Journal of surgical education
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Transitioning from medical school and general surgery training to cardiothoracic (CT) surgical training poses unique challenges for trainees and patient care. We hypothesized that participation in technology-enhanced simulation modules that provided early exposure to urgent/emergent CT patient problems would improve cognitive skills and readiness to manage common urgencies/emergencies. ⋯ After completing a technology-enhanced course combining didactics, simulation, and real-time assessment, residents demonstrated objective improvements in cognitive skills and readiness in managing CT patients. Resident postcourse feedback indicated enhanced confidence, suggesting increased preparedness transitioning to CT surgery. This has strong implications for improved patient safety during these potentially labile transition periods.
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We conducted an in-depth empirical investigation to achieve a better understanding of the surgery clerkship from multiple perspectives, including the influence of clerkship sequence on performance, the relationship between self-logged work hours and performance, as well as the association between surgery clerkship performance with subsequent USMLE Step exams' scores. ⋯ Our finding suggests that the clerkship sequence does matter when it comes to performance on the surgery NBME subject exam. Performance on the surgery subject exam is predictive of subsequent performance on future USMLE Step exams.
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Ineffective cross-cultural communication contributes to adverse outcomes for minority patients. To address this, the authors developed a novel curriculum for surgical residents built on the principle of cultural dexterity, emphasizing adaptability to clinical and sociocultural circumstances to tailor care to the needs of the individual patient. This study's objective was to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and perception of this program upon conclusion of its first year. ⋯ Early implementation of the curriculum revealed that the tension between surgical residents' desire to improve their cultural dexterity and systemic/practical obstacles can be resolved. Combining surgically relevant didactic materials with experiential learning activities can change the paradigm of cross-cultural training.
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Multicenter Study
What Makes a Good Endoscopic Teacher: A Qualitative Analysis.
Teaching learners to perform endoscopic procedures is challenging, yet effective endoscopy teaching practices are not well-described in the literature, and prior studies have focused on perspectives of supervising physicians rather than learners. We sought to characterize, from the perspective of endoscopy learners, endoscopic teaching behaviors perceived as beneficial and detrimental to learning using qualitative methods. ⋯ Specific teaching behaviors may help or hinder learning of endoscopic skills. These behaviors may be useful for efforts related to teaching evaluation, faculty development, and direct teaching.
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Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is important in the management of critically ill patients, yet it has not been incorporated into many residency programs' curricula. Our objective is to determine if trainees undergoing a 60-minute training session on TTE have improved knowledge, ultrasound skills, and increases the utilization of TTE during their rotation in the intensive care unit (ICU). We will also compare the results of participants with prior TTE exposure to TTE-naïve trainees. Our hypothesis is that after the training, participants' will have improved knowledge and ultrasound skills compared to before training. Our secondary hypotheses are that TTE-naïve trainees will have greater improvements in knowledge scores compared to those who have had prior TTE experience and trainees will increase their use of TTE in the ICU. ⋯ A short didactic presentation on TTE use may be useful in teaching ICU trainees basic TTE skills and encouraging the use of bedside TTE in the ICU.