Resident Education in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether obstetrics and gynecology trainees feel satisfied with the female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery (FPMRS) education received in residency.

This is a survey study of obstetrics and gynecology residents in the United States and Puerto Rico during the 2015-2016 academic year. The anonymous 29-question survey was approved by the Hartford HealthCare institutional review board. Responses were included only if the trainee had ever rotated on the FPMRS service. Descriptive analyses were performed using mean and SD for continuous data; categorical data were described using frequencies, expressed as percentages. The results were analyzed for statistical significance using χ for categorical variables and Student t test for continuous variables. All results yielding P < 0.05 were deemed statistically significant.

Of the 333 responses received, 172 met criteria for inclusion. Regarding amount of training in FPMRS, 126 trainees (73.3%) reported satisfaction, 40 (23.3%) reported too little training, and 6 trainees (3.5%) reported too much. Residents in programs with a board-certified FPMRS surgeon more commonly reported satisfaction with training (75.0 vs 28.6%, P = 0.02). When fourth-year residents were asked if they would feel comfortable performing specific surgical procedures independently after graduation, the percentage answering affirmatively ranged from 23.6% to 98.8%.

Satisfaction with training in FPMRS has improved, but poor confidence performing surgical procedures compared with previous reports demonstrates that improvements in resident training are still needed.