remaining rotations (3.17, p < 0.01). Similarly, teaching by faculty, time spent in the operating room, and quality of operating room time were rated significantly higher than for the other intern rotations (p ConclusionsChanging program requirements, time restrictions, public scrutiny, and increasing awareness for quality of life all obligate a paradigm shift in surgical education. Our outpatient rotation is logistically simple and rewarding both for residents and faculty.

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