Journal of surgical education
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Is basic emergency ultrasound training feasible as part of standard undergraduate medical education?
Bedside ultrasonography is regularly used by surgeons and emergency physicians to perform focused assessment with sonography in trauma (FAST) in acutely-injured patients. Despite this, there is no formal ultrasound training in UK undergraduate curricula and postgraduate accreditation remains difficult to achieve. This study aims to assess the feasibility of teaching basic ultrasound skills to undergraduates using FAST scanning as a model module. ⋯ Undergraduate ultrasound tuition is an achievable educational goal which is well received by medical students. Medical schools need to consider the formal introduction of ultrasound teaching in their curricula to equip future doctors with relevant skill sets. The role of handheld ultrasound machines requires further investigation.
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The American Board of Surgery In-Training examination (ABSITE) first was administered in 1975 to evaluate a resident's general knowledge as well as the deficiencies within the resident and surgical program. The added importance of this examination in recent years stems from a correlation between ABSITE performance and performance on the American Board of Surgery qualifying examination. However, data are lacking in regard to how fellowship programs view ABSITE scores when considering applicants. Thus, this study was initiated to determine the importance of the ABSITE for surgical residents applying to fellowships. ⋯ The ABSITE score is an important factor for residents applying to surgical fellowship; however, more weight is given to candidates' letters of recommendation and his or her residency program. Applicants should aim to score above the 50th percentile to be competitive for most fellowship programs.
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Given the investment that programs make to simulation training, it is important to evaluate its effects on student learning. Tasks (e.g., gowning and gloving, suturing) are typically taught in isolation over a series of linked sessions. This study assessed students' ability to integrate such tasks while executing an unrehearsed procedure before and after a new simulation curriculum was introduced. ⋯ The revised curriculum had a positive impact on students' mastery of basic surgical skills, despite the loss of the animal laboratory. Implications for instruction include greater use of discovery-learning techniques to teach productive versus reproductive skills.
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The purpose of this study was to determine whether students' performance evaluations by faculty were influenced by the clinical service on which the student was evaluated. ⋯ The assessment of a surgical student's clinical performance is influenced by the specific services on which he/she has rotated and may be related to the length of the rotation. Research is needed to determine whether the differences among services should be considered as a source of error in grading or considered to reflect the particular challenge of the service.
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Recent changes to postgraduate training in the United Kingdom have led to considerable debate regarding selection processes for specialist training (ST) positions. A survey of the opinion of a group of consultants on the relative importance of selection criteria for entry into the first year of specialist training (ST 1) was conducted. ⋯ Consultants place the most emphasis on previous specialty-specific experience and additional research degrees when considering selection for ST 1, bringing into question the generic nature of foundation training. Consultants preferred to maintain some subjective controls over purely objective markers in the selection process. Thus, there is little support for a nationalized ranked examination as a shortlisting tool, and an interview is recognized as essential for appointment to ST 1. There is a need to build on these preliminary findings by conducting further investigations before changes to selection methodology are implemented.