Assessing Surgical Residents; Challenges and Future Options

Abstract

Surgical education has changed significantly since the first formal program was established by William Halstead. Specifically, in the last ten years, surgical education has moved from the popular "See One, Do One, Teach One" model to a competency based model using distinct milestones. While these milestones and competencies have been successfully implemented in many fields, including Otolaryngology, there remains significant problems that need to be addressed. Specifically, the lack of assessment tools able to accurately measure whether trainee surgeons can perform steps or indeed an entire operation is a significant and underreported problem.

Factors Associated with Attrition and Performance Throughout Surgical Training: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

“…Four of these studies are based on populations commencing surgical residency more than 20 years ago, in one case from 1967. A 2017 study outlines the different assessment tools used during residency and highlights the lack of effective tools to measure competence [ 46 ]. Further studies investigating the relationship between attrition and performance using standardised measures of performance are warranted.…”

Making bile duct injuries after laparoscopic cholecystectomy a 'near-never' event

“…13 Online platforms and phone applications hold promise, though they are still awaiting validation. 14 The final arbiter, to ensure a minimum quality of performance for a routine general surgery operation and provide a means for trainee assessment, will be the blinded review of CVS images.…”