Emotional intelligence and LEGO-based communication assessments as indicators of peer evaluations.

Introduction: Much attention and effort are devoted to general surgery residency applicant interview strategies and ranking. However, few interview strategies are positively associated with applicant communication performance. The purpose of this study was to assess the potential of a LEGO-based communication assessment and a standardized patient-based emotional intelligence assessment to serve as an indicator for communication and interpersonal skills among peers in residency.

Response Process Validity Evidence for Video Commentary Assessment in Surgery: A Qualitative Study.

Objectives: Well-developed mental representations of a task are fundamental to proficient performance. 'Video Commentary' (VC) is a novel assessment intended to measure mental representations of surgical tasks that would reflect an important aspect of task proficiency. Whether examinees' actual response processes align with this intent remains unknown.

Occurrence and Natural History of Thyroid Cancer in Patients with Cowden Syndrome.

Introduction: Cowden syndrome patients are at an increased risk of developing differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC). There are limited studies of thyroid cancer biology within this population. We aimed to describe the frequency and progression of DTC in this population.

Video Commentary & Machine Learning: Tell Me What You See, I Tell You Who You Are.

Background & Objective: Teaching and assessment of complex problem solving are a challenge for medical education. Integrating Machine Learning (ML) into medical education has the potential to revolutionize teaching and assessment of these problem-solving processes. In order to demonstrate possible applications of ML to education, we sought to apply ML in the context of a structured Video Commentary (VC) assessment, using ML to predict residents' training level.

Is same-day discharge associated with increased 30-day postoperative complications and readmissions in patients undergoing laparoscopic adrenalectomy?

Background: Advances in minimally invasive surgery and perioperative care have decreased substantially the duration of time that patients spend recovering in hospital, with many laparoscopic procedures now being performed on an ambulatory basis. There are limited studies, however, on same-day discharge after laparoscopic adrenalectomy. The objectives of this study were to investigate the outcomes and trends of ambulatory laparoscopic adrenalectomy in a multicenter cohort of patients.

Differences in outcomes of bilateral adrenalectomy in patients with ectopic ACTH producing tumor of known and unknown origin.

Background: Endogenous Cushing syndrome (CS) can be caused by ectopic corticotropin-producing tumors of known (EK) and unknown origin (EU). Bilateral adrenalectomy (BA) can be used as definite treatment of hypercortisolism in such cases. This study compared patients undergoing BA for CS secondary to EK vs EU.

Value of Research Years for International Medical Graduates Applying to General Surgery Residency.

Objective: While dedicated research time (DRT) offers international medical graduates (IMGs) exposure to the US healthcare system and helps boost their residency application, it can lengthen time away from clinical activity. We aimed to determine the value of DRT/protected research time for an IMG applying to general surgeryresidency (GSR).

Design: Cross-sectional survey.

APDS Consensus Statement: Ideal Senior Medical Student Experiences for Preparedness for General Surgery Internship.

Guide optimal standards on ideal senior medical student experiences for preparedness for general surgery internship DESIGN: Work product of task force, approved by the Association of Program Directors in Surgery CONCLUSION: General surgery rotations should mirror the learning and working environment of a surgical intern. Opportunities should mimic the next phase of learning to help guide informed decisions regarding entrustability for entry into residency training. These opportunities will also help identify students who may have an aptitude for pursuing a general surgery internship.

Video Commentary: Rapid-Fire Assessment of Surgical Cognitive Skills.

Objective: We describe the use of "Video Commentary", an assessment using a set of operative videos, to assess trainees' surgical cognitive skills (operative knowledge, spatial awareness, and surgical insight).

Design & Setting: The Video Commentary assessment has been routinely administered to Postgraduate Year (PGY) 1-5 general surgery residents since 2014 as part of a biannual multistation, OSCE-type exam at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. Video Commentary is a rapid-fire, 6-minute assessment, where trainees watch a series of 20 to 30 second operative video clips and comment on them as they play.

Not all adrenal incidentalomas require biochemical testing to exclude pheochromocytoma: Mayo clinic experience and a meta-analysis.

Background: Excluding a pheochromocytoma is important when a patient presents with an incidentally discovered adrenal mass. However, biochemical testing for pheochromocytoma can be cumbersome, time consuming, or falsely positive. Our objective was to determine if unenhanced computed tomography (CT) imaging alone can be used to rule out pheochromocytoma.

Bilateral Adrenalectomy: Differences between Cushing Disease and Ectopic ACTH-Producing Tumors.

Background: Bilateral adrenalectomy (BA) is a curative treatment for hypercortisolism in patients with corticotropin (ACTH)-dependent Cushing syndrome. Indications include refractory Cushing's disease (CD) following failed pituitary surgery, and occult or unresectable ectopic ACTH-producing neoplasms (EA).

Methods: This was a single-center, retrospective review (1995-2017) of patients undergoing BA for CD or EA.

Inspiring Young Learners Toward a Career in Healthcare Using Simulation.

To inspire young learners toward a career in healthcare and provide them opportunities to learn lifesaving skills, a hospital-based simulation center collaborated with a local middle school to develop a 88-minute simulation-based educational activity. The activity consisted of eight 10-minute stations on lifesaving and basic medical skills. One hundred fifty students participated.

Group Video Feedback is an Effective and Efficient Tool for Enhancing Skills of Surgical Interns.

Background: Our group has shown that personalized video feedback (PVF) is better than a task demonstration video at increasing wound closure skills among incoming surgical interns. However, offering PVF can be time-consuming. We sought to compare the educational effects and time required for group video feedback (GVF) and PVF.

Workload Differentiates Breast Surgical Procedures: NSM Associated with Higher Workload Demand than SSM.

Background: Breast surgery has evolved with more focus on improving cosmetic outcomes, which requires increased operative time and technical complexity. Implications of these technical advances in surgery for the surgeon are unclear, but they may increase intraoperative demands, both mentally and physically. We prospectively evaluated mental and physical demand across breast surgery procedures, and compared surgeon ergonomic risk between nipple-sparing (NSM) and skin-sparing mastectomy (SSM) using subjective and objective measures.

A Simulation Suture Compared With a Clinical Suture for Training on Laparoscopic Simulators: Objective Measurements Indicate Acceptable Physical Characteristics.

Objective: Simulation sutures are a low-cost option for training purposes, but they may not perform as well as the more expensive clinical suture. Trainees at our institution have raised concerns about their quality and integrity compared with clinical suture. The objective was to determine whether significant differences in strength of the sutures and knot holding capabilities between low and high-cost sutures existed.

A simulation-based selection process for trying to identify medical students who will become outstanding general surgery residents.

Background: Selecting the right applicants for general surgery training is critical and difficult. We refined our selection process by using a pre-interview preparation package and simulation-based assessments.

Methods: Sixty applicants invited for categorical general-surgery residency interview were mailed an educational package which included a link to instructional videos, surgical instruments and low-cost models for suturing, open knot tying, and adrenal anatomy knowledge.

Adrenalectomy for non-neuroblastic pathology in children.

Background: Adrenalectomy for non-neuroblastic pathologies in children is rare with limited data on outcomes. We reviewed our experience of adrenalectomy in this unique population.

Methods: Retrospective study of children (age ≤ 18) who underwent adrenalectomy with non-neuroblastic pathology from 1988 to 2018.

What Do Former Residents Say About Their Nondesignated Preliminary Year? A Survey of Prelims' Experiences in a General Surgery Residency Program.

Objective: The nondesignated preliminary (NDP) position in general surgery (GS) offers a 1-year surgical training opportunity for medical school graduates prior to obtaining categorical residency positions. Given that there is little long-term follow-up on the experiences of NDP residents, we sought to determine how NDPs felt about their intern year in GS.

Design: A cross-sectional survey of all NDP GS interns from 1993 to 2018.

Outcomes of non-designated preliminary general surgery interns: A 25-year Mayo Clinic experience.

Background: Non-designated preliminary, general surgery interns have no job security after year 1. Understanding how such non-designated preliminary, general surgery interns fare at any single institution might help future prelim applicants make better ranking decisions. We aimed to analyze the outcomes of residents pursuing a non-designated preliminary year in general surgery at a single institution.

Speed and quality goals in procedural skills learning: A randomized experiment.

Compare time (speed) and product quality goals in a surgical procedural task. Secondary school students participating in a medical simulation-based training activity participated in a randomized experiment. Each participant completed eight repetitions of a blood vessel ligation.