How We Do It: A Multicenter National Experience of Virtual Vascular Surgery Rotations

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Virtual Learning Environments

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the need for remote learning solutions in medical education.
• Traditional surgical rotations faced significant disruption, necessitating innovative approaches to training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development and implementation of virtual vascular surgery rotations.
• To establish a framework for creating and executing virtual surgical rotations.

Main Methods:

• A collaborative teleconference was conducted involving six integrated vascular surgery programs.
• Faculty and residents from participating programs discussed independently developed virtual rotations.
• A framework was drafted based on retrospective analysis and shared experiences.

Main Results:

• Four key domains for developing virtual rotations were identified: planning, development, curriculum, and feedback.
• Specific aspects within each domain were detailed, offering applicability to other surgical specialties.
• The process highlighted common challenges and best practices for virtual rotation implementation.

Conclusions:

• Virtual vascular surgery rotations are a feasible and valuable component of surgical training.
• Successful implementation requires careful planning, consideration of specific domains, and transparency.
• This framework aims to guide other programs in navigating the landscape of virtual surgical education.