Use of Mock Oral Examinations in Vascular Surgery Training Programs: A Nationwide Survey.

Background: Mock oral examinations (MOEs) are valuable tools for knowledge assessment and preparation for the surgical certifying examinations. Use of MOE is not standardized. We sought to determine the current use in vascular residencies/fellowships.

Methods: Program directors (PD) of all U.S. vascular training programs were sent anonymous online surveys in July of 2015 evaluating importance of MOEs, current use, barriers to implementation, and preparedness of trainees to sit for the certifying board examination (CE). Comparisons were performed between programs that use MOEs and those that do not.

Results: Fifty-four percent (59/108) of program directors completed the survey. The majority believed MOEs are important for vascular residents and fellows (86% versus 81%); however, only 51% (30/59) use them. The most common reason for using MOE was to provide feedback about readiness for the CE (90%). Of programs not giving MOE, 69% expected their trainees to get oral examinations at national conferences. The most common barriers to implementation/continuation of MOEs were availability of faculty (48%) or time (31%). Irrespective of whether they used MOE or not, 29% believed vascular fellows were better prepared for the CE than vascular residents.

Conclusions: MOEs are regarded as a valuable tool to prepare trainees for the CE. However, it is not a commonly adopted practice, due to variables such as institutional/faculty availability. A third of program directors believed that vascular fellows were more prepared to pass the CE than vascular residents which may warrant further investigation into how programs can more rigorously prepare vascular residents for the vascular CEs.