Effectiveness of Laparoscopic Skills Workshop on Enhancing Knowledge and Skills of Surgical Residents and Its Comparison with DOPS (Direct Observation of Procedural Skills) Scores: Prospective Cohort Study.

Introduction: Simulation-based surgical skills workshops are commonly used in the surgical training programs to enhance the knowledge and psychomotor skills of the residents, but there is scarcity of objective data on their effectiveness. The aim of our study was to explore if a 1-day laparoscopic skills workshop enhanced the knowledge and skills of surgical residents in minimal access surgery and if it had any correlation with the Direct Observation of Procedural Skills (DOPS) scores.

Methods: This was a quasi-experimental, single-arm, repeat measure, prospective cohort study design.

Effect of faculty personality, rating styles, and learner traits on student assessment in medical education: A mixed-method study from the Aga Khan University, Karachi.

Background: Medical colleges invest considerable effort in developing assessment programs to effectively evaluate students across attributes of knowledge, skills, and behavior. While assessment by direct observation is designed to be objective, "soft characteristics" such as personality, demeanor of student, and assessor may make assessment more subjective. The effect of such attributes in medical education remains unclear and needs exploration.

Competing interests of undergraduate medical education and industry: integration into longitudinal curricular themes.

Recent changes in curricula around the globe with emphasis on teaching/learning and assessing professionalism in medical schools has been the priority. With the changing public expectations and professional demands, it has become imperative to develop clear guidelines and policies for students and faculty to better understand and meet the expectations of them as part of professionalism. In order to analyse this problem and highlight potential solutions, a literature search was conducted using Eric, Medline, Google Scholar and CINAHL Plus databases from 1985 to February 2013.

Multiple Mini-Interviews (MMI) and Semistructured Interviews for the Selection of Family Medicine Residents: A Comparative Analysis.

Background. Family Medicine Residency Program at the Aga Khan University has applicants for the residency position in excess of the positions offered resulting in formulation of certain selection criteria. The objective of this study was to compare MMI versus semistructured interviews for assessing noncognitive domains in the selection of residents.