Surgical Rehabilitation for Research Residents: A Pilot Program to Offset Surgical Skill Decay

Area of Science:

• Surgical Education
• Surgical Simulation
• Resident Training

Background:

• General surgery residents pursuing research (research residents, RR) often experience operative skill decay due to extended time away from clinical duties.
• This skill decay can impede their progress toward becoming independent surgeon-scientists.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility and impact of a structured intervention, the Surgical Rehabilitation Program (SRP), designed to mitigate skill decay in RR.
• To evaluate the program's effect on technical skills and confidence levels of RR compared to clinical residents (CR).

Main Methods:

• A pilot Surgical Rehabilitation Program (SRP) was implemented, featuring 12 cadaver-based simulation sessions and Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) workouts.
• Research residents (RR) participated alongside clinical residents (CR) in cadaver sessions.
• Performance testing, surveys, and interviews were used to collect data on RR and CR.

Main Results:

• RR showed similar performance to level-matched CR on basic laparoscopic tasks but required significantly more time for laparoscopic suturing (p < 0.001).
• RR reported lower confidence pre-simulation, which improved post-simulation (p < 0.05), while CR confidence remained unchanged.
• Qualitative feedback highlighted the benefits of RR integration, faculty exposure, technical skill development, and enhanced confidence.

Conclusions:

• Structured interventions like the SRP are essential for supporting RR during research gap years.
• These programs help maintain surgical skills and confidence, crucial for aspiring surgeon-scientists.