We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Prioritizing resident and patient safety while maintaining educational value: emergency restructuring of a Canadian surgical residency program during COVID-19.
- Authors
Gawad, Nada; Towaij, Chelsea; Stuleanu, Tommy; Garcia-Ochoa, Carlos; Williams, Lara J.
- Abstract
<bold>Summary: </bold>Surgical programs are facing major and fluctuating changes to the resident workforce because of decreased elective volumes and high exposure risk during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Rapid restructuring of a residency program to protect its workforce while maintaining educational value is imperative. We describe the experience of the Division of General Surgery at the University of Ottawa in Ontario, Canada. The residency program was restructured to feature alternating "on" and "off" weeks, maintaining a healthy resident cohort in case of exposure. Teams were restructured and subdivided to maximize physical distancing and minimize resident exposure to pathogens. Educational initiatives doubled, with virtual sessions targeting every resident year and incorporating intraoperative teaching. The divisional research day and oral exams proceeded uninterrupted, virtually. A small leadership team enabled fast and flexible restructuring of a system for patient care while prioritizing resident safety and maintaining a commitment to resident education in a pandemic.
- Subjects
ONTARIO; WORKING hour statistics; PREVENTION of epidemics; HIGHER education statistics; VIRAL pneumonia; UNIVERSITY &; college administration; OPERATIVE surgery; PREVENTION of communicable diseases; COVID-19; INTERNSHIP programs; EDUCATIONAL tests &; measurements; WORKING hours; PATIENT safety; ONCOLOGY; INFECTIOUS disease transmission
- Publication
Canadian Journal of Surgery, 2020, Vol 63, Issue 3, pE302
- ISSN
0008-428X
- Publication type
journal article
- DOI
10.1503/cjs.006120