The Use of Standardized Patients in the Plastic Surgery Residency Curriculum: Teaching Core Competencies with Objective Structured Clinical Examinations

Abstract

The objective structured clinical examination provided comprehensive and meaningful feedback and identified areas of strengths and weakness for the residents and for the teaching program. The examination is an effective assessment tool for the core competencies and a valuable adjunct to residency training.

Discussion

“…How to best educate residents remains a robust topic of discussion in academic plastic surgery. 2,3 The road to board certification in plastic surgery has engendered three distinct program structures: independent/traditional, combined/ coordinated, and integrated residencies. As Schneider and colleagues indicate, the Residency Review Committee for Plastic Surgery mandates that combined/coordinated programs become integrated programs.…”

“…In the middle of the last decade, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education introduced the six "core educational competencies" (i.e., interpersonal communication skills, medical knowledge, patient care, professionalism, practice-based learning, and systemsbased practice), fundamentally changing the manner in which resident and residency program performance are evaluated. 1,2 Plastic surgery residency accreditation now requires demonstration of the integration of the six core competency elements into educational curricula. This paradigm shift necessitates the reevaluation of plastic surgery education and perhaps the restructuring of residency programs.…”

Evaluación de Programa de Especialidad de Cirugía Plástica, Reparadora y Estética de la Universidad de Chile: Visión de los últimos 6 años por egresados

“…Existen distintas estrategias empleadas en el desarrollo docente quirúrgico que han demostrado resultados satisfactorios 1,3,[4][5][6][7][8] . Sin embargo, al momento de evaluar la formación quirúrgica de especialistas en Cirugía Plástica de manera íntegra y transversal la evidencia es escasa.…”

Implementing Assessment Methods in Plastic Surgery

“…Models have been proposed in general surgery 29 and plastic surgery. 30 The observation and feedback that occurs during the course of work is described as workbased assessment. 31 This type of assessment offers an opportunity to assess trainees' ability to meet required milestones in the course of their authentic work.…”