Role Reversal Between Trainees and Surgeons: Improving Autonomy and Confidence in Surgical Residents

Area of Science:

• Surgical Education
• Medical Training
• Resident Autonomy

Background:

• Concerns exist regarding resident autonomy versus patient safety in surgical training.
• Developing competent, independent surgeons requires balancing autonomy with supervised practice.
• Novel educational strategies are needed to enhance entrustability without compromising patient safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of intraoperative role reversal on surgical residents' learning and autonomy.
• To assess the safety and effectiveness of a novel training paradigm in general surgery.
• To determine if intraoperative role reversal improves decision-making, confidence, and communication.

Main Methods:

• Prospective qualitative study involving intraoperative role reversal between attending surgeons and residents.
• Pre- and post-intervention surveys using Likert scales and binary questions assessed key variables.
• Mann-Whitney U test analyzed survey data to compare responses across different training years.

Main Results:

• All residents showed significant improvement in knowledge scores post-intervention, with greater gains in junior residents.
• Intraoperative decision-making significantly improved for all resident levels (P < 0.001).
• Residents reported enhanced preparation, confidence, autonomy, and communication following the role reversal intervention.

Conclusions:

• Intraoperative role reversal offers a safe environment for surgical residents to maximize learning.
• This method effectively increases resident entrustability under direct faculty supervision.
• The intervention supports the development of competent surgeons while maintaining patient safety.