Teaching surgery residents to teach: surgeons as educators symposium

Abstract

Purpose

Academic surgeons are, in theory, expected to excel in patient-care while producing ground-breaking research and educating the next generation. Residents undergo rigorous training in clinical care and research but rarely receive any formal instruction on the art and science of teaching. Unlike other specialties, in surgery formal resident education courses are rare despite the unique requirements and environment of the field.

Methods

To address this unmet need, a novel, two-day Surgeons as Educators Symposium (SES) was created for all PGY-1 and 2 house staff. Marshalling both professional educators and surgery faculty renowned for their teaching, the focus was on teaching concrete skills that residents could learn, practice, and immediately apply when working with medical students. Pre and post-surveys assessed course satisfaction; six-month follow-up surveys analyzed retention and utilization of skills.

Results

Of the 24 attendees, 91% reported that the Surgeons as Educators Symposium increased their ability to be an effective teacher; 100% indicated increased confidence, and 96% believed the course should be offered again next year. Participants found the session on “Feedback” most useful and will start using the “one-minute preceptor” strategy immediately. Participants would have preferred a one-day symposium with additional sessions scheduled intermittently throughout the year. At six months, over half of the respondents valued the course enough to want to take it again. The success of this course has led to its regular implementation at our institution.

Conclusions

Surgery residents feel like they need better instruction on how to teach. Existing models designed for internal medicine do not apply to the specific demands of surgery. We propose an innovate, successful program to fill an unmet need.