Resident self-assessment of common endocrine procedures

Area of Science:

• Surgical Education
• Endocrine Surgery Training
• Resident Competency Assessment

Background:

• General surgery graduates are expected to master endocrine operations.
• This study assesses residents' self-perceived proficiency in common endocrine procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate general surgery residents' self-assessment of their ability to perform straightforward thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy.
• To identify factors influencing residents' confidence in endocrine surgery.

Main Methods:

• A 14-question survey was distributed to general surgery residents across seven U.S. programs.
• Residents reported their ability to perform steps of thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy.
• Data on demographics and perceived operative ability were collected.

Main Results:

• Only 27.9% felt capable of straightforward thyroidectomy for benign disease; 11.7% for malignant disease.
• 26.2% felt capable of straightforward parathyroidectomy.
• Increased case experience correlated significantly with higher self-assessed ability (p=0.02).

Conclusions:

• A majority of surveyed residents lacked confidence in performing common endocrine procedures.
• Confidence improved with postgraduate year (PGY) and case volume.
• Most PGY-5 residents still felt unable to perform thyroidectomy for malignant disease independently.