Fellows' perspective of HPB training programs in North America: results of a survey.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Sixteen hepatopancreatobiliary fellowship programs in North America are accredited by the Fellowship Council. This study aims to assess fellows' perceptions of their training program.

METHODS:

A multiple-choice questionnaire was sent to 35 fellows to assess how they perceived their training: academics, research, operative experiences, autonomy, mentorship, program quality and weaknesses. The survey was developed using the SurveyMonkey® tool.

RESULTS:

Twenty-four of 35 fellows completed the survey. Sixteen fellows reported structured didactics; 10 reported mandatory research. As to operative experiences; 9 fellows reported exposure to minimally-invasive liver surgery; 5 reported exposure to robotics. Fourteen fellows reported using ablation; 5 reported using ablation laparoscopically; 8 reported using mostly radiofrequency ablation; 1 reported using irreversible electroporation. Eighteen fellows reported excellent training; 20 reported mentorship; 19 reported operative autonomy. Limited exposure to medical oncology/multidisciplinary care, portal hypertension surgery, and robotics surgery were perceived as program weaknesses by 7, 9, and 7 fellows, respectively.

CONCLUSION:

Most fellows ranked their program quality and academic content as excellent, but they perceived a need for more exposure to medical oncology, portal hypertension surgery, and minimally-invasive surgery, with an emphasis on robotics. Fellowship training may need to integrate fellows' desires for enhanced proficiency in these clinical areas.

• Authors: Imran A Siddiqui, Amit V Sastry, John B Martinie, Dionisios Vrochides, Erin H Baker, David A Iannitti
• Journal: HPB : the official journal of the International Hepato Pancreato Biliary Association (HPB (Oxford)) Vol. 20 Issue 8 Pg. 695-701 (08 2018) ISSN: 1477-2574 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 29525118 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Topics

• Attitude of Health Personnel
• Clinical Competence
• Curriculum
• Digestive System Surgical Procedures (education)
• Education, Medical, Graduate (methods)
• Gastroenterologists (education, psychology)
• Gastroenterology (education)
• Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
• Humans
• Internship and Residency
• Mentors
• North America
• Personal Satisfaction
• Professional Autonomy
• Surgeons (education, psychology)
• Surveys and Questionnaires
• Workload