Acquisition and retention of surgical skills taught during intern surgical boot camp.

BACKGROUND: Surgical residencies have implemented boot-camps for early acquisition of basic technical skills for interns. However, educators worry that retention is poor. We hypothesized that a structured boot-camp curriculum would improve skills. METHODS: Interns underwent eight boot-camp sessions at the beginning of residency. Interns completed pre-, post-boot-camp, and end-of-year skills assessments, as well as post-boot camp and end-of-year porcine procedure labs. Proficiency was measured on a 5-point scale and by completion time. RESULTS: After boot-camp, interns improved all domains of knot-tying. Median time decreased for skin-closure (8.3 vs 9.9 min, p < 0.01), peg transfer (57 vs 87 s, p < 0.01), intracorporeal (178 vs 300 s, p < 0.01), and extracorporeal knot-tying (140 vs 259 s, p < 0.01). At the end-of-year assessment, interns exhibited retention of all skills and improved in knot-tying and central line skills. During the retention porcine lab, interns progressed basic but not complex skills. CONCLUSIONS: An eight-week boot-camp effectively improved technical skills among surgery interns. Interns retained all skills and improved upon techniques frequently practiced during intern year.

Does Geographical Bias Impact the Match for General Surgery Residents?

OBJECTIVE: As the competitiveness of applicants for general surgery residency grows, it is becoming challenging for programs to differentiate qualified candidates with a genuine interest in matching at their institution. The purpose of this study was to examine geographic trends in the general surgery match in order to elicit regional biases and optimize applicant interview selection strategies. DESIGN: In this single-center retrospective study, geographical information regarding birth place, college, medical school, and final match institution for general surgery residency applicants was examined. SETTING: This study was set at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. PARTICIPANTS: All general surgery residency applicants interviewing at our institution between 2015-2017 were included. METHODS: Academic variables and geographical information were collected for all applicants in the cohort. Statistical analyses were performed using chi-square and logistic regression techniques to determine any association between geography and match outcomes. RESULTS: Of 198 applicants included in the analysis, approximately 25% matched at an institution located in the same state as their medical school. Total 75% of applicants matched at a residency program located less than 640 miles away from either their birth place, college, or medical school, while only 15% matched at an institution located over 1000 miles away and 4% matched over 2000 miles away. When examining applicant characteristics, there were no significant differences in gender, clerkship grade, United States Medical Licensing Exam scores, Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society membership, or quality of recommendation letters between applicants who matched in the lowest and highest quartiles of distance to final residency program location. CONCLUSIONS: A significant proportion of general surgery applicants matched at institutions located in a region near either their birth place, college, or medical school. Given the limited number of interviews able to be offered by institutions and the associated opportunity costs, general surgery programs should consider regional biases when evaluating residency applicants.

Employment services as an early intervention for young people with mental illness.

AIM: To examine the service characteristics and effectiveness of a segregated employment service assisting young clients with mental illness in New Zealand. METHODS: The service assisted both youth and adults with severe mental illness to find and keep competitive employment. A retrospective case study method was used to examine service effectiveness with respect to employment outcomes attained by 49 clients aged 16­25 years over a 2-year period (2005­2007). These results were compared with recent national and international benchmarks. RESULTS: As a service segregated from public mental health services, there were no formal arrangements with local mental health teams, limiting coordination of services and reducing fidelity to evidence-based practices in supported employment. Despite an inability to collaborate closely with local community mental health services and a contract not specifically targeting youth, the service was high performing on a range of employment outcome variables. CONCLUSIONS: Subject to some study design and benchmarking limitations, these results support the continuing use of evidence-based practices in supported employment and supported education as important early interventions for young people with mental illnesses.