The African American experience in reproductive medicine: provider, patient, and pipeline perspectives.

The goal of this Views and Reviews is to let colleagues and leaders well versed in the African American experience in reproductive medicine address the problems of racism affecting our trainees and patients and, more significantly, propose solutions. The areas in reproductive medicine that will be explored from the African American perspective include the pipeline of providers, health disparities, and access to infertility treatment.

The Missing Chapter: The Education of Surgery and Anesthesiology Trainees as Civic Advocates.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has highlighted existing systemic inequities that adversely affect a variety of communities in the United States. These inequities have a direct and adverse impact on the healthcare of our patient population. While civic engagement has not been cultivated in surgical and anesthesia training, we maintain that it is inherent to the core role of the role of a physician. This is supported by moral imperative, professional responsibility, and a legal obligation. We propose that such civic engagement and social justice activism is a neglected, but necessary aspect of physician training. We propose the implementation of a civic advocacy education agenda across department, community and national platforms. Surgical and anesthesiology residency training needs to evolve to the meet these increasing demands.

Could application of leader-member exchange theory have saved a residency mentorship program?

Mentorship may offer protégés numerous benefits including improved self-esteem, increased interest in research, and/or enhanced productivity. Without proper planning, reflection, and evaluation, however, mentorship programs may result in undesirable consequences. In this paper we describe a mentorship program designed to improve psychosocial support and professional development for residents, that while initially successful, was terminated due to perceptions of inequity that led to strife among residents and ultimately created a toxic learning climate. Leader-member exchange theory provides a lens through which to view our program's failure and to offer some potential solutions to mitigate such challenges for other programs. Leader-member exchange theory focuses on the importance of relationships, communication, and awareness of biases to optimize interactions between dyads such as a mentor and a protégé. We highlight opportunities during the stranger, acquaintance, and mature partnership phases that could have helped to save a residency mentorship program.

Docencia de la Medicina Intensiva. Aspectos bioéticos / Teaching Intensive Care Medicine. Bioethical aspects / La docència de la Medicina Intensiva. Aspectes bioètic

Cualquier acto médico presenta siempre una doble vertiente, técnica y moral. La bioética, surge como herramienta clave para poder conjugar ambos aspectos en la toma diaria de decisiones médicas. Además, docencia y aprendizaje estarán presentes de forma patente durante toda la vida profesional de la mayoría de los médicos. En la actualidad, los avances obtenidos por la comunidad universitaria en cuanto a la docencia de la bioética son notables. No han sido tan claro, sin embargo, para la formación durante la residencia ni tras la especialidad. El contexto de la Medicina Intensiva, dedicada a pacientes con enfermedades críticas, ofrece una serie de particularidades que pueden ser beneficiosas para el aprendizaje de muchos aspectos bioéticos. Estos incluyen, entre otros, el respeto a la autonomía del paciente, la búsqueda de la beneficencia, incluso durante los cuidados al final de la vida, o la toma de decisiones en equipo o en situaciones de extrema urgencia. En cuanto al modo de enseñanza de la bioética existen diferentes aproximaciones, desde la clásica clase magistral a la clase invertida o el método del caso, que tiene su mayor exponente en la simulación. Nuestra propuesta particular consiste en la integración de la práctica y la discusión en grupo como elemento fundamental de la enseñanza de la bioética, ayudada de las metodologías más recientes, fundamentalmente, de la simulación. Cualquier acto médico presenta siempre una doble vertiente, técnica y moral. La bioética, surge como herramienta clave para poder conjugar ambos aspectos en la toma diaria de decisiones médicas. Además, docencia y aprendizaje estarán presentes de forma patente durante toda la vida profesional de la mayoría de los médicos. En la actualidad, los avances obtenidos por la comunidad universitaria en cuanto a la docencia de la bioética son notables. No han sido tan claro, sin embargo, para la formación durante la residencia ni tras la especialidad. El contexto de la Medicina Intensiva, dedicada a pacientes con enfermedades críticas, ofrece una serie de particularidades que pueden ser beneficiosas para el aprendizaje de muchos aspectos bioéticos. Estos incluyen, entre otros, el respeto a la autonomía del paciente, la búsqueda de la beneficencia, incluso durante los cuidados al final de la vida, o la toma de decisiones en equipo o en situaciones de extrema urgencia. En cuanto al modo de enseñanza de la bioética existen diferentes aproximaciones, desde la clásica clase magistral a la clase invertida o el método del caso, que tiene su mayor exponente en la simulación. Nuestra propuesta particular consiste en la integración de la práctica y la discusión en grupo como elemento fundamental de la enseñanza de la bioética, ayudada de las metodologías más recientes, fundamentalmente, de la simulación

All medical action always includes a double perspective: technical and moral. Bioethics emerges as a key tool to combine both aspects when medical decisions are taken in the daily work of a physician. In addition, teaching and learning are always clearly present in the working life of the majority of the practitioners. Currently, the advances of teaching Bioethics reached by the university community are remarkable. However, it was not so clear the level to the training during the medical residency and after the specialty. The context of Intensive Care Medicine dedicated to patients with critical diseases offers some characteristics which might be beneficial to the learning of a wide variety of bioethical aspects. These include, among others, the respect of the patient’s autonomy, the search of beneficence, also during end-oflife care, decision making in groups or in extreme emergency cases. Related to the way of teaching Bioethics, there are different approaches, from the master class to the flipped class or the case method whose greatest exponent is simulation. Our particular proposal consists in the integration of practice and discussion in groups as essential element in teaching Bioethics, helped by some recent methodologies like simulation

Qualsevol acte mèdic presenta sempre un doble vessant, a la vegada tècnic i moral. La bioètica sorgeix com a eina clau per poder conjugar tots dos aspectes en la presa diària de decisions mèdiques. A més, docència i aprenentatge estaran presents de forma palesa durant tota la vida professional de la majoria dels metges. En l'actualitat, els avanços obtinguts per la comunitat universitària quant a la docència de la bioètica són notables. No ha estat tan clar, no obstant això, per a la formació durant la residència ni després de l'especialitat. El context de la Medicina Intensiva, dedicada a pacients amb malalties crítiques, ofereix una sèrie de particularitats que poden ser beneficioses per a l'aprenentatge de molts aspectes bioètics, que inclouen, entre altres, el respecte a l'autonomia del pacient, la recerca de la beneficència, fins i tot durant les cures al final de la vida, o la presa de decisions en equip o en situacions d'extrema urgència. Quant a la manera d'ensenyar la bioètica, existeixen diferents aproximacions, des de la clàssica classe magistral a la classe invertida o el mètode del cas, que té el seu major exponent en la simulació. La nostra proposta particular consisteix en la integració de la pràctica i la discussió en grup com a element fonamental de l'ensenyament de la bioètica, ajudada per les metodologies més recents, i fonamentalment de la simulació

Contemporary Assessment of Match Violations within Urology: an Opportunity for Ethical Leadership.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The primary aim of this review is to: (1) adequately define Match violations, (2) thoroughly examine the nature and scope of Match violations in the American Urologic Association (AUA) Urology Match, and (3) propose and recommend policy guidelines, including consequences for applicants and programs, as it pertains to Match violations. These recommendations are intended to affect change at the level of the AUA and Society of Academic Urology (SAU) that more effectively mitigates future violations, intentional or not. RECENT FINDINGS: There is a paucity of specific guidelines published by the AUA on what constitutes a Match violation. Furthermore, in contrast to the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), the AUA is surprisingly lenient in their existing guidelines. The Match violations most frequently reported were programs asking applicants illegal and restricted questions as well as inappropriate post-interview communication between applicants and programs. Review of current Match policies and violations suggest several areas for improvement, particularly regarding the specificity of AUA guidelines to define Match violations, the asking of illegal interview questions, and post-interview communication. The obligation to uphold a fair and equitable Match is an ethical imperative for the urologic community.

Educating Resident and Fellow Physicians on the Ethics of Mechanical Circulatory Support.

Mechanical circulatory support (MCS) such as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, left ventricular assist devices and total artificial hearts have altered the natural history of heart failure, and specialists in the fields of cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery are faced with more complex ethical considerations than ever before. Residency and fellowship training programs, however, do not have formal curricula in medical ethics as it applies to MCS. In response, this article proposes that ethics be integrated into graduate medical education with a focus on the following 6 constructs: patient best interest, respect for autonomy, informed consent, shared decision making, surrogate decision making, and end-of-life care. Curricula should offer learning experiences that help physicians navigate common ethical challenges encountered in practice.

Affecting the Global Burden of Surgical Disease: Incorporating Surgical Training into International Missions: A Systematic Review.

The global burden of surgical disease is immense. Increasingly in the past several decades, international humanitarian medical missions have become more popular as a method of managing the sheer volume of patients requiring medical care worldwide. Medical education programmes have also had an increase in interest amongst medical students and surgical residents to participate in missions during training. The current review was planned to present the current body of literature on international experiences in residency training programmes. It comprised relevant literatur obtained from Medline (ubMed) using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta- Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A total of 15 publications were reviewed with each falling into one of the threeidentified categories:programme design (goals/objectives), ethics, and post-experience analysis. The benefits of providing international missions opportunities for surgical trainees cannot be understated.

Preventing incremental drift away from professionalism in graduate medical education.

Professionalism is a core competency of graduate medical education programs, stipulated by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. We identify an underappreciated challenge to professionalism in residency training, the risk of incremental drift from professionalism, and a preventive ethics response, which can occur in residency programs in countries with oversight similar to that of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Two major, welcome changes in graduate medical education-required duty hours and increased attending supervision-create incentives for drift from professionalism. This article analyzes these incentives based on the ethical concept of medicine as a profession, introduced into the history of medical ethics in late 18th century Britain. This concept calls for physicians to make 3 commitments: to scientific and clinical competence; to the protection and promotion of the patient's health-related interests; and to keeping individual and group self-interest systematically secondary. Some responses of programs and residents to these incentives can undermine professionalism, creating a subtle and therefore hard-to-detect drift away from professionalism that in its worst form results in infantilization of residents. Program directors and educators should prevent this drift from professionalism by implementing practices that promote professionally responsible responses to the incentives created by required duty hours and increased attending supervision.

Professionalism: A Core Competency, but What Does it Mean? A Survey of Surgery Residents.

OBJECTIVE: Professionalism is 1 of the 6 core competencies of the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education. Despite its obvious importance, it is poorly defined in the literature and an understanding of its meaning has not been evaluated on surgical trainees. The American College of Surgeons (ACS) has previously published tenets of surgical professionalism. However, surgery residents may not share similar views on professionalism as those of the ACS. DESIGN: Surgical residents of all levels at 2 surgery residencies located in the same city were interviewed regarding their personal definitions, thoughts, and experiences regarding professionalism during their training. They were then queried regarding 20 points of professionalism as outlined by the ACS tenets of professionalism. SETTING: The study utilized the surgery residencies at William Beaumont Army Medical Center and Texas Tech University Health Science Center in El Paso, Texas. PARTICIPANTS: All general surgery residents at each program were invited to participate in the study. Eighteen residents volunteered to take the survey and be interviewed. RESULTS: The definitions of professionalism centered on clinical competence. Surgery residents conveyed experiences with both professional and unprofessional behavior. Seven of the 20 ACS tenets of professionalism were unanimously agreed upon. There were key differences between resident definitions and those as outlined by the ACS. The least agreed upon ACS tenets of professionalism include professionalism education, public education, and public health. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical trainees express personal experiences in both professional and unprofessional behavior. Their definitions of professionalism are not as expansive as those of the ACS and seem to focus on patient and colleague interaction. Due to the lack of congruency, a tailored curriculum for professionalism based upon ACS tenets appears warranted.

El Sistema de Evaluación y Acreditación de Especialidades de Postgrado en la Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Matanzas / The Evaluation and Accreditation System of Post-grade Specialties in the University of Medical Sciences of Matanzas

La acreditación es el resultado de la aplicación de un sistema de autoevaluación y de evaluación externa, dirigido a reconocer públicamente que una institución o programa reúne determinados requisitos de calidad y se exponen algunas consideraciones sobre ello. Se revisaron los documentos básicos aprobados del Sistema de Evaluación y Acreditación de Especialidades de Postgrado de la República de Cuba, los que están constituidos por el Reglamento, el Patrón de Calidad y la Guía de Evaluación, considerando que durante muchos años las especialidades de postgrado han tenido como columna vertebral la actividad profesional en organismos como el Ministerio de Salud Pública. Se exponen algunos aspectos sobre cómo está preparándose la Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Matanzas para realizar sus procesos de evaluación de la calidad y las diferentes especialidades que están en condiciones de realizar su autoevaluación y someterse al proceso de evaluación externa para logar ser acreditadas (AU).

The acreditation is the result of applying an auto-evaluation system and an external evaluation directed to publicly recognizing that an institution or program fulfills definite requirements of quality, and several considerations on that are exposed. The main documents of the Evaluation and Accreditation System of the Post-grade Specialties of the Republic of Cuba were reviewed. They include the Regulations, the Pattern of Quality and the Evaluation Guideline, considering that during many years the post-grade specialties have been the main pillar of the professional activities in organizations like the Ministry of Public Health. There are exposed several aspects on how the Medical University of Matanzas is being prepared to carry out the evaluation processes of the quality and of the different specialties that are in conditions of performing their own evaluation and undergoing the external evaluation to be accreditated (AU).

El Sistema de Evaluación y Acreditación de Especialidades de Postgrado en la Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Matanzas / The Evaluation and Accreditation System of Post-grade Specialties in the University of Medical Sciences of Matanzas

La acreditación es el resultado de la aplicación de un sistema de autoevaluación y de evaluación externa, dirigido a reconocer públicamente que una institución o programa reúne determinados requisitos de calidad y se exponen algunas consideraciones sobre ello. Se revisaron los documentos básicos aprobados del Sistema de Evaluación y Acreditación de Especialidades de Postgrado de la República de Cuba, los que están constituidos por el Reglamento, el Patrón de Calidad y la Guía de Evaluación, considerando que durante muchos años las especialidades de postgrado han tenido como columna vertebral la actividad profesional en organismos como el Ministerio de Salud Pública. Se exponen algunos aspectos sobre cómo está preparándose la Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Matanzas para realizar sus procesos de evaluación de la calidad y las diferentes especialidades que están en condiciones de realizar su autoevaluación y someterse al proceso de evaluación externa para logar ser acreditadas (AU).

The acreditation is the result of applying an auto-evaluation system and an external evaluation directed to publicly recognizing that an institution or program fulfills definite requirements of quality, and several considerations on that are exposed. The main documents of the Evaluation and Accreditation System of the Post-grade Specialties of the Republic of Cuba were reviewed. They include the Regulations, the Pattern of Quality and the Evaluation Guideline, considering that during many years the post-grade specialties have been the main pillar of the professional activities in organizations like the Ministry of Public Health. There are exposed several aspects on how the Medical University of Matanzas is being prepared to carry out the evaluation processes of the quality and of the different specialties that are in conditions of performing their own evaluation and undergoing the external evaluation to be accreditated (AU).

Balancing Privacy and Professionalism: A Survey of General Surgery Program Directors on Social Media and Surgical Education.

PURPOSE: Unprofessional behavior is common among surgical residents and faculty surgeons on Facebook. Usage of social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter is growing at exponential rates, so it is imperative that surgery program directors (PDs) focus on professionalism within social media, and develop guidelines for their trainees and surgical colleagues. Our study focuses on the surgery PDs current approach to online professionalism within surgical education. METHODS: An online survey of general surgery PDs was conducted in October 2015 through the Association for Program Directors in Surgery listserv. Baseline PD demographics, usage and approach to popular social media outlets, existing institutional policies, and formal curricula were assessed. RESULTS: A total of 110 PDs responded to the survey (110/259, 42.5% response rate). Social media usage was high among PDs (Facebook 68% and Twitter 40%). PDs frequently viewed the social media profiles of students, residents, and faculty. Overall, 11% of PDs reported lowering the rank or completely removing a residency applicant from the rank order list because of online behavior, and 10% reported formal disciplinary action against a surgical resident because of online behavior. Overall, 68% of respondents agreed that online professionalism is important, and that residents should receive instruction on the safe use of social media. However, most programs did not have formal didactics or known institutional policies in place. CONCLUSIONS: Use of social media is high among PDs, and they often view the online behavior of residency applicants, surgical residents, and faculty surgeons. Within surgical education, there needs to be an increased focus on institutional policies and standardized curricula to help educate physicians on social media and online professionalism.