59: Survey of Formal Surgical Training Among Ob/Gyn Residency Programs

Abstract

To assess 1) the current methods of surgical teaching and evaluation of skills among obstetrics-gynecology (Ob/Gyn) resident training programs in the U.S. and 2) whether the increasing presence of minimally invasive surgeries (MIS) and the limitations of the 80 hour work week have influenced the implementation of formal surgical training. A survey was e-mailed to the program directors or residency coordinators of all 243 U.S. Ob/Gyn Residency Programs. The questionnaire inquired how residents were taught abdominal, vaginal, and MIS surgical skills, and how their skills were assessed. All Ob/Gyn Programs in the U.S. participating in the National Residency Matching Program listed in the American Medical Association (AMA) database. Seventy of 243 programs responded to the survey, representing a 29.1% response rate. Among the responding programs, 66.2% report having formal surgical curricula and 61.9% have a curriculum specifically designed for MIS training, most of which are initiated in the first year of residency. Only 25.3% of responding programs report having formal assessments of their residents′ surgical skills. Eighty and two-tenths percent of the programs report of some form of proficiency training outside of the operating room (OR) prior to the resident′s first laparoscopic surgery and 77.4% report that the 80 hour work week influenced their decision to formalize their residency′s surgical training program. Although most Ob/Gyn residency programs still teach surgical skills via the OR and didactic lectures, there appears to be a trend towards formal surgical training and assessment. The limitations of an 80-hour work week have influenced this trend. Furthermore, there appears to be an increasing focus on surgical training outside of the OR, i.e., in simulator labs, possibly attributable to the rising presence of MIS.