Archives of surgery (Chicago, Ill. : 1960)
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We sought to determine whether US Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 score, American Board of Surgery (ABS) In-Training Examination (ABSITE) score, and other variables are associated with failing the ABS qualifying and certifying examinations. Identifying such factors may assist in the early implementation of an academic intervention for at-risk residents. ⋯ Residents who are more likely to fail the ABS qualifying and certifying examinations can be identified by a low USMLE Step 1 score and by poor performance on the ABSITE at any time during residency. These findings support the use of the USMLE Step 1 score in the surgical residency selection process and a formal academic intervention for residents who perform poorly on the ABSITE.
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To determine the impact of chemotherapy and the timing of chemotherapy on postoperative outcomes after mastectomy and immediate breast reconstruction. ⋯ Although the highest rate of surgical site infections was in the adjuvant chemotherapy group, there were no differences between groups with respect to unplanned return to the operating room, expander loss, and donor-site complications. Neither the inclusion of chemotherapy nor the timing of its administration significantly affected the complication rates after mastectomy and immediate breast reconstruction in this population.
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To describe the 1-year experience of a unique postgraduate medical education program set in Eritrea, a recently war-torn country. ⋯ The Partnership for Eritrea established a general surgical residency program that improved clinical care in a resource-poor country that previously had lacked postgraduate training. The program experience suggests a model that can be reproduced in other developing countries.