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Resident perception of fundamental endoscopic skills exam: a single institution’s experience

  • 2019 SAGES Oral
  • Published:
Surgical Endoscopy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

Graduating general surgery residents are required to pass the FES exam for ABS certification. Trainees and surgery educators are interested in defining the most effective methods of exam preparation. Our aim is to define trainee perceptions, performance, and the most effective preparation methods regarding the FES exam.

Methods

General surgery residents from a single institution who completed the FES exam were identified. All participated in a flexible endoscopy rotation, and all had access to an endoscopy simulator. Residents were surveyed regarding preparation methods and exam difficulty. Descriptive statistics and a Kruskal–Wallis test were used.

Results

A total of 26 trainees took the FES exam with a first-time pass rate of 96.2%. Of 26 surveys administered, 21 were completed. Twenty trainees (76.9%) participated in a dedicated endoscopy curriculum. Scores were not different among those who received dedicated curricular instruction compared to those who did not (547 [IQR 539–562.5] vs. 516 [484.5–547], p = 0.1484; 535.5 [468.5–571] vs. 519 [464.75–575], p = 0.9514). Written exam difficulty was rated as 5.5 on a 10-point Likert scale, and 85.7% felt it was a fair assessment of endoscopy knowledge; skills exam difficulty was rated as 7, and 71% felt it was a fair assessment of endoscopy skills. Online FES modules, the endoscopy clinical rotation, and an exam preparation session with a faculty member were most effective for written exam preparation. The most effective skills exam preparation methods were independent simulator practice, the endoscopy clinical rotation, and a preparation session with a faculty member. The most difficult skills were loop reduction and retroflexion. Skill decay did not appear to be significant.

Conclusions

A clinical endoscopy rotation, a method for independent skills practice, and faculty-mediated exam instruction appear to be effective exam preparation methods. When these are present, trainees report minimal need for dedicated exam preparation time prior to taking the FES exam.

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Funding

This work received no funding.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    Jacqueline J. Blank, Theresa B. Krausert, Lisa R. Olson, Matthew I. Goldblatt, Brian D. Lewis, Philip N. Redlich & Andrew S. Kastenmeier

  2. Department of Biostatistics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    Robert Treat

  3. Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI, 53226, USA

    Andrew S. Kastenmeier

Authors
  1. Jacqueline J. Blank
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  2. Theresa B. Krausert
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  3. Lisa R. Olson
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  4. Matthew I. Goldblatt
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  5. Brian D. Lewis
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  6. Philip N. Redlich
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  7. Robert Treat
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  8. Andrew S. Kastenmeier
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Contributions

All authors have significantly contributed to the design of study, data analysis, drafting and approving the final version of the manuscript. All authors agree to be accountable for all aspects of this work. JJB, TBK, PNR, ASK—Study conception and design. JJB, LRO, ASK—Acquisition of data. JJB, RT, ASK—Analysis and interpretation of data. JJB, ASK—Drafting of manuscript. JJB, TBK, LRO, MIG, BDL, PNR, RT, ASK—Critical revision. JJB, TBK, LRO, MIG, BDL, PNR, RT, ASK—Approval of final version of this work. JJB, TBK, LRO, MIG, BDL, PNR, RT, ASK—Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andrew S. Kastenmeier.

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Disclosures

Jacqueline J Blank, Theresa B Krausert, Lisa R Olson, Matthew I Goldblatt, Brian D Lewis, Philip N Redlich, Robert Treat, and Andrew S Kastenmeier have no conflicts of interest or financial ties to disclose.

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Blank, J.J., Krausert, T.B., Olson, L.R. et al. Resident perception of fundamental endoscopic skills exam: a single institution’s experience. Surg Endosc 34, 4645–4654 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00464-019-07235-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00464-019-07235-6

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