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.

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.

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.

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.

Conducting Virtual Simulated Skills Multiple Mini-Interviews for General Surgery Residency Interviews.

Objective: We describe the feasibility of transitioning simulated skills assessments during general surgery interviews from an in-person to virtual format.

Design/setting: Technical and nontechnical skill multiple mini-interviews (MMIs) were performed virtually and assessed for 109 applicants during virtual general surgery interviews over 2 days at a tertiary academic medical center.

Results: We demonstrate the feasibility of virtually assessing general surgery residency applicants' technical and non-technical skills.

Evaluating Non-operative Robotic Skills in Colorectal Surgical Training.

Background: Robotic-assisted surgery has become a common platform for performing colorectal procedures. Educators must determine how best to teach and train residents to use the technology safely. There is a paucity of literature on how non-operative skills are being taught and integrated into colorectal training.

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.

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.

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.

What Are We REALLY Looking for in a Letter of Recommendation?

Objectives: The letter of recommendation (LOR) is an important component of a residency application. There is great subjectivity in the interpretation of a letter writer's narrative and many residencies have moved toward standardized LORs (sLOR). We aimed to scrutinize the importance afforded to specific content and applicant attributes in an LOR in hopes of decoding this time-honored process.

Outcomes of laparoscopic and open CAPD catheter placement: A single-center experience.

Background: Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD) catheter placement is typically a straightforward surgical procedure performed on chronically ill patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Post-operative outcomes and reoperative rates vary greatly in the medical literature. We report our experience using both minimally invasive and open techniques in placing CAPD catheters and offer our surgical outcomes.

Low-cost materials yield high resolution assessment of anatomic knowledge in surgical residents.

Introduction: Knowledge of anatomy is essential for surgeons. We sought to determine whether it is possible to effectively assess and differentiate the anatomic knowledge of general surgery residents, using pieces of fabric and yarn.

Methods: Postgraduate years 2, 3, and 4 general surgery residents were assessed during a simulation-based assessment known as the Surgical X-Games.

Surgical interns in 2018: Objective assessment suggests they are better but still lack critical knowledge and skill.

Background: The transition from fourth-year medical student to surgical intern is difficult. A lack of repetitions, experience, and knowledge is problematic. We report our experience using simulation-based technical and nontechnical skills to assess the competency of surgical interns in July and January of their intern year.

Accurate surgical skills evaluation: Does it mandate raters have a medical background?

Background: Surgeons rarely have time to assess/rate trainee performance. From a 10 year-experience of implementing OSCE style assessments, we hypothesize that the accurate scoring of interns in selected tests is not affected by the rater's medical background.

Methods: A prospective collection of quantitative scoring data by both medical school graduates and college students was compared.

Surgery Website as a 24/7 Adjunct to a Surgical Curriculum.

Objective: Successfully teaching duty hour restricted trainees demands engaging learning opportunities. Our surgical educational website and its associated assets were assessed to understand how such a resource was being used.

Design: Our website was accessible to all Mayo Clinic employees via the internal web network.