Training Surgery Residents to be Leaders: Construction of a Resident Leadership Curriculum

Future Surgical Leaders: Resident Perception Of Longitudinal Leadership And Non-Technical Skills Curriculum

OBJECTIVE

A paucity of formal leadership training programs exists for residents, and outcomes of those are limited in reporting. Based on a robust needs assessment, our program created a longitudinal cohort curriculum, Future Surgical Leaders, for residents and fellows of all levels to provide training in nontechnical skills. Our objective was to evaluate surgical resident short-term outcomes and satisfaction with the Future Surgical Leaders (FSL) curriculum.

DESIGN

Participants were sent a brief survey after each session of the curriculum from October 2020 to February 2022. The data was compiled after seventeen months of delivery. Likert Scale responses and text comments were analyzed with a 2-sample t-test and 2-way analysis of variance.

SETTING

Academic tertiary institution.

PARTICIPANTS

General surgery residents.

RESULTS

Survey response rate from 54 sessions among all postgraduate year levels was 73%. Overall, 96% of residents/fellows either "agreed" or "strongly agreed" that the topics of the FSL curriculum were important to learn during surgical training. Only 24% of learners knew "a lot" or "a great deal" about the topics prior to the session which rose to 73% afterwards (p < 0.01). Each postgraduate year class showed statistically significant increase in knowledge. About 80% of learners wanted to investigate these topics further. Open comment questions identified themes requesting delivery of specific sessions earlier in residency training and positive overall attitudes toward the FSL curriculum.

CONCLUSIONS

FSL is a satisfactory means of teaching leadership skills to surgical residents. Residents recognize the need to develop leadership skills prior to entering practice and want to learn more. The FSL curriculum may be considered for application at other surgical training programs.

Postgraduate Year 6 Versus Postgraduate Year 7 Neurosurgical Chief Year: A Survey of Residents and Program Directors

OBJECTIVE

Recently, more neurosurgical residency programs have transitioned from a postgraduate year (PGY)-7 to a PGY-6 chief year. There has not been a national analysis of resident and program director perceptions regarding the timing of chief year conductance and its influence on overall program satisfaction.

METHODS

An online survey was distributed to all North American PGY 4-7 residents and program directors. Data regarding program size, protected research timing, chief year timing (PGY-6 vs. PGY-7), and resident and program director perceptions of the influence of neurosurgical chief year timing on program satisfaction and ability of residents to practice were recorded. Survey results were summarized descriptively.

RESULTS

A total of 134 respondents completed the survey. Thirty-five percent of respondents reported a recent program transition from a PGY-7 to PGY-6 chief year while 44% of respondents at programs conducting a PGY-7 chief year reported they were interested in transitioning to a PGY-6 chief year. The large majority (76%) of respondents at PGY-6 chief year programs stated they were overall satisfied with this. A large percentage of all respondents reported that a PGY-6 chief year provided increased opportunity for subspecialty focus, enfolded fellowships and career planning.

CONCLUSIONS

Program directors and residents at PGY-6 chief year programs report a high level of satisfaction with close to half of those at PGY-7 programs desiring to make this transition. Most PGY-6 chief year respondents report that this model allows for greater subspecialty focus and career planning during the PGY-7 year.