Teaching behaviors in the cardiac surgery simulation environment.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Simulation-Based Learning

Background:

• Effective teaching behaviors are crucial for successful simulation-based learning in surgical training.
• Understanding the nuances of faculty teaching in simulation is essential for optimizing resident skill acquisition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess teaching behaviors during simulation-based basic skills training using a 7-category educational framework.
• To compare resident perceptions of faculty teaching with faculty self-assessments.
• To evaluate the impact of the simulation environment on teaching behaviors.

Main Methods:

• First-year cardiothoracic surgery residents and faculty participated in vessel anastomosis simulation sessions.
• Residents and faculty completed Likert-scale questionnaires assessing teaching behaviors (learning climate, control of session, communication of goals, promoting understanding, evaluation, feedback, self-directed learning).
• Faculty self-assessments were conducted immediately after training and at 3 months, comparing simulation and clinical settings.

Main Results:

• Residents generally rated faculty teaching behaviors positively.
• Faculty self-assessments were consistently lower than resident ratings, indicating a potential gap in perceived and actual teaching.
• Faculty reported improved teaching behaviors in simulation settings at 3 months compared to initial self-assessments.
• Specific aspects like reviewing equipment and allowing ample practice time were perceived as more positive in simulation.

Conclusions:

• Simulation-based skills training is associated with positive teaching behaviors as perceived by residents.
• Faculty self-ratings suggest a need for improvement in utilizing various teaching behaviors.
• The simulation environment may offer enhanced opportunities for positive teaching behaviors compared to traditional clinical settings.