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Strategies to optimize surgeon education are vital
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Educating surgeons is a complex task that has evolved during the past several decades. With the near-constant influx of publications and presentations describing basic and clinical research discoveries, as well as with continuous innovations in surgical techniques and implants, the need to effectively and efficiently educate practicing orthopedic surgeons is clear. The challenge lies in determining how surgeons learn best in 2017, as learning useful, yet older, strategies may be less applicable today as new technologies can enhance the learning experience.
The learning style of the individual and methods of information delivery must be carefully considered. Learning styles vary and include visual (V), aural (A), read/write (R) and kinesthetic (K) preferences, with several studies demonstrating that medical students and professionals have multiple VARK preferences. Information delivery methods vary and include standard lectures and group discussions, as well as several innovative approaches to teaching that rely heavily on technology and learner participation.
Variety of approaches
As we reflect on the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting last month, it is clear surgeon education is now approached with a variety of different strategies. Paper sessions, instructional course lectures and symposiums are the core educational modalities utilized, intended to deliver information on a specific topic to a specific audience. These modalities may be best suited to those who learn by aural, visual and read/write VARK preferences. Other opportunities included video exhibits, scientific exhibits and hands-on technical skills courses, ideal for surgeons who learn best by visual and kinesthetic teaching techniques.
Perhaps the most difficult aspect of determining how to best educate surgeons today is determining how to disseminate information that “sticks” with most learners. Effective educators try to develop a strategy to deliver valuable and lasting “take-home” messages. Certainly, it is near impossible to provide education in such a way that would be optimal for learners who learn best by auditory, visual, reading/writing and kinesthetic approaches at the same time. This would require an unrealistic amount of time and resources, although some smaller courses offer this opportunity with cadaver-based training. Educational strategies must aim toward reaching as many learning preferences as possible in a single educational session.
Active participation
Educational tools that provide an active opportunity for participation, such as an audience response system or apps, allow learners to ask immediate questions and have proven to enhance the adult learner experience. Lectures that allow ample opportunity for audience discussion as well as smaller case-based teaching sessions that encourage input continue to be useful educational strategies, and are likely to be of utility for most learners. Involving the learner in open discussion stimulates a greater focus and commitment to the concepts presented. The learner feels an added sense of value and they have a greater sense of commitment to the learning process.
Teaching the learner who learns best by kinesthetic strategies is perhaps the most challenging as it may be difficult for these learners to get much from traditional lectures. Orthopedic surgeons are likely to prefer a “learning by doing” strategy, particularly for the development of surgical skills. Educational programs that incorporate hands-on cadaveric labs with “master” instructors, as well as simulator training, have become the mainstay of surgical skill education. Surgeons-in-training also benefit from on-the-job education in the OR with attending surgeons. It would be impossible to develop surgical skills without some form of training that incorporates the learners’ own hands.
Self-education among orthopedic surgeons warrants analysis. Reading textbooks, perhaps the most traditional method of self-learning, has become less utilized by today’s generation of orthopedic surgeons. Web-based self-education resources have become more popular because of the variety of modalities available. A balance between these aural, visual and read/write programs and the essential kinesthetic learning programs is necessary for surgeons to develop and maintain the needed expertise. Interestingly, there is no formalized and widely accepted process to assess kinesthetic skills at any level of orthopedic surgeon education.
As the volume of available tools continues to grow, strategies to optimize education for the adult learner are vital. Approaches that appeal to multiple learning styles in a single setting are likely to be most useful. Orthopedic surgeons typically want to be invested in the learning process, so it is important for educators to adjust programs and teaching styles to incorporate active participation technology and feedback to provide a more ideal learning environment. A critical and increasingly higher valued component of surgeon education is the strategies used to effectively provide an enhanced process for learning.
- References:
- Fleming ND, et al. Not another inventory, rather a catalyst for reflection. To Improve the Academy. 1992;11:137–155.
- Kim RH, et al. J Surg Res. 2013;doi:10.1016/j.jss.2013.04.050.
- Poonam K, et al. J Clin Diag Res. 2013; doi:10.7860/JCDR/2013/5809.3090.
- Reed S, et al. Curr Probl Pediatr Adolesc Health Care. 2014; doi:10.1016/j. cppeds.2014.01.008.
- For more information:
- Anthony A. Romeo, MD, is the Chief Medical Editor of Orthopedics Today. He can be reached at Orthopedics Today, 6900 Grove Rd., Thorofare, NJ 08086; email: orthopedics@healio.com.
- Rachel M. Frank, MD, is a sports medicine fellow in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rush University Medical Center.
Disclosures: Romeo reports he receives royalties, is on the speakers bureau and is a consultant for Arthrex; does contracted research for Arthrex and DJO Surgical; receives institutional grants from AANA and MLB; and receives institutional research support from Arthrex, Ossur, Smith & Nephew, ConMed Linvatec, Athletico and Miomed. Frank reports no relevant financial disclosures.