Defining Practice Readiness in Pediatric Surgery Fellowship: A Qualitative Analysis

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Pediatric Surgery

Background:

• Competency-based training is advancing surgical education.
• A consensus on
• practice-readiness
• for pediatric surgery fellows is lacking.
• Improved assessment frameworks are needed to support the Milestones system.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a framework for defining competency and practice readiness in pediatric surgery fellows.
• To inform the Milestones system and enhance fellow assessment.
• To establish consensus on key elements of practice readiness.

Main Methods:

• An exploratory qualitative study was conducted.
• Semi-structured interviews with 19 pediatric surgeons were performed.
• Thematic analysis and the Dreyfus model were used for data interpretation.

Main Results:

• Four major themes emerged: skill-based competency, the recognition and benefits of struggle, developing expertise and facilitating autonomy, and difficulties in evaluation variability.
• Competency encompasses both interpersonal and technical skills.
• Struggle was identified as having personal, professional, and beneficial aspects.

Conclusions:

• Key themes associated with pediatric surgery fellow practice readiness were identified.
• Further refinement using the Dreyfus Model and community consensus are planned.
• Future work will focus on assessment metrics and educational interventions.