Mentor-guided self-directed learning affects resident practice.

Area of Science:

• Surgical Education
• Medical Training
• Skill Acquisition

Background:

• Self-directed learning (SDL) is an efficient educational approach, but surgical residents often underutilize available resources.
• A gap exists in understanding how to optimize SDL for surgical training programs.
• Mentor guidance may be key to improving resident engagement in SDL.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a mentor-guided self-directed learning (SDL) approach on the practice habits and skills of general surgery residents in minimally invasive surgery (MIS).

Main Methods:

• 12 postgraduate year-2 general surgery residents participated in a 6-week MIS rotation.
• Residents practiced laparoscopic skills to achieve individual proficiency, with mentor check-ins at weeks 3 and 6.
• Progress was tracked using learning curves, followed by a post-rotation survey.

Main Results:

• 100% of participants improved in all practiced MIS tasks (p < 0.05).
• Residents reported increased practice frequency compared to non-mentor-guided rotations.
• 50% of residents felt their skills improved relative to peers; some suggested goal-setting enhancements.

Conclusions:

• Mentor-guided SDL effectively stimulated deliberate practice among surgical residents.
• This approach led to significant improvements in MIS skills without substantially increasing faculty oversight.
• Residents benefited from structured goal-setting and increased mentor interaction within the SDL framework.