Journal of surgical education
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Underrepresented minority (URM) medical students face many educational challenges. Barriers include lack of equitable representation, scarce mentorship, and the effects of systemic racism. For students interested in diversity and health equity, perceptions of surgical culture may discourage pursuing surgical specialties. We describe a national pilot for a novel surgical pipeline program, Leadership Exposure for the Advancement of Gender and Underrepresented Minority Equity in Surgery (LEAGUES), which utilizes early exposure, mentorship, and community building to empower URM students in pursuit of academic surgical careers. ⋯ LEAGUES program participants acquired tools and motivation to pursue careers in surgery, and established valuable longitudinal network and mentor relationships. LEAGUES is a novel model for national surgical pipeline programs.
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The Virtual Recruitment Onion: Peeling Back the Layers of the Interview Season During the COVID-era.
We sought to characterize General Surgery residency program directors' (PDs) baseline perspective on how the COVID-19 mandated changes to the recruitment and interview processes impacted how the PDs evaluated and recruited the applicants. ⋯ A complete replacement of the in-person interviews with virtual-only interviews may be challenging unless buy-in exists from key stakeholders in the surgical community. Our study highlights the PDs' hesitation in assessing candidates' commitment to surgery from virtual interviews alone. Incorporating virtual interviews as a part of the screening process for applicants may serve as an avenue to maximize the benefits of the virtual interview format. Furthermore, COVID-19 pandemic has normalized the growing social media presence of residency programs, adding to the changing landscape of recruiting and interviewing applicants for General Surgery residency match.
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Comment Letter
A Comparison Between In-Person and Virtual Fellowship Interviews During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Traditional in-person fellowship interviews require great time and financial commitments. Here, we studied the response of program directors (PDs) and applicants to virtual interviews. Virtual interviews could decrease both financial and time commitments. ⋯ Most applicants and PDs agree that virtual interviews should be offered in the future. Twenty-five percent of participants reported that they believed virtual interviews negatively impacted their match. Given the overall acceptance of virtual interviews and the cost of in-person interviews, virtual interviews could be useful to incorporate into future interview seasons.
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Observational Study
The Implementation of Communication Didactics for OB/GYN Residents on the Disclosure of Adverse Perioperative Events.
Communication skills are key components of the patient-physician relationship, yet are not routinely taught during residency. Institutional data demonstrates 75% of residents regularly encounter difficult communication scenarios. This study's objective is to develop and pilot a communications didactic/skills training program for Obstetrics & Gynecology (OB/GYN) residents focused on the disclosure of adverse perioperative events. ⋯ A simulation-based formalized communication curriculum is effective for improving OB/GYN resident competence and skill levels in the disclosure of adverse perioperative events. Specific to adverse surgical complications, this curriculum appears feasible for implementation by other training programs. Further work is needed to identify the most beneficial timing and modality of these workshops.
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The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of redeployment of surgical trainees to intensive care units (ICUs) during the COVID-19 pandemic-in terms of transferrable technical and nontechnical skills and wellbeing. ⋯ Redeployment of surgical trainees to ICU led to increased confidence in a number of technical and nontechnical skills. However, proactive interventions are needed for training surgeons with regard to their psychological wellbeing in these extraordinary circumstances and to improve workforce planning for future pandemics.