Association between American Board of Surgery in-training examination score and attrition from general surgery residency

It has been suggested that in environments where there is greater fear of litigation, resident autonomy and education is compromised. Our aim was to examine failure rates on American Board of Surgery (ABS) examinations in comparison with medical malpractice payments in 47 US states/ territories that have general surgery residency programs. We hypothesized higher ABS examination failure rates for general surgery residents who graduate from residencies in states with higher malpractice risk. We conducted a retrospective review of five-year (2010–2014) pass rates of first-time examinees of the ABS examinations. States’ malpractice data were adjusted based on population. ABS examinations failure rates for programs in states with above and below median malpractice payments per capita were 31 and 24 per cent ( P < 0.01) respectively. This difference was seen in university and independent programs regardless of size. Pearson correlation confirmed a significant positive correlation between board failure rates and malpractice payments per capita for Qualifying Examination ( P < 0.02), Certifying Examination ( P < 0.02), and Qualifying and Certifying combined index ( P < 0.01). Malpractice risk correlates positively with graduates’ failure rates on ABS examinations regardless of program size or type. We encourage further examination of training environments and their relationship to surgical residency graduate performance.

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American Board of Vascular Surgery: The First 7 Years

Vascular ◽

10.1258/rsmvasc.12.1.20 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 20-27 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

James C. Stanley ◽

Frank J. Veith

Keyword(s):

Vascular Surgery ◽

General Surgery ◽

Residency Review Committee ◽

Radical Change ◽

Primary Component ◽

Medical Specialties ◽

General Surgery Residency ◽

Liaison Committee ◽

American Board Of Surgery ◽

The Impact

The American Board of Vascular Surgery (ABVS) was incorporated in 1996 with a vision of improved training standards and certification of vascular surgeons. At that time, 91% of those holding American Board of Surgery Certificates of Added Qualifications in Vascular Surgery supported the formation of the ABVS. Subsequent events have led to a clear definition of specific educational issues important to the vascular surgery community. Unresolved issues relate to the need to complete a general surgery residency before beginning a vascular surgery fellowship, the continued inclusion of vascular surgery as a primary component of general surgery training, and the absence of a designated Residency Review Committee for Vascular Surgery. These issues have persisted since the inception of the ABVS. An application for the ABVS to become an American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) primary board was submitted in 2002 with a preliminary hearing before a liaison committee composed of American Medical Association and ABMS members. The American Board of Surgery (ABS) and a minority of the vascular surgery community vigorously opposed the application. The perceived divisiveness created by their actions contributed to the application's initial rejection and the necessity for an appeal. Certain ABS directors have recently stated that they would consider approving multiple track-type training that could allow single certification in vascular surgery, following 5 to 6 years of postgraduate training after medical school. The ABVS cautiously supports this action, recognizing that this radical change for the ABS may not be feasible given the broad-ranging interests of general surgery and restrictive ABMS guidelines for certifying medical specialists. The impact of not resolving the critical issues facing vascular surgery in a timely manner is that there will be inadequate numbers of competent vascular surgeons to provide for society's needs. An independent ABMS-approved ABVS provides a clear opportunity to resolve the recognized failings of the status quo.

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The impact of coronavirus 2019 on general surgery residency: A national survey of program directors

Annals of Medicine and Surgery ◽

10.1016/j.amsu.2021.102285 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 65 ◽

pp. 102285

Author(s):

Maxwell F. Kilcoyne ◽

Garrett N. Coyan ◽

Edgar Aranda-Michel ◽

Arman Kilic ◽

Victor O. Morell ◽

...

Keyword(s):

National Survey ◽

General Surgery ◽

Program Directors ◽

General Surgery Residency ◽

The Impact

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Telemedicine Experience of General Surgery Trainees: Impact on Patient Care and Education

The American Surgeon ◽

10.1177/00031348211023402 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 000313482110234

Author(s):

Brandon J Nakashima ◽

Navpreet Kaur ◽

Chelsey Wongjirad ◽

Kenji Inaba ◽

Mohd Raashid Sheikh

Keyword(s):

Patient Care ◽

Surgical Training ◽

General Surgery ◽

Southern California ◽

University Of Southern California ◽

General Surgery Residency ◽

Surgical Training Program ◽

Current Utilization ◽

Surgery Resident ◽

The Impact

Objective The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on patient care, including the increased utilization of contact-free clinic visits using telemedicine. We looked to assess current utilization of, experience with, and opinions regarding telemedicine by general surgery residents at an academic university–based surgical training program. Design A response-anonymous 19-question survey was electronically distributed to all general surgery residents at a single academic university–based general surgery residency program. Setting University of Southern California (USC) general surgery residency participants: Voluntarily participating general surgery residents at the University of Southern California. Results The response rate from USC general surgery residents was 100%. A majority of residents (76%) had utilized either video- or telephone-based visits during their careers. No resident had undergone formal training to provide telemedicine, although most residents indicated a desire for training (57.1%) and acknowledged that telemedicine should be a part of surgical training (75.6%). A wide variety of opinions regarding the educational experience of residents participating in telemedicine visits was elicited. Conclusions The COVID-19 pandemic brought telemedicine to the forefront as an integral part of future patient care, including for surgical patients. Additional investigations into nationwide telemedicine exposure and practice among United States general surgery residencies is imperative, and the impact of the implementation of telemedicine curricula on general surgery resident telemedicine utilization, comfort with telemedicine technology, and patient outcomes are further warranted. Competencies Practice-based learning, systems-based practice, interpersonal and communication skills

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A Resident-Driven Mobile Evaluation System Can Be Used to Augment Traditional Surgery Rotation Evaluations

The American Surgeon ◽

10.1177/00031348211011130 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 000313482110111

Author(s):

Kurun Partap S Oberoi ◽

Akia D Caine ◽

Jacob Schwartzman ◽

Sayeeda Rab ◽

Amber L Turner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

Graduate Medical Education ◽

General Surgery ◽

Residency Program ◽

Evaluation System ◽

Clinical Rotation ◽

Web Based ◽

General Surgery Residency ◽

Surgery Residency Program ◽

To Receive

Background The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education requires residents to receive milestone-based evaluations in key areas. Shortcomings of the traditional evaluation system (TES) are a low completion rate and delay in completion. We hypothesized that adoption of a mobile evaluation system (MES) would increase the number of evaluations completed and improve their timeliness. Methods Traditional evaluations for a general surgery residency program were converted into a web-based form via a widely available, free, and secure application and implemented in August 2017. After 8 months, MES data were analyzed and compared to that of our TES. Results 122 mobile evaluations were completed; 20% were solicited by residents. Introduction of the MES resulted in an increased number of evaluations per resident ( P = .0028) and proportion of faculty completing evaluations ( P = .0220). Timeliness also improved, with 71% of evaluations being completed during one’s clinical rotation. Conclusions A resident-driven MES is an inexpensive and effective method to augment traditional end-of-rotation evaluations.

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