OR Skills Training Workshop for 3rd Year Medical Students
Location
D.P. Culp Center Ballroom
Start Date
4-5-2024 9:00 AM
End Date
4-5-2024 11:30 AM
Poster Number
1
Name of Project's Faculty Sponsor
Diedre Pierce
Faculty Sponsor's Department
Medical Education
Competition Type
Non-Competitive
Type
Poster Presentation
Presentation Category
Education
Abstract or Artist's Statement
OR Skills Training Workshop for 3rd Year Medical Students Lillian DeSousa and Matthew Kane, Department of Surgery, College Of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN Introduction: Operating Room (OR) sterility and etiquette is widely acknowledged as essential in medical education, although there is currently no universally standardized curriculum in place. Providing students with early opportunities for skills enhancement and mentorship could enhance their third-year clerkship rotation and potentially bolster their interest in pursuing a career in surgery. In this study, we examined the impact of an OR skills training workshop led by students and supervised by OR staff members on students' confidence and comfort in the OR setting. Methods: During the first week of the Surgery Clerkship, third year medical students at Quillen College of Medicine were given the opportunity to participate in an OR skills training workshop. Students were asked to complete surveys before and after the workshop to evaluate their comfort level with certain procedures, such as completing a surgical scrub and donning sterile gown and gloves. During the workshop, students were able to practice these skills in a low pressure setting in an actual OR room prior to entering a live surgery. Post-clerkship surveys were also completed by students who did and did not participate in the workshop to determine whether completing the worksop had a positive impact on their experience in the clerkship. Results: The level of comfort among students in executing six fundamental OR skills was analyzed utilizing a 1–10 Likert scale, with 1 denoting minimal comfort and 10 representing confidence. Following the completion of the course, there was a significant enhancement in students' comfort level on average (p < 0.05). For all six skills the average comfort level pre-workshop ranged from 3.22 to 4.88. Post-workshop the average comfort level ranged from 5.51 to 8.74. Free responses were also collected, including strengths and areas of improvement for the workshop. Major strengths included the tour of the facility, getting to practice in a low stress environment, having OR staff teaching these skills, and proximity to entering a live surgery. Recommendations included smaller group size, providing information prior to the workshop, including more skills such as suturing, and providing information about surgical instrumentation. This is an ongoing study with one more year of data collection in process. Conclusion: Participants in the workshop immediately prior to starting the surgery clerkship showed increased confidence in basic OR skills. Further data is needed to determine the significance of the improvement in clerkship experience, and will be collected over the next year of this study. The goal of this project is to demonstrate the need for continued structured curriculum improvement within surgical medical education.
OR Skills Training Workshop for 3rd Year Medical Students
D.P. Culp Center Ballroom
OR Skills Training Workshop for 3rd Year Medical Students Lillian DeSousa and Matthew Kane, Department of Surgery, College Of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN Introduction: Operating Room (OR) sterility and etiquette is widely acknowledged as essential in medical education, although there is currently no universally standardized curriculum in place. Providing students with early opportunities for skills enhancement and mentorship could enhance their third-year clerkship rotation and potentially bolster their interest in pursuing a career in surgery. In this study, we examined the impact of an OR skills training workshop led by students and supervised by OR staff members on students' confidence and comfort in the OR setting. Methods: During the first week of the Surgery Clerkship, third year medical students at Quillen College of Medicine were given the opportunity to participate in an OR skills training workshop. Students were asked to complete surveys before and after the workshop to evaluate their comfort level with certain procedures, such as completing a surgical scrub and donning sterile gown and gloves. During the workshop, students were able to practice these skills in a low pressure setting in an actual OR room prior to entering a live surgery. Post-clerkship surveys were also completed by students who did and did not participate in the workshop to determine whether completing the worksop had a positive impact on their experience in the clerkship. Results: The level of comfort among students in executing six fundamental OR skills was analyzed utilizing a 1–10 Likert scale, with 1 denoting minimal comfort and 10 representing confidence. Following the completion of the course, there was a significant enhancement in students' comfort level on average (p < 0.05). For all six skills the average comfort level pre-workshop ranged from 3.22 to 4.88. Post-workshop the average comfort level ranged from 5.51 to 8.74. Free responses were also collected, including strengths and areas of improvement for the workshop. Major strengths included the tour of the facility, getting to practice in a low stress environment, having OR staff teaching these skills, and proximity to entering a live surgery. Recommendations included smaller group size, providing information prior to the workshop, including more skills such as suturing, and providing information about surgical instrumentation. This is an ongoing study with one more year of data collection in process. Conclusion: Participants in the workshop immediately prior to starting the surgery clerkship showed increased confidence in basic OR skills. Further data is needed to determine the significance of the improvement in clerkship experience, and will be collected over the next year of this study. The goal of this project is to demonstrate the need for continued structured curriculum improvement within surgical medical education.