Naaseh Ariana, Tohmasi Steven, Sacks Bethany C, Awad Michael M, Wise Paul E, Kim Michael J
Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.
Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.
J Surg Educ. 2025 Aug 6:103641. doi: 10.1016/j.jsurg.2025.103641.
General surgery (GS) residents are critical educators for medical students (MS). However, GS resident perceptions of this role remain unclear. This study aims to characterize GS resident perspectives on their roles as MS teachers.
We conducted semi-structured interviews with GS residents at a single institution. We designed open-ended questions to explore resident teaching roles: focusing on their definitions, support received, perceived importance, motivations, and barriers to teaching. Interview transcripts were inductively analyzed using thematic analysis, with iterative coding conducted by multiple team members to identify and refine emergent themes.
A total of 19 residents participated (postgraduate year range: 1-7). Residents had varied definitions of their role as teachers, frequently emphasizing MS identity formation and comfort within the surgical environment over technical knowledge transfer. Most residents expressed a sense of obligation to teach, though this was often self-driven rather than incentivized. Engaging with MS was viewed as a significant daily responsibility, considered almost as important as patient care. While no structured curriculum for teaching exists, residents emphasized the value of exemplary role models in shaping their teaching approach and the desire for recognition of their teaching efforts. Challenges to teaching included workflow and patient care demands, with confidence in clinical and technical skills often impacting teaching engagement.
Our proposed framework demonstrates that GS residents experience teaching MS as a dynamic balance of multiple professional roles and responsibilities. They view themselves as mentors and cultural liaisons, along with educators. However, confidence varies in balancing dual roles as learners and teachers. Understanding these perceptions can guide institutions in better supporting GS residents as educators.
普通外科（GS）住院医师是医学生（MS）的重要教育者。然而，GS住院医师对这一角色的看法仍不明确。本研究旨在描述GS住院医师对其作为医学生教师角色的看法。
我们在单一机构对GS住院医师进行了半结构化访谈。我们设计了开放式问题来探讨住院医师的教学角色：重点关注他们的定义、获得的支持、感知的重要性、动机以及教学障碍。访谈记录采用主题分析法进行归纳分析，由多名团队成员进行迭代编码以识别和完善新出现的主题。
共有19名住院医师参与（研究生年级范围：1 - 7年级）。住院医师对其教师角色的定义各不相同，经常强调医学生身份的形成以及在手术环境中的舒适度，而非技术知识的传授。大多数住院医师表示有教学的义务感，尽管这通常是自我驱动而非受激励的。与医学生互动被视为一项重要的日常职责，几乎与患者护理同样重要。虽然不存在结构化的教学课程，但住院医师强调榜样在塑造他们教学方法方面的价值，以及对认可其教学努力的渴望。教学面临的挑战包括工作流程和患者护理需求，临床和技术技能的自信程度常常影响教学参与度。
我们提出的框架表明，GS住院医师将教医学生视为多种专业角色和责任的动态平衡。他们将自己视为导师、文化联络人以及教育者。然而，在平衡学习者和教师这两个双重角色时，自信程度各不相同。了解这些看法可为机构更好地支持GS住院医师作为教育者提供指导。
