Clinical Anatomy and Surgical Skills Training for Gynecology and Urology Residents

Abstract

Objectives: Evaluate the efficacy of a multicenter, multidisciplinary surgical curriculum (Kenton et al, Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2006;195:1789 -1793) that was designed to teach basic pelvic anatomy and surgical skills to junior residents in Urology and Gynecology. Methods: The Clinical Anatomy and Surgical SkillsTraining program was developed for junior residents in urology and gynecology at 3 academic medical centers in Chicago. The course consisted of five 3-hour sessions. Each session was composed of didactics and a hands-on laboratory. A written test comprised of 2 sections, anatomy and surgical knowledge, was given before and after the course. Pre-and posttest scores were compared using the paired t test. A 0.05 significance level was used for all statistical tests.Results: Twenty-eight residents completed the program (15 first-year residents ͓PGY-1͔ and 13 second-year residents ͓PGY-2͔). At completion of the program, residents showed a 71% and 60% improvement in both anatomy and surgical skills knowledge, respectively (38 vs. 65, P < 0.001 and 50 vs. 80, P < 0.0001, respectively). The PGY-2 residents had significantly higher baseline scores than the PGY-1 residents in both anatomy (48 ؎ 14 vs. 28 ؎ 10, P < 0.001) and surgical skills test scores (59 ؎ 9 vs. 42 ؎ 9, P < 0.001). However, there were no significant differences in the posttest scores of the PGY-2 residents compared with the PGY-1 residents in either anatomy or surgical skills.Conclusion: Our multidisciplinary Clinical Anatomy and Surgical Skills Training program improved urology and gynecology residents' knowledge of anatomy and basic surgical skills, demonstrating that knowledge essential for the development of a competent resident can be taught outside of the operating room.