Core competencies for gynecologic endoscopy in residency training: a national consensus project

Residents and educators in obstetrics and gynecology have identified the need to improve endoscopic surgical education. The Canadian Endoscopy Education Project aims to create a national standardized endoscopy curriculum. The objective of the current project was to identify the core competencies for a gynecologic endoscopy (GE) curriculum in residency training programs. This expert consensus project (Canadian Task Force Classification III) included all 16 academic obstetrics and gynecology residency programs in Canada. Each university program selected their leading endoscopy educator to participate in the consensus process. Competencies for proficiency in GE were identified and then reviewed in 3 sequential rounds of consensus building using the Delphi technique. Overall, 213 objectives were reviewed and 199 (93%) of the items achieved consensus agreement. Competencies that were deemed outside the realm of general residency education were also collated and may represent a guide to subspecialty fellowship training in the future. The core competencies for GE training in obstetrics and gynecology residency were determined through national expert consensus. This provides the basis for a national standardized endoscopy curriculum for general obstetrics and gynecology training.