Satisfaction From Plastic Surgery Residency: A National Survey

Determinants of satisfaction and self-perceived proficiency of trainees in surgical residency programs at a single institution

BACKGROUND

We aimed to identify factors contributing to training program satisfaction and self-perceived proficiency of residents in 5 integrated surgical residency programs within the same referral institution.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional survey including all senior surgical residents in all integrated sub-specialty and general surgery residency programs at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital (TASH) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Training programs were assessed on 6 educational components including operative case volume and diversity, intra-operative hands-on training, morning teaching sessions, seminars, ward rounds, and research opportunities.

RESULTS

Of 82 eligible residents, 69 (84.1%) responded to the survey. Overall resident satisfaction (rated from 0-10) varied between the 5 training programs, from a mean of 6.03 to 7.89 (overall p = 0.03). The percentage of residents who agreed they would be proficient by the end of their training ranged from 44.2%-88.9%. General surgery residents had the lowest overall satisfaction score, and lowest scores in all educational components except seminar teaching. In multivariable analysis, operative case volume and diversity (AOR 3.67; 95% CI, 1.24-10.83; P = 0.019), and hands-on training (AOR 4.15; 95% CI, 1.27-13.5; P = 0.018) were significantly associated with overall resident satisfaction. In ordinal logistic regression, hands-on training (OR 3.94, 95% CI, 1.69-9.2; P = 0.001), and seminar sessions (OR 2.43, 95% CI, 1.11-5.33; P = 0.028) were significantly associated with self-perceived proficiency.

CONCLUSION

Different surgical residency training programs within the same institution had divergent resident satisfaction scores and proficiency scores. Operative case volume and diversity, and intraoperative hands-on training are the most important predictors of resident satisfaction while hands-on training and seminar sessions independently predicted self-perceived proficiency. Attention to these key components of resident education is likely to have a strong effect on training outcomes.

Satisfaction of Saudi Board Plastic Surgery Residents with the Training Program: A National Survey

BACKGROUND

It is well established in the literature that the satisfaction of trainees correlates with higher productivity and efficiency during training years. The satisfaction rate of Saudi Board of Plastic Surgery trainees has not been investigated since its establishment in 2001. Therefore, we aimed to measure the satisfaction rate of local trainees and detail the predictors of satisfaction.

METHODS

This study was conducted on September 9-13, 2021. The study is a cross-sectional, nation-wide study utilizing a self-structured questionnaire targeting all plastic surgery residents in Saudi Arabia. IRB approval and approval from the governing body of residency programs in Saudi Arabia were obtained.

RESULTS

The study included 100% of western region residents (N = 9) and 72.7% of central region residents (N = 24), yielding a total of 33 participants with 78.6% response rate. Of all the residents, only 39.4% were satisfied with their training in the Saudi Board of Plastic Surgery program, 45.5% were neutral regarding their opinion, and 15.2% expressed their dissatisfaction with the program. The area most in need of improvement was mentorship (30.3%), followed by the quality of teaching (12.1%) and workplace climate (12.1%), whereas the least was administrative components (6.1%).

CONCLUSIONS

The mild level of dissatisfaction toward the local training in plastic surgery should alarm the governing body in the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties and the program directors to take certain interventions toward the improvement of local training. Considering the areas most in need of improvement is necessary to achieve a suitable training environment for the residents.