OBJECTIVE: A Steering Committee of residents and faculty initiated a systematic approach to curriculum development, focusing on competency-based education and emphasizing both resident and faculty engagement in the didactic process. SETTING: Integrated General Surgery Residency Program at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut. PARTICIPANTS: Postgraduate year (PGY) 1 through 5 general surgery categorical and preliminary residents. METHODS: A Core Curriculum consisting of 45-minute blocks and 2.5 hours of resident time per week was developed by a steering committee composed of faculty and residents. Each block is assigned a faculty and resident moderator, and has defined competency and knowledge-based objectives. An anonymous online evaluation tool collected residents' perceptions of value and satisfaction with the curriculum utilizing 15 5-point Likert items focusing on conferences, objectives, preparation, and quality of presentations, and materials. Measures were taken at the close of the previous academic year (baseline) and at 6 months and 1 year after implementation. The analysis focused on the percent responding in the 2 highest Likert categories (good/excellent, almost always/always, agree/strongly agree). The resulting dichotomous outcomes were compared with time point using χ(2)-tests of proportion; Kruskal-Wallis statistic was also used to compare the full distribution of responses. All analyses were done using SPSS v. 14 with α = 0.05. RESULTS: One hundred two surveys were completed on-line (42 at baseline, 38 at 6 months, and 22 at 1 year). All 15 items showed increases from baseline to 1-year follow-up; 9 of the 15 were statistically significant with conferences and presentation quality and interaction showing the greatest improvement. CONCLUSIONS: Resident satisfaction with the core curriculum, and their self-reported clinical and academic abilities showed improvement after a systematic collaborative faculty-resident approach to curriculum development and implementation.
OBJECTIVE: A Steering Committee of residents and faculty initiated a systematic approach to curriculum development, focusing on competency-based education and emphasizing both resident and faculty engagement in the didactic process. SETTING: Integrated General Surgery Residency Program at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut. PARTICIPANTS: Postgraduate year (PGY) 1 through 5 general surgery categorical and preliminary residents. METHODS: A Core Curriculum consisting of 45-minute blocks and 2.5 hours of resident time per week was developed by a steering committee composed of faculty and residents. Each block is assigned a faculty and resident moderator, and has defined competency and knowledge-based objectives. An anonymous online evaluation tool collected residents' perceptions of value and satisfaction with the curriculum utilizing 15 5-point Likert items focusing on conferences, objectives, preparation, and quality of presentations, and materials. Measures were taken at the close of the previous academic year (baseline) and at 6 months and 1 year after implementation. The analysis focused on the percent responding in the 2 highest Likert categories (good/excellent, almost always/always, agree/strongly agree). The resulting dichotomous outcomes were compared with time point using χ(2)-tests of proportion; Kruskal-Wallis statistic was also used to compare the full distribution of responses. All analyses were done using SPSS v. 14 with α = 0.05. RESULTS: One hundred two surveys were completed on-line (42 at baseline, 38 at 6 months, and 22 at 1 year). All 15 items showed increases from baseline to 1-year follow-up; 9 of the 15 were statistically significant with conferences and presentation quality and interaction showing the greatest improvement. CONCLUSIONS: Resident satisfaction with the core curriculum, and their self-reported clinical and academic abilities showed improvement after a systematic collaborative faculty-resident approach to curriculum development and implementation.