Creating a Needs Based Curriculum to Support General Surgery Preliminary Residents

To understand the needs of non-designated preliminary residents (NDPRs) at our general surgery residency program and develop a support program to address their needs.

A needs-based peer support program was piloted for NDPR.

A single academic institution with 6 preliminary first-year resident positions (2 designated, 4 undesignated) and the option for preliminary second-year positions.

NDPR residents from the last 7 years were asked to share their positive and negative experiences. The topics discussed were recruitment, clinical rotations, support, mentors, letters of recommendation, and finding a subsequent position. Input was solicited regarding visa concerns, differences in treatment from categorical residents, and suggestions on how to improve the NDPR experience. Responses were reviewed to develop a year-long curriculum that involved protected meeting time for the residents.

Nine of 17 former NDPR residents provided feedback on their experience in person, by phone, or by email. Areas identified to better support NDPR residents included tailored schedules to allow exposure to specialties of interest and obtaining letters of recommendation before the application cycle. A recurrent theme was transparency, both in the expectations of the NDPR resident role and the likelihood of becoming a categorical resident. Mentorship from previous NDPR residents and supportive faculty was one of the driving factors in creating a curriculum to provide formalized support. This curriculum featured monthly meetings for the first 3 months, followed by alternate months to foster peer support and faculty leadership check-ins. Sessions covered orientation to the preliminary year, a networking event with key faculty, obtaining letters, selecting programs, feedback for the program, and a year-end celebration.

NDPR residents play a crucial role in surgery programs and, in exchange, warrant the support and mentorship from the institution to promote success in their future careers. We present a piloted NDPR resident support program that can be individualized to residency programs specific needs.