Journal of surgical education
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General surgery and surgical subspecialty residents account for nearly 19% of US medical residents; however, it is well known that many surgical residents fail to graduate from their residency training program. We sought to comprehensively evaluate recent trends in nonprogression rates among surgical residents. ⋯ Our findings indicate that surgical residents are more likely to leave their initial residency program prior to completion than residents in medical specialties. Annualized ratios among subspecialties vary. General surgeons were the most likely and otolaryngology residents the least likely to discontinue their training.
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Burnout among trainee doctors is common with as many as two-thirds reporting poor health. This study aimed to assess burnout in a cohort of UK core and higher general surgical trainees. ⋯ Burnout among surgical trainees was common in at least 1 Maslach Burnout Inventory domain. Urgent counter measures are required to protect the health and wellbeing of trainees at risk, which ought to be associated with commensurate improvement in patient safety.
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Diversity is an ill-defined entity in general surgery training. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education recently proposed new common program requirements including verbiage requiring diversity in residency. "Recruiting" for diversity can be challenging within the constraints of geographic preference, type of program, and applicant qualifications. In addition, the Match process adds further uncertainty. We sought to study the self-identified racial/ethnic distribution of general surgery applicants to better ascertain the characteristics of underrepresented minorities (URM) within the general surgery applicant pool. ⋯ URM applicants represented a disproportionately smaller percentage of applicants selected for interview. USMLE Step 1 scores were lower among the URM applicants. Training programs that use discreet USMLE cutoffs are likely excluding URM at a higher rate than their non-URM applicants. Attempts to recruit racially/ethnically diverse trainees should include program-level analysis to determine disparities and a focused strategy to interview applicants who might be overlooked by conventional screening tools.
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The purpose of this study was to (1) examine the feasibility of intraoperative point of view video while performing open and endoscopic carpal tunnel release (CTR), (2) define surgical segments of CTR, and (3) describe the duration of various surgical steps of open versus endoscopic CTR in a teaching setting. ⋯ Point-of-view video capture is feasible for the capture of video during a common hand surgery procedure. A method for managing device battery power is necessary for future applications. CTR can be defined as, and described in, individual procedure segments potentially useful for surgical education as well as efficiency improvements. Identification of surgical segments may aid the development of better objective tools for the assessment of surgeon skill and competency for common orthopedic procedures.
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Neurosurgeons care for critically ill patients near the end of life, yet little is known about how well their training prepares them for this role. We surveyed a random sample of neurosurgery residents to describe the quantity and quality of teaching activities related to serious illness communication and palliative care, and resident attitudes and perceived preparedness to care for seriously ill patients. ⋯ Residents in our sample reported limited formal training, and relatively less observation and feedback, on required ACGME competencies in palliative care and communication. Most reported preparedness in this domain, but many were receptive to more training. Better quality and more consistent palliative care education in neurosurgery residency could improve competency and help ensure that neurosurgical care aligns with patient goals.