Journal of surgical education
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Automaticity of Force Application During Simulated Brain Tumor Resection: Testing the Fitts and Posner Model.
The Fitts and Posner model of motor learning hypothesized that with deliberate practice, learners progress through stages to an autonomous phase of motor ability. To test this model, we assessed the automaticity of neurosurgeons, senior residents, and junior residents when operating on 2 identical tumors using the NeuroVR virtual reality simulation platform. ⋯ "Experts" display significantly more automaticity when operating on identical simulated tumors separated by a series of different tumors using the NeuroVR platform. These results support the Fitts and Posner model of motor learning and are consistent with the concept that automaticity improves after completing residency training. The potential educational application of our findings is outlined related to neurosurgical resident training.
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Simulation has been established as an integral part of microsurgical training. The aim of this study was to assess and categorize the various simulation models in relation to the complexity of the microsurgical skill being taught and analyze the assessment methods commonly employed in microsurgical simulation training. Numerous courses have been established using simulation models. ⋯ Simulation models should be validated, and a model with appropriate fidelity should be chosen according to the microsurgical skill being taught. Assessment should move from traditional simple subjective evaluations of trainee performance to validated tools. Future studies should assess the transferability of skills gained during simulation training to the real-life setting.
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Opioid abuse has become an epidemic in the United States, causing nearly 50,000 deaths a year. Postoperative pain is an unavoidable consequence of most surgery, and surgeons must balance the need for sufficient analgesia with the risks of overprescribing. Prescribing narcotics is often the responsibility of surgical residents, yet little is known about their opioid-prescribing habits, influences, and training experience. ⋯ Surgical trainees are relying almost exclusively on opioids for postoperative analgesia, often in excessive amounts. Residents are heavily influenced by their superiors, but are not receiving formal opioid-prescribing education, pointing to a great need for increased resident education on postoperative pain and opioid management to help change prescribing habits.
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To report on the status of residency-based wellness initiatives in ophthalmic graduate medical education and identify strategies for promoting ophthalmology resident wellness by surveying US ophthalmology program directors (PDs). ⋯ This survey suggests that there is a substantial burden of burnout and depression among residents in ophthalmic graduate medical education and that this burden can be addressed by promoting the training of educators to recognize the signs of burnout and depression, and providing resources to develop and expand formal wellness programs.
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Guidance on how to train faculty to conduct structured interviews and implement them into current screening processes is lacking. The goal of this study is to describe a structured interview training program designed specifically for surgeons and examine its effectiveness. ⋯ Implementation of a half-day course designed to teach principles and skills around structured interviewing and assessment demonstrated significant improvements in both interviewing knowledge and interrater agreement. These findings support the time and resources required to develop and implement a structured interview training program for surgeons for the postgraduate admissions process.