Search

Balancing resident education with operating room (OR) efficiency, while accommodating different styles of surgical educators and learners, is a challenging task. We sought to evaluate variability in operative time for breast surgery cases. Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education case logs of breast operations from 2011 to 2017 for current surgical residents at Loma Linda University were correlated with patient records. The main outcome measure was operative time. Breast cases were assessed as these operations are performed during all postgraduate years (PGY). Breast procedures were grouped according to similarity. Variables analyzed included attending surgeon, PGY level, procedure type, month of operation, and American Society of Anesthesiologists class. Of 606 breast cases reviewed, median overall operative time was 150 minutes (interquartile range 187-927). One-way analysis of covariance demonstrated statistically significant variation in operative time by attending surgeon controlling for covariates (PGY level, procedure, American Society of Anesthesiologists class, and month) (P = 0.04). With institutional OR costs of $30 per minute, the average difference between slowest and fastest surgeon was $2400 per case [(218-138) minutes × $30/min]. Minimizing variability for common procedures performed by surgical educators may enhance OR efficiency. However, the impact of case length on surgical resident training requires careful consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-site robotic cholecystectomy (SSRC) accounts for most of the robotic surgery cases performed by general surgeons at our institution since acquiring the da Vinci Si Surgical SystemTM (Intuitive Surgical, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA) in 2014. We sought to determine whether a SSRC program is safe to start in a public teaching hospital and to determine whether resident participation in this procedure is feasible. Data on age, gender, race, BMI, total operative time, length of stay, comorbidities, and conversion from laparoscopic to open surgery were examined for elective SSRC and laparoscopic cholecystectomies (LCs) performed by two faculty surgeons between February 2015 and August 2015. Thirty-eight patients underwent elective SSRC, whereas 27 patients underwent LC. Residents participated as operating surgeons for some portion of the case in 15 SSRC cases and in all LC cases. There were no significant differences in operative time, length of stay, or 30-day readmission rates, regardless of resident involvement. Patients in the SSRC group had a significantly lower BMI (25.8 vs 33.7, P = 0.008). This study suggests that resident participation does not increase complications or total operative time and that SSRC is a safe procedure to start in a public teaching hospital after proper faculty and resident training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons rectal cancer checklist describes a set of best practices for rectal cancer surgery. The objective of this study was to assess the quality of operative reports for rectal cancer surgery based on the intraoperative American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons checklist items. Patients undergoing rectal cancer surgery at two public teaching hospitals from 2009 to 2015 were included. A total of 12 intraoperative checklist items were assessed. One hundred and fifty-eight operative reports were reviewed. Overall adherence to checklist items was 55 per cent, and was significantly higher in attending versus resident dictated reports (67% vs 51%, P < 0.01). Senior residents had significantly higher adherence to checklist items than junior residents (55% vs 44%, P < 0.01). However, overall adherence to rectal cancer checklist items was low. This represents an opportunity to improve the quality of operative documentation in rectal cancer surgery, which could also impact the technical quality of the operation itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Despite a growing demand for skilled clinician-educators, residents today rarely receive formal training in clinical teaching, curriculum development, administration, leadership, or educational scholarship. The authors describe the development, implementation, and preliminary evaluation of the O'Connor Stanford Leaders in Education Residency (OSLER) track, a novel clinician-educator track within the family medicine residency program affiliated with Stanford University School of Medicine.Methods: In 2010, the OSLER track was introduced at O'Connor Hospital, a community hospital that houses an 8-8-8 family medicine residency program. Residents who are in good standing can apply to the track at the midpoint of their first postgraduate year. Residents are immersed in a flexible, experience-based, 2.5-year-long curriculum with hands-on teaching activities at its core. To foster skills in educational scholarship, track residents are required to design and complete a scholarly project.Results: A comprehensive evaluation plan is currently in progress. Preliminary data indicates high levels of satisfaction with the track's overall value, impact on core teaching skills, and effect on career trajectory. Residents gained more confidence in core teaching skills as they progressed through the track. Scholarly work output by residents has increased significantly since the track was implemented. The residency program has seen an increased interest from applicants since the track was started, with data suggesting that applicant quality has increased from the pre-track to post-track years.Conclusions: More research is needed to assess the effectiveness and reproducibility of this clinician-educator track. If proven, this model may be replicated at other academic medical centers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The standard letter of recommendation (SLOR) is used by most emergency medicine (EM) faculty to submit evaluations for medical students applying for EM residency programs. In the global assessment score (GAS) section, there is a crucial summative question that asks letter writers to estimate the applicant's rank order list (ROL) position in their own program. The primary aim of the study was to determine if these estimated global assessment tiers agreed with the actual ROL, using the criteria recommended by the Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors (CORD). Methods: Data from SLORs written by EM faculty from five California institutions were retrospectively collected from the 2008-2009 residency application year. Descriptive and comparative statistical analyses were performed using the documented GAS tiers and actual ROL positions. Results: A total of 105 SLORs were reviewed from the five participating institutions. Three SLORs were excluded and 102 were analyzed. Only 27 (26%) SLORs documented a GAS tier that accurately predicted the applicant's actual ROL position. The GAS tier overestimated the applicant's position on the ROL in 67 (66%) SLORs, whereas it underestimated the position in eight (8%) SLORs. Accuracy was poor regardless of the number of letter writers on the SLOR (p = 0.890), the writer's administrative title (p = 0.326), whether the student was a home or visiting student (p = 0.801), or if the student had prior EM rotation experience (p = 0.793). Conclusions: Standard letter of recommendation writers are inaccurate in estimating the ROL position of the applicant using the GAS tier criteria. The GAS tiers were accurate only 26% of the time. Because of the valuable role that the SLOR plays in determining an applicant's competitiveness in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) in EM, future discussion should focus on improving the consistency and accuracy of the GAS section. Furthermore, there needs to be a national dialogue to reassess the utility of the criterion-based GAS within the SLOR. ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2010; 17:S38-S41 © 2010 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To augment resident training in the delivery of culturally effective care in order to improve clinician capacity to effectively care for patients from diverse backgrounds. Methods Residents from the Naval Medical Center San Diego and the University of California San Diego participated in experiential learning and service activities. Programme evaluation assessed aspects of the delivery of culturally effective care in community settings. A community-based participatory approach to engaging residents in the delivery of culturally effective care and evaluation of the effectiveness of this approach are described. Results A significant pre−post rotation increase was noted in residents' self-perceived ability to identify culture-related issues that may impact on the patient's view of illness ( P < 0.001) and ability to address a culture-related issue ( P < 0.001). Community evaluations rated residents positively on behaviours that reflected communication skills and professionalism, but less positively on knowledge about communities. Conclusions The authors conclude that resident exposure to the block rotation curriculum contributes to improved knowledge of the skills necessary to provide culturally effective care in diverse community settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Resident physicians are expected to demonstrate medical knowledge. However, little is known about the residents' reading habits and learning preferences. Aim: To assess residents’ reading habits and preferred educational resources. Methods: Residents at five internal medicine training programs were surveyed regarding their reading and learning habits and preferences. Results: The majority (77.7%) of residents reported reading less than 7 h a week. Most residents (81.4%) read in response to patient care encounters. The preferred educational format was electronic; 94.6% of residents cited UpToDate® as the most effective resource for knowledge acquisition, and 88.9% of residents reported that UpToDate® was their first choice for answering clinical questions. Conclusions: Residents spent little time reading and sought knowledge primarily from electronic resources. Most residents read in the context of patient care. Future research should focus on strategies for helping resident physicians learn in the electronic age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that high school students Brett Kaplan and Ashley Chang participated in a 2010 summer internship program at Aspen Surgery Center in Simi Valley, California.