Virtual teaching in the COVID era: Providing surgical core trainee teaching via online webinars and videoconferencing.

OBJECTIVE: During the COVID-19 pandemic, regular teaching for core surgical trainees (CSTs) in Northern Ireland was cancelled at short notice, leaving a significant gap in training. We aimed to develop an effective core surgical teaching programme, within the remit of government regulations, to ensure training was not negatively affected by COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A novel virtual teaching programme was designed and implemented regionally across Northern Ireland. One-year free Affiliate Membership to the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) was provided for Northern Ireland CSTs, allowing access to RCSEd online webinars. A weekly teaching schedule based on the Member of the Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS) exam curriculum and accompanied by a webinar was created and disseminated to trainees. Senior surgeons were recruited to conduct a virtual teaching session via videoconferencing. RESULTS: Ten teaching sessions were conducted over three months. Feedback was collated, with positive results and requests for virtual teaching to continue. As such, the Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency (NIMDTA) adopted the teaching programme as their new primary method of central teaching for Northern Ireland CSTs during the pandemic. CONCLUSION: A novel, highly successful teaching programme was developed in Northern Ireland to meet the training needs of CSTs resulting in a sustained change to training. Virtual surgical teaching can be as effective as face-to-face didactic learning and may be imperative in a foreseeably socially distanced world.

Evaluating the utility of an international webinar as a platform to educate students and doctors on the UK core surgical training portfolio.

BACKGROUND: Core Surgical Training (CST) is a competitive two-year postgraduate training program in the UK that is scored based on three equally weighted stations: management, clinical and portfolio. Preparing a surgical portfolio can start in medical school, however, there is limited guidance on what forms a competitive portfolio with the majority of advice coming from university resources and national societies which are variable throughout the country. Our aim was to assess the utility of a webinar to educate students and doctors on the CST portfolio to address this disparity. METHODS: Pre- and post-event questionnaires that included demographic data, 10-point Likert scales to self-report confidence on the understanding of the CST portfolio and its domains, and questions on utilising webinars were distributed to attendees. Pre- and post-event responses were paired, and scores were assessed for normality via the Shapiro-Wilk test; the Mann-Whitney U test was used to assess statistical significance. Cohen's d effect sizes were calculated to report standardised differences between pre-and post-event scores. RESULTS: A total of 177 participants from over 24 countries responded to both questionnaires. A statistically significant improvement in awareness of how to score maximum points was demonstrated across all nine CST domains (p < 0.0001). Regardless of whether they were UK-based or international, approximately half of the participants stated a preference for a webinar over an in-person format. Interestingly, most attendees did not feel that their university had provided them with adequate information on preparing for a surgical career with over half of the attendees stating that they had to attend events by external organisations to obtain such information. CONCLUSIONS: This study has demonstrated that a webinar can be effectively utilised to educate students and doctors on the various domains of the CST portfolio and how to maximise points in each section. Such events could address the variability of university resources and national societies across the country and provide equal opportunities for students. Further studies that directly compare webinars with in-person events and investigate long-term outcomes, such as success in CST applications, are required.

A Face-to-Face Surgical Instrumentation Course During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objectives Surgical instrumentation teaching is included as an essential part of surgical training in the core surgical training syllabus. Access to formal teaching is variable, and opportunities for informal teaching have been further reduced by the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to design a course to fulfil these local trainees' needs. A move away from face-to-face teaching has occurred successfully during the pandemic, but little literature exists on how face-to-face courses can be best designed during this time. We aimed to describe the practicalities of running a face-to-face course with COVID restrictions. Methods Junior doctors and nurses rotated around five stations led by theatre nurses and senior doctors, each with common instruments from different surgical subspecialties. Social distancing was observed, and level 2 personal protective equipment (PPE) was worn throughout the course. Matched pre- and post-course tests allowed evaluation of learning. Results The course had 20 attendees, and the test scores improved following the course by an average of 9% (p = 0.009). All attendees (100%) found the course improved their knowledge and confidence. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and the significant improvement in the multiple-choice question (MCQ) scores demonstrates that this was an effective method of delivering teaching despite the COVID-19 restrictions on social distancing. Conclusion This course shows that instrumentation training is valuable to trainees and provides a good example to other educators, showing the workings of how a practical course may be run face-to-face during the pandemic.

Core surgical field camps: a new deanery-based model for enhancing advanced skills in core surgical trainees through simulation.

Hands-on wet lab simulation training is a vital part of modern surgical training. Since 2010, surgical 'boot camps' have been run by many UK deaneries to teach core surgical trainees basic entry level skills. Training in advanced skills often requires attendance at national fee-paying courses. In the Wessex Deanery, multiple, free of charge, core surgical 'field camps' were developed to provide more advanced level teaching in the particular specialty preference of each core surgical trainee. After the COVID-19 pandemic, national hands-on courses will be challenging to provide and deanery-based advanced skills training may be the way forward for craft-based specialties. The experiences over 2 years of delivering the Wessex core surgical field camps are shared, giving a guide and advice for other trainers on how to run a field camp.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on core surgical training.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant disruption in training which is even more pronounced in the surgical specialties. We aim to assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on core surgical training. METHODS: All core surgical and improving surgical trainees in West of Scotland region were invited to participate in an online voluntary anonymous survey via SurveyMonkey. RESULTS: 28 of 44 (63.6%) trainees responded, 15 (53.6%) were CT1/ST1. 14 (50.0%) working in teaching hospital and 15 (53.6%) working in general surgery. 20 (71.4%) felt that due to the pandemic they have less opportunity to operate as the primary surgeon. 21 (75.0%) have not attended any outpatient clinics. 8 (28.6%) did not have any form of access to the laparoscopic box-trainer. 20 (71.4%) felt their level of confidence in preforming surgical skills has been negatively impacted. 18 (64.3%) found it difficult to demonstrate progress in portfolio. 21 (75.0%) trainees have not attended any teaching. 10 (35.7%) trainees have been off-sick. 8 (28.6%) trainees have felt slightly or significantly more stressed. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 pandemic has an unprecedented negative impact on all aspects of core surgical training. The long term impact on the current cohort of trainees is yet to be seen.