How I Do It: Process Control in Medical Student Experiences of Surgery

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ObjectiveExtreme variation exists in teaching and clinical exposure for medical students, both from specialty-to-specialty but also between universities. There is mounting literature highlighting the need to reform and standardise surgical education to allow for unified graduate competency. In line with the recommendations from the GMC2 and the Royal College of Surgeons England (RCSE) 3, Queens University Belfast (QUB) significantly revised their undergraduate medical programme. Within this new curriculum is the introduction of Specialty Focus week in Surgery. This report reviews the processes used in the introduction of this week. DesignThe initial curriculum was formulated with a weekly timetable consisting of tutorials, bedside teaching and students following a peri-operative case. Run charts were populated with an alert when feedback dropped below a certain standard, which then triggered an intervention. ParticipantsFeedback was collected via a QR code from the first 200 surgical student. SettingsBelfast City Hospital in association with Queens university Belfast (QUB) undergraduate surgical curriculum. ResultsRun charts resulted in an alert when feedback dropped below 8/10. Following this we implemented smaller group bedside teaching. There was a significant improvement in feedback post intervention (P=0.04) with no further alerts. Overall feedback had a non-significant feedback improvement post intervention (P=0.07) with once again, no further alerts. ConclusionThis review has shown how we have provided some standardisation of local surgical teaching, as well as having a process centred model of monitoring. This curriculum is easy to implement and could be reproduced elsewhere.