A Hand Call Curriculum for Plastic Surgery Residents

Area of Science:

• Plastic Surgery Education
• Hand Surgery Training
• Medical Curriculum Development

Background:

• Effective management of acute hand injuries is crucial for plastic surgery residents.
• Current training may not adequately prepare residents for hand call responsibilities.
• An innovative curriculum is proposed to enhance hand surgery education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an innovative hand surgery curriculum for plastic surgery residents.
• To improve residents' diagnostic and management skills for acute hand injuries.
• To enhance patient care through better-prepared surgical residents.

Main Methods:

• A hand call curriculum was implemented for 29 plastic surgery residents across two institutions (2018-2020).
• The curriculum included a hand call boot camp, anatomy sessions, and didactic learning.
• Pre/post-test and confidence assessments were conducted in 2018 and 2019.

Main Results:

• Residents reported significantly increased confidence in identifying hand emergencies and treatment planning post-boot camp (P = 0.0313).
• Earlier-year residents (PGY 1-3) showed greater improvements in confidence and readiness than senior residents (PGY 4-8).
• Knowledge test scores improved for all residents following the boot camp in both 2018 and 2019.

Conclusions:

• The hand call curriculum effectively improved resident confidence and knowledge in hand surgery.
• Findings will inform curriculum optimization, addressing COVID-19 limitations.
• Wider national implementation across plastic surgery programs is being considered.