Poster2-02: EVALUATION OF A RESIDENT-AS-TEACHER PROGRAM FOR GENERAL SURGERY RESIDENTS
Alaina D Geary, MD, Donald T Hess, MD, FACS, Cullen O Carter, MD, Luise I Pernar, MD; Boston Medical Center

Introduction: Resident-as-teacher programs (RATPs), formal curricula preparing residents for their teaching role, are prevalent in non-surgical specialties. However, despite governing bodies’ mandates that residents be prepared for and show teaching competency, few RATPs tailored to surgical residents have been published. We addressed this by integrated a RATP into our surgery residency program.

Methods: The RATP curriculum was developed locally, anchored in previously published literature. The curriculum was divided into five sessions, delivered during mandatory didactic time, spaced over the academic year. Sessions provided a theoretical foundation, practical tips for teaching in and outside the operating room, guidance regarding feedback and assessment, and opportunities for goal-setting and reflection. A combination of lectures, role-playing, and flipped classroom teaching were used to convey content. Likert-scale based self-assessment surveys were distributed to residents before and after completion of the RATP. Responses were coded numerically and means were compared using Welch’s t-test. Residents also completed evaluations after each session.

Results: After implementation of the curriculum, residents reported increased comfort in teaching medical students (pre 3.9, post 4.3, p <0.05). Residents were more likely to report having a plan to improve their teaching skills (3.2, 4.4, p<0.01) and more likely to believe that they could help others improve their skills (3.2, 4.2, p <0.01). Generally, sessions were highly rated (average 4.7, SD 0.48) and residents indicated that the information presented was useful (4.8, 0.41) and would lead to changes in practice habits (4.6, 0.58).

Discussion: A RATP was developed and successfully incorporated into the didactic curriculum. The program was well-received and sessions were highly rated. The addition of the RATP led to increased subjective comfort in teaching. Additionally, residents indicated they improved their own teaching skills and that they could help others do the same. This program, in conjunction with other institutional changes, such as the addition of teaching awards, served as signals to residents that their teaching was valued and supported by the department. As teaching is a significant responsibility in residency and formal teaching instruction is mandated, success of this program is relevant to other surgical residency programs considering incorporating a formal RATP.