A Novel Mock Oral Curriculum for Senior Surgery Residents: Results of a Pilot Study

The oral general surgery certifying examination (CE) is required for board certification. A curriculum was designed to improve CE passage rates at an academic residency program. Limited literature exists that evaluates a long-term mock oral curriculum for senior residents. This study aims to evaluate the impact of this curriculum on essential elements for clinical practice and CE preparedness.

The curriculum consisted of weekly meetings with postgraduate year four and postgraduate year five residents (n = 10). Two residents were selected for a video-recorded board-style mock examination with a faculty examiner and peer audience. Each attendee completed a standard evaluation form that assessed score, anxiety, confidence, and medical knowledge. Blood pressure, pulse, and unused time were assessed. A postcurriculum survey was conducted.

Medical knowledge had the greatest correlation with overall scores (R² = 0.733). Positive correlations were seen between confidence and case number for faculty, self, and peer scores (R² = 0.671, R² = 0.566, and R² = 0.729, respectively). There was a positive correlation between confidence and medical knowledge (R² = 0.575). There was a significant difference between the overall score of nontachycardic versus tachycardic residents (P = 0.00994).

Residents demonstrated increasing confidence as they progressed through the curriculum by self-reported and objective measures. Residents demonstrated improvements in overall scores. Future directions will examine results of the 2-y curriculum experience and CE passage rates to verify that a standardized, structured, weekly, longitudinal curriculum is beneficial for CE preparedness and clinical practice.