Discernment of Perceived Resident Operative Learning Needs in Gynecologic Surgery: A Needs Assessment

Preparedness of obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN) residents for gynecologic surgery has been questioned. Alignment of resident operative learning needs between faculty and residents and awareness of how resources utilized by residents to prepare for gynecologic operative cases is unknown. Our hypothesis is that differences exist between faculty and resident perceptions of resident operative learning needs and of methods and frequency of use of preparatory resources. A study of the comparison between obstetrics and gynecology residents and faculty members perceptions of resident gynecologic operative learning needs and resident preparatory practice for the gynecologic operating room was carried out using a cross-sectional survey questionnaire. The survey included a list of commonly available resources that residents use to prepare for operative cases and queried respondents on their frequency of use. Further, the survey contained a 12-item operative learning needs list to identify unmet learning needs in residents. A registry of 19 OBGYN residency programs served as the population participants. Survey respondents included 413 residents and faculty members who provided their actual use of preparatory resources (residents) or their perception of resident use (faculty) in addition to their perceptions of unmet resident operative learning needs. Residents and faculty agreed on the rank order of preparatory resources but residents reported significantly more frequent use of these resources than faculty perceived. Colleague advice and web-based resources were the most common preparatory resources noted by both faculty and residents. Significant differences were seen between resident and faculty perceptions on many resident operative learning needs. Most operative learning needs persisted over the post-graduate years of training. A notable proportion of graduating residents had unmet learning needs as they prepared to enter practice. In particular, anatomy as an unmet learning need was associated with lower resident self-assessment on the gynecologic technical skill milestones. Discrepancies exist between residents and faculty surrounding resident preparation for the operative room and resident unmet operative learning need.