Developing a Curriculum for Trauma and Orthopaedic Higher Surgical Trainees: Implementing Small Group Teaching in a...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Orthopaedics

Background:

• Didactic lectures are common in surgical training, but small group discussions may offer better motivation.
• Limited research exists on small group teaching effectiveness specifically for higher surgical training in trauma and orthopaedics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate small group teaching methods in a regional trauma and orthopaedics higher surgical trainee program.
• To compare trainee feedback on small group teaching versus traditional didactic lectures.

Main Methods:

• Prospective collection of trainee feedback using formal forms over 22 regional teaching sessions.
• Analysis of 12 sessions with mixed methods (including lectures) and 10 sessions focused solely on small group formats.
• Statistical correlation analysis between the proportion of small group teaching and trainee-rated usefulness and satisfaction.

Main Results:

• A significant positive correlation was observed between the proportion of small group teaching and how useful trainees found the sessions for their education (rs = 0.597, p = 0.005).
• Trainee satisfaction with Fellowship of Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS) curriculum teaching showed a significant correlation with a greater emphasis on small group formats.
• Weak correlations were found between feedback scores and the extent of small group format as scheduled or as rated by trainees.

Conclusions:

• Small group teaching format has not been previously assessed in higher surgical trainee education.
• Increased utilization of small group teaching correlates with higher trainee satisfaction and perceived educational value in trauma and orthopaedics programs.
• Findings suggest a shift towards small group discussions may be beneficial for this training cohort.