Journal of surgical education
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To examine the relationship between and predictive nature of United States Medical Licensing Examination(®) (USMLE) Step 1, Step 2, and American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination (ABSITE) postgraduate year (PGY) 1-5 scores from 2 general surgery programs from 1999-2009, with a goal of discerning how Step 1 and Step 2 scores should be used in resident selection and screening. ⋯ USMLE Step 1 scores showed limited utility in predicting later ABSITE scores whereas Step 2 scores were more predictive of all years of ABSITE scores. These findings should prompt additional research into the relationship between examination performances at different points along the general surgery education continuum. In the mean time, general surgery program directors and faculty might do well to examine the relationships between Step 1 and Step 2 scores and ABSITE scores in their own programs to evaluate the usefulness of considering either score when ranking potential residents for selection into a program.
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Comparative Study
Teaching first or teaching last: does the timing matter in simulation-based surgical scenarios?
The optimal timing of instruction in simulation-based scenarios remains unclear. We sought to determine how varying the timing of instruction, either before (teaching first) or after (teaching last) the simulation, affects knowledge outcomes of surgical trainees. ⋯ Participants who received instruction after simulated scenarios achieved higher mean knowledge scores than those who received instruction before simulated scenarios. Cognitive overload, stress, or activation of prior knowledge could all be involved as causal mechanisms.
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Comparative Study
How accurate is the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Resident survey? Comparison between ACGME and in-house GME survey.
Increasing importance is being assigned to the annual Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Resident/Fellow survey. In certain circumstances, the survey has prompted site visits for programs with significant areas of noncompliance. However, the dichotomous "yes/no" responses available for most questions on the ACGME survey limit the range of resident responses. Our Graduate Medical Education (GME) department administers an annual survey similar in content to the ACGME survey but with answers using a 5-point Likert scale. The purpose of the current study was to compare the responses obtained on the ACGME survey with our in-house GME survey. ⋯ The results of the current study suggest that responses obtained on the ACGME survey may inaccurately reflect the magnitude of noncompliance found in certain areas. We propose that this discrepancy may be a result of the limited range of responses available on the ACGME survey.
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Comparative Study
Disparity between actual case volume and the perceptions of case volume needed to train competent general surgeons.
Variances between resident expectations and faculty expectations may create conflict and/or dissatisfaction. The objective of this study was to determine if resident expectations of case requirements differed significantly from faculty expectations and/or national and program averages. ⋯ Resident and faculty perceptions of the number of cases needed for a competent graduating general surgery resident differ substantially from each other as well as from actual means. Improved education of each group to better align expectations with reality may improve satisfaction during training and confidence upon completion of training.