Background Recent studies have revealed a high rate of burnout among general surgery (GS) residents. Efforts to design and implement interventions to mitigate fatigue in surgical trainees are critical. Our aim was to assess the educational and wellness impact of outpatient scribe utilization at an academic GS residency program. Methods Electronic surveys were sent to 38 GS residents and 15 faculties who used outpatient scribes for at least 12 months. Questions were scored on a 5-point Likert scale with answers of “Strongly agree” or “Agree” representing affirmative responses. Results Thirty residents and 14 faculty completed the survey, resulting in an 83% overall response rate. Twenty-eight (93%) residents and 12 (86%) faculty believed that scribes decrease the daily workload of trainees. Twenty-seven (90%) residents felt that scribes allow them more time to focus on patient care and improve the quality of their surgical education. Ninety-three percent of residents (n = 28) and faculty (n = 13) believed that scribes enhance resident well-being. Twenty-four (80%) residents reported that scribes help improve adherence to duty hour restrictions. Twenty-five (83%) residents believed that utilizing scribes is an effective fatigue mitigation strategy for surgical training programs. Conclusion Our findings demonstrate that the implementation of an outpatient scribe program at an academic GS residency program may enhance resident education and wellness.

RESULTS: Totally 115 Swiss medical students were enrolled in our study. The mean precourse ultrasound exam score was 39.5% for the simulation group and 41.6% for the didactic group (P>0.05). The mean pre-course physiology exam score was 54.1% for the simulation group and 59.3% for the didactic group (P>0.05). The simulation group showed statistically significant improvement on the physiology exam, improving from 54.1% to 75.3% (P<0.01). The didactic group also showed statistically signifi cant improvement on the physiology exam, improving from 59.3% to 70.0% (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Our data indicates that both simulation curriculum and standard didactic curriculum can be used to teach ultrasound. Simulation based training showed statistically signifi cant improvement in physiology learning when compared to standard didactic curriculum.

Background Due to challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, residency programs in the United States conducted virtual interviews during the 2020-2021 application season. As a result, programs and applicants may have relied more heavily on social media–based communication and dissemination of information. Objective We sought to determine social media’s impact on residency applicants during an entirely virtual application cycle. Methods An anonymous electronic survey was distributed to 465 eligible 2021 Match applicants at 4 University of California Schools of Medicine in the United States. Results A total of 72 participants (15.5% of eligible respondents), applying to 16 specialties, responded. Of those who responded, 53% (n=38) reported following prospective residency accounts on social media, and 89% (n=34) of those respondents were positively or negatively influenced by these accounts. The top three digital methods by which applicants sought information about residency programs included the program website, digital conversations with residents and fellows of that program, and Instagram. Among respondents, 53% (n=38) attended virtual information sessions for prospective programs. A minority of applicants (n=19, 26%) adjusted the number of programs they applied to based on information found on social media, with most (n=14, 74%) increasing the number of programs to which they applied. Survey respondents ranked social media’s effectiveness in allowing applicants to learn about programs at 6.7 (SD 2.1) on a visual analogue scale from 1-10. Most applicants (n=61, 86%) felt that programs should use social media in future application cycles even if they are nonvirtual. Conclusions Social media appears to be an important tool for resident recruitment. Future studies should seek more information on its effect on later parts of the application cycle and the Match.

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