Faculty Reflections on What Makes a Good Surgeon: "The operating Room is Often the Smallest Part of the Puzzle".

Objective: Little research has inductively investigated the unique nontechnical qualities required of a surgeon holistic to their practice. This is problematic because there may be additional nuances, or entirely new attributes, that can only be identified in the authentic context of surgical practice. The aim of this study was to investigate the unique nontechnical qualities required of surgeons holistic to their practice.

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.

Exploration of Patient Retention in Seeking a Second Opinion: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Introduction: It is common for cancer patients to seek a second opinion for a variety of reasons. Understanding what drives patients to choose to receive treatment with their second opinion provider may uncover opportunities to improve the second opinion process. Therefore, we sought to identify the patient, disease, and treatment characteristics that were associated with second opinion retention rates in patients seeking a second surgical opinion for breast, colon, and pancreatic cancer.

Assessing the stops framework for coping with intraoperative errors: Evidence of efficacy, hints of hubris, and a bridge to abridging burnout.

Background: Answering calls in the literature, we developed and introduced an evidence-based tool for surgeons facing errors in the operating room: the STOPS framework (stop, talk to you team, obtain help, plan, succeed). The purpose of this research was to assess the impact of presenting this psychological tool on resident coping in the operating room and the related outcome of burnout while examining sex differences.

Methods: In a natural experiment, general surgery residents were invited to attend 2 separate educational conferences regarding coping with errors in the operating room.

Expanded Access to Video-Based Laparoscopic Skills Assessments: Ease, Reliability, and Accuracy.

Objective: Video-based performance assessments provide essential feedback to surgical residents, but in-person and remote video-based assessment by trained proctors incurs significant cost. We aimed to determine the reliability, accuracy, and difficulty of untrained attending staff surgeon raters completing video-based assessments of a basic laparoscopic skill. Secondarily, we aimed to compare reliability and accuracy between 2 different types of assessment tools.

Scrubbing With Aristotle: Cultivating Surgical Wisdom through Inflection Points.

Surgical educators and researchers have well-considered a breadth of topics related to surgery. However, there is one concept that is notably absent in this corpus: surgical wisdom. In this perspective, we draw on work from Aristotle and psychology research to introduce the concept of phronesis, which we believe is useful for understanding surgical wisdom.

Implementation of a Brief Evidence-Based Intraoperative Coping Curriculum.

Background And Rationale: Recent research has called for further resident training in coping with errors and adverse events in the operating room. To the best of our knowledge, there currently exists no evidence-based curriculum or training on this topic.

Materials And Methods: Synthesizing three prior studies on how experienced surgeons react to errors and adverse events, we developed the STOPS framework for handling surgical errors and adverse events (Stop, Talk to your team, Obtain help, Plan, Succeed).

The good, the bad, and the ugly: Operative staff perspectives of surgeon coping with intraoperative errors.

Background: Intraoperative errors are inevitable, and how surgeons respond impacts patient outcomes. Although previous research has queried surgeons on their responses to errors, no research to our knowledge has considered how surgeons respond to operative errors from a contemporary first-hand source: the operating room staff. This study evaluated how surgeons react to intraoperative errors and the effectiveness of employed strategies as witnessed by operating room staff.

STOPS: A Coping Framework for Surgeons Who Experience Intraoperative Error.

Objective: To investigate the steps faculty surgeons take upon experiencing intraoperative error and synthesize these actions to offer a framework for coping with errors.

Background: While intraoperative errors are inevitable, formal training in error recovery is insufficient and there are no established curricula that teach surgeons how to deal with the intraoperative error. This is problematic because insufficient error recovery is detrimental to both patient outcomes and surgeon psychological well-being.

Simulation as Soothsayer: Simulated Surgical Skills MMIs During Residency Interviews are Associated With First Year Residency Performance.

Objective: The main consideration during residency recruitment is identifying applicants who will succeed during residency. However, few studies have identified applicant characteristics that are associated with competency development during residency, such as the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education milestones. As mini multiple interviews (MMIs) can be used to assess various competencies, we aimed to determine if simulated surgical skills MMI scores during a general surgery residency interview were associated with Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education milestone ratings at the conclusion of intern year.

Revealing hidden experiences: Gendered microaggressions and surgical faculty burnout.

Background: Studies report higher burnout in women faculty surgeons compared to men. However, few studies have examined underlying mechanisms for these gendered differences. Gendered differences in microaggression experiences may explain part of the relationship between gender and burnout.

With a Little Help From My Friends: The Negating Impact of Social Community and Mentorship on Burnout.

Introduction: Physician burnout has been demonstrated at high rates among surgeons. Research has shown that physicians experiencing burnout have higher rates of depression, substance abuse, attrition, and medical errors. Surgical culture often promotes self-reliance; however, lacking social connections may worsen burnout.

LEGO-based communication assessment in virtual general surgery residency interviews.

Purpose: Effective communication skills are a critical quality and skill that is highly sought after for surgeons which largely impacts patient outcomes. Residency programs design their interview processes to select the best candidates. LEGO-based activities have been frequently used to enhance communication skills and team building.

New Heuristics to Stratify Applicants: Predictors of General Surgery Residency Applicant Step 1 Scores.

Objective: In 2022, United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 scores will become pass/fail. This may be problematic, as residency programs heavily rely on USMLE Step 1 scores as a metric when determining interview invitations. This study aimed to assess candidate application metrics associated with USMLE Step 1 scores to offer programs new cues for stratifying applicants.

The Effect of Advanced Practice Providers on ACGME Colon and Rectal Surgery Resident Diagnostic Index Case Volumes.

Objective: Prior to 2015 residents in our Accreditation Council for Graduation Medical Education (ACGME) colon and rectal surgery training program were in charge of managing, with faculty oversight, the outpatient anorectal clinic at our institution. Starting in 2015 advanced practice providers (APPs) working in the division assumed management of the clinic. The effect of APPs on ACGME resident index diagnostic case volumes has not been explored.

NASA-TLX assessment of workload in resident physicians and faculty surgeons covering trauma, surgical intensive care unit, and emergency general surgery services.

Background: Higher workload is associated with burnout and lower performance. Therefore, we aim to assess shift-related factors associated with higher workload on EGS, ICU, and trauma surgery services.

Methods: In this prospective cohort study, faculty surgeons and surgery residents completed a survey after each EGS, ICU, or trauma shift, including shift details and a modified NASA-TLX.

Virtual interviews - Utilizing technological affordances as a predictor of applicant confidence.

Purpose: In the midst of a pandemic, residency interviews transitioned to a virtual format for the first time. Little is known about the effect this will have on the match process. The study aim is to evaluate resident application processes and perceived outcomes.

A Prospective Longitudinal Cohort Study of College Students' Alcohol and Abstinence Displays on Social Media.

Purpose: The past decade has seen tremendous growth in research focused on understanding college students' alcohol-related social media displays. However, longitudinal studies remain rare. The purpose of this 5-year study was to describe alcohol and abstinence display patterns on Facebook.

Program Director Opinions of Virtual Interviews: Whatever Makes my Partners Happy.

Objective: To assess the processes and outcomes of 2021 colon and rectal surgery match season: one of the first National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) match to conduct uniformly virtual interviews for all programs and candidates due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Since this if the first-year interviews were held entirely virtual for a (NRMP) match season, we sought to determine: (1) How did program directors (PDs) in this year's fellowship conduct their virtual interviews? (2) Were any of these conduct decisions associated with the PD satisfaction with the resulting match? (3) What is the PDs opinion of how interviews should occur next year if COVID-19 is not a factor?

Design And Setting: The authors sent an anonymous survey to the PDs of all programs participating in the 2021 colon and rectal surgery residency match directly following match day 2020.

Participants: Forty-one colon and rectal residency PDs (70% response rate) responded to the survey (78% Male) representing a range of experience (M = 7.

Coping with errors in the operating room: Intraoperative strategies, postoperative strategies, and sex differences.

Background: Prior work has identified intraoperative and postoperative coping strategies among surgeons and has demonstrated surgical errors to have a significant impact on patient outcomes and physicians. Little research has considered which coping strategies are most common among surgeons and if there exist coping strategy differences among sex or training level.

Methods: An electronic survey was distributed to surgical faculty and trainees at 3 institutions.

The mediating role of depressive and anxiety symptoms in the association between obesity and problematic social media use in young adults.

Background: Obesity has been associated with problematic internet use or internet use characterized by impulsivity, dependence, risk taking or impairment. Despite the unique affordances and growing popularity of social media, few studies have investigated obesity in relation to the problematic use of social media in contrast to general internet use.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between obesity and problematic social media use and to test symptoms of anxiety and depression as potential mediators of this relationship.