No Miracles in Two Minutes: A Randomized Controlled Study on the Impact of Preparatory Expansive Posing on...

The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of engaging in preparatory expansive posing on the performance of anesthesiology trainees during a mock structured oral examination.

A total of 38 clinical residents at a single institution participated in this prospective randomized controlled study. Participants were stratified by clinical anesthesia year and randomly assigned to 1 of 2 orientation rooms to prepare for the examination. The preparatory expansive posing participants stood for 2 minutes with their hands and arms above their heads and with their feet approximately 1 ft apart. Conversely, the control participants sat quietly in a chair for 2 minutes. All participants then received the same orientation and examination. Faculty evaluation of resident performance, residents' self-assessment of performance, and anxiety score were collected.

There was no evidence to support our primary hypothesis that residents who engaged in preparatory expansive posing for 2 minutes prior to a mock structured oral examination would score higher than their control counterparts (P = .68). There was no evidence to support our secondary hypotheses that preparatory expansive posing increases self-assessment of one's performance (P = .31) or reduces perceived anxiety during a mock structured oral examination (P = .85).

Preparatory expansive posing did not improve anesthesiology residents' mock structured oral examination performance or self-assessment of their performance, nor did it reduce their perceived anxiety. Preparatory expansive posing is likely not a useful technique in improving the performance of residents in structured oral examinations.