Competency-based education in general surgery: Are Canadian residents ready?
Gabrielle Gauvin, Kathryn Hay, Wilma Hopman, Scott Hurton, Stephanie Lim, Boris Zevin, Diederick Jalink, Sulaiman Nanji
Author Information
Gabrielle Gauvin: From the Department of Surgery, Queen's University, Kingston, Ont. (Gauvin, Hay, Zevin, Jalink, Nanji); the Department of Public Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ont. (Hopman); the Department of Surgery, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Man. (Hurton, Lim); and the Department of Surgery, CISSS de l'Outaouais, Gatineau, Que. (Gauvin).
Kathryn Hay: From the Department of Surgery, Queen's University, Kingston, Ont. (Gauvin, Hay, Zevin, Jalink, Nanji); the Department of Public Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ont. (Hopman); the Department of Surgery, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Man. (Hurton, Lim); and the Department of Surgery, CISSS de l'Outaouais, Gatineau, Que. (Gauvin).
Wilma Hopman: From the Department of Surgery, Queen's University, Kingston, Ont. (Gauvin, Hay, Zevin, Jalink, Nanji); the Department of Public Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ont. (Hopman); the Department of Surgery, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Man. (Hurton, Lim); and the Department of Surgery, CISSS de l'Outaouais, Gatineau, Que. (Gauvin).
Scott Hurton: From the Department of Surgery, Queen's University, Kingston, Ont. (Gauvin, Hay, Zevin, Jalink, Nanji); the Department of Public Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ont. (Hopman); the Department of Surgery, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Man. (Hurton, Lim); and the Department of Surgery, CISSS de l'Outaouais, Gatineau, Que. (Gauvin).
Stephanie Lim: From the Department of Surgery, Queen's University, Kingston, Ont. (Gauvin, Hay, Zevin, Jalink, Nanji); the Department of Public Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ont. (Hopman); the Department of Surgery, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Man. (Hurton, Lim); and the Department of Surgery, CISSS de l'Outaouais, Gatineau, Que. (Gauvin).
Boris Zevin: From the Department of Surgery, Queen's University, Kingston, Ont. (Gauvin, Hay, Zevin, Jalink, Nanji); the Department of Public Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ont. (Hopman); the Department of Surgery, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Man. (Hurton, Lim); and the Department of Surgery, CISSS de l'Outaouais, Gatineau, Que. (Gauvin).
Diederick Jalink: From the Department of Surgery, Queen's University, Kingston, Ont. (Gauvin, Hay, Zevin, Jalink, Nanji); the Department of Public Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ont. (Hopman); the Department of Surgery, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Man. (Hurton, Lim); and the Department of Surgery, CISSS de l'Outaouais, Gatineau, Que. (Gauvin).
Sulaiman Nanji: From the Department of Surgery, Queen's University, Kingston, Ont. (Gauvin, Hay, Zevin, Jalink, Nanji); the Department of Public Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ont. (Hopman); the Department of Surgery, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Man. (Hurton, Lim); and the Department of Surgery, CISSS de l'Outaouais, Gatineau, Que. (Gauvin).
Summary: Competency-based education (CBE) is currently being implemented by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada across all residency programs. This shift away from time-based residency is proposed to be the answer to maximize training opportunity in the era of work hour restrictions and growing concerns regarding accountability in medical education. A Web-based survey was conducted to obtain feedback from Canadian general surgery residents on their experience and perception of competence within core procedures, as well as attitudes toward CBE. A total of 244 residents completed the survey. For most procedures, more than 50% of residents felt they could perform the procedure with no guidance after completing 11-30 cases. Generally, residents were welcoming of CBE; however, medium-sized programs reported some concerns regarding inadequate exposure to cases and risk of training less well-rounded surgeons. This is valuable resident feedback for programs to consider during the implementation process.
