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BMC medical education 21(1), 525 (2021). doi:10.1186/s12909-021-02967-3, Published by BioMed Central, London

BackgroundIf the education of intensive care unit (ICU) residents focuses on individual learning behavior, the faculty’s style of teaching and level of supervision need to be adapted accordingly. The aim of this study was to delineate the associations between residents’ perceived learning behavior, experience, and demographics and their expectations with regard to teaching style and supervision levels.MethodsThis multicenter survey obtained data on ICU residents’ base specialty, duration of ICU training, individual postgraduate year, gender, and number of repetitions of ICU skills. Using 4-point Likert scales, residents assessed perceived learning behavior, expected teaching style, and supervision level for respective skills. Multivariate regression analysis was used to evaluate associations between assessed variables.ResultsAmong 109 residents of four interdisciplinary ICUs, 63 (58%) participated in the survey and 95% (60/63) questionnaires were completed. The residents’ perceived learning behavior was associated with number of skill repetitions (p p = 0.02), and skill type (p p p p p ConclusionFor effective learner-centered education, it appears useful to recognize how the residents’ learning behavior is affected by the number of skill repetitions and the skill type. Hence, faculty may wish to take into account the residents’ learning behavior, driven mainly by skill complexity and the number of skill repetitions, to deliver the appropriate teaching style and supervision level.

Background Surgical education is evolving under the dual pressures of an enlarging body of knowledge required during residency and mounting work-hour restrictions. Changes in surgical residency training need to be based on available educational models and research to ensure successful training of surgeons. Experiential learning theory, developed by David Kolb, demonstrates the importance of individual learning styles in improving learning. This study helps elucidate the way in which medical students, surgical residents, and surgical faculty learn. Methods The Kolb Learning Style Inventory, which divides individual learning styles into Accommodating, Diverging, Converging, and Assimilating categories, was administered to the second year undergraduate medical students, general surgery resident body, and general surgery faculty at the University of Alberta. Results A total of 241 faculty, residents, and students were surveyed with an overall response rate of 73%. The predominant learning style of the medical students was assimilating and this was statistically significant (p < 0.03) from the converging learning style found in the residents and faculty. The predominant learning styles of the residents and faculty were convergent and accommodative, with no statistically significant differences between the residents and the faculty. Conclusions We conclude that medical students have a significantly different learning style from general surgical trainees and general surgeons. This has important implications in the education of general surgery residents.

The detection of adenomatous lesions is a major indicator for quality and competence in colonoscopy. Little is known about adenoma detection rates (ADR) of endoscopy trainees. The aim of our study was to investigate the performance of trainee colonoscopists in detecting adenomas and to depict the shape of adenoma detection learning curves during apprenticeship. We retrospectively investigated a prospectively maintained database of a single tertiary referral center to reveal colonoscopies performed by trainee endoscopists during 2001 and 2013. Colonoscopy reports were chronologically retrieved and separately analyzed for each trainee. Using cumulative curves, courses of trainee’s Adenoma detection rates (ADR) during apprenticeship were displayed. Additionally, procedural data including cecal intubation rate and occurrence of complications were assessed. We retrospectively analyzed 4354 colonoscopies conducted by 10 trainee endoscopists (TE). A median number of 371 investigations were performed by each apprentice. Group ADR was 23%. No significant difference between aggregated ADRs at the beginning (23%) and at the end (22%) of apprenticeship could be determined (p = 0.70). However, individual learning curves showed considerable different slopes. Personal ADR values ranged between 17% and 31%. Overall cecum intubation rate was 99.0 %. Complication rates were low and fulfilled quality requirements recommended in guidelines. From the beginning of education, trainee colonoscopists are capable to provide high-quality investigations considering the detection of adenomas as a benchmark quality indicator. Nevertheless, performance differs markedly between investigators. Therefore, individual detection rates should be reviewed regularly to reveal further need for training.