Journal of surgical education
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Lectures are traditionally used for teaching declarative knowledge. One established tool for clinical education is the demonstration of a real patient. The use of real patients in the daily clinical environment is increasingly difficult. The use of a virtual patient simulator (VPS) can potentially circumvent these problems. Unlimited availability and the opportunity of an electronic feedback system could possibly enrich traditional lectures by enabling more interactivity that meets the expectations of the current student generation. As students face the consequences of their own decisions they take a more active role in the lecture. VPS links declarative knowledge with visual perception that is known to influence students' motivation. Until now, there have been no reports covering the usage and validation of interactive VPS for supporting traditional lectures. ⋯ We successfully developed and evaluated a custom-made 3D VPS for supporting the traditional lecture. VPS is probably an effective instrument that might replace real patients in selected lectures and prepare students for bedside teaching.
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The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education measures surgical residents' experience in the United States by mandating that residents log each procedure in which they have participated. This system is the primary mechanism by which breadth and depth of surgical training are documented, and data are used for program accreditation and by individual program directors to assess resident preparedness. The study objective was to learn from residents across surgical specialties how this system is being used, and whether they believe these data are reliable. ⋯ Inconsistency of logging habits and perceived lack of accuracy raise concerns about use of the system for assessing surgical preparedness or accrediting training programs. Academic departments playing an active role may benefit from more reliable data to guide improvements in surgical training.
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Grand rounds offer an excellent opportunity for the evaluation of medical expertise, and other competencies, such as communication and professionalism. The purpose of this study was to develop a tool that would facilitate the provision of formative feedback for grand rounds to improve learning. The resulting CanMEDS-based evaluation tool was piloted in an academic surgical department. ⋯ This pilot study presents a CanMEDS-specific evaluation tool that can be applied to surgical grand rounds. With the increasing adoption of competency-based medical education, comprehensive evaluation of surgical activities is required. This form provides a template for the development of competency-based evaluation tools for medical and surgical learning activities.
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Integrated (0 + 5) vascular surgery (VS) residency programs must include 24 months of training in core general surgery. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education currently does not require specific case numbers in general surgery for 0 + 5 trainees; however, program directors have structured this time to optimize operative experience. The aim of this study is to determine the case volume and type of cases that VS residents are exposed to during their core surgery training. ⋯ 0 + 5 VS residents perform significantly more open operations than laparoscopic operations during their core surgery training. The majority of these operations are minor, nonabdominal procedures. The 0 + 5 VS residency program general surgery operative training requirements should be reevaluated and case minimums defined. The general surgery training component of 0 + 5 VS residencies may need to be restructured to meet the needs of current and future trainees.
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It is currently unknown whether formal research training has an influence on academic advancement in plastic surgery. The purpose of this study was to determine whether formal research training was associated with higher research productivity, academic rank, and procurement of extramural National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding in plastic surgery, comparing academic surgeons who completed said research training with those without. ⋯ Current evidence demonstrates that formal research training is associated with higher scientific productivity and increased likelihood of future NIH funding.