Enhancing resident interest in a state surgical meeting

To stimulate increased interest in the annual American College of Surgery (ACS) chapter meeting, a state-wide mock oral examination for senior level surgical residents was organized. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of and the results from our state's initial attempt to conduct a state-wide mock oral examination.

The mock oral examination was structured as a 90-minute assessment in 9 content areas. Residents at or above the postgraduate year (PGY)-3 level were offered the examination and every attempt was made to ensure that examiners were from institutions different than the examinee's training program. Examinations were scored as satisfactory, marginal, or unsatisfactory. Each examinee received a written assessment of their performance.

Thirty-eight volunteer examiners committed to participate and 37 of the state's 82 senior-level residents appeared for the mock oral examination. The examiners included faculty from all 7 of the state's training programs and 10 private practice surgeons. The residents represented 6 of the 7 programs with 10 PGY-3, 12 PGY-4, and 15 PGY-5 residents completing the examination. The overall performance on the examination included 15 (40.5%) residents rated as satisfactory, 15 (40.5%) assessed as marginal, and 7 (18.9%) received a rating of unsatisfactory.

With rare exception, faculty examiners and resident examinees indicated by survey that the mock oral examination was a useful educational experience and increased the level of interest in attending the state's annual ACS meeting.