Improving surgical resident's performance in the American Board of Surgery in Training Examination (ABSITE)--do review courses help? The program directors' perspective.

BACKGROUND

The implementation of the 80-hour week compounded by the need for the current trainee to be well versed technically with the newer developments in surgery has resulted in limited time for didactic education. Commercial American Board of Surgery in Training examination (ABSITE) review courses are flourishing and may seem to be filling the gap in didactic education.

OBJECTIVE

This study ascertained the opinion of the general surgery program directors across the country on the role of the review courses in the ABSITE performance of a surgical resident.

METHODS

A questionnaire was designed and sent out to all program directors using online survey.

RESULTS

Sixty-five of 242 program directors completed the questionnaire. Fifty-seven percent belonged to university-based surgical residency programs. Seventy-two percent used ABSITE performance as a measure while evaluating the resident for promotion. Although 60% agreed that review courses help the performance of the residents, 80% did not have any institutional or regional review courses. Ninety percent allowed their residents to attend commercial review courses but 60% did not reimburse them.

CONCLUSIONS

Program directors do feel that ABSITE by itself is important in evaluating the progression of surgical residents and has a correlation with the boards' pass percentile. Due to the limited hours available for didactics in current surgical residency, intensive review course over a 2- to 3-day period may help the surgical residents to perform better. In the current economy, review courses offered by a consortium of programs geared toward improving ABSITE performance and conducted by the surgical faculty may be of essence.