Department of Surgery Holds Surgical Education Retreat

The Department of Surgery held a Surgical Education Retreat at the San Francisco Zoo on October 29, 2016. The objectives of this retreat included:

1. Assessing the current state of resident education
2. Generating ideas and concrete recommendations for improvement
3. Identifying the priority for high impact projects that can lead to this improvement
4. Reinvigorating and engaging faculty in their commitment to the teaching mission

Over 20 faculty and 12 residents participated. The strengths and achievements of the department and residency were outlined. The challenges and opportunities were identified, including resident morale, the high cost of living in the Bay Area, the competing interests of the faculty, and resident perceptions regarding the level of interest of faculty in teaching.

Several areas for improvement were identified, including:

• Efforts at resident and faculty well-being/morale
• Professional development of faculty in teaching and providing effective feedback
• Logistical and practical suggestions regarding schedules and rotation transitions, as well as resource/space allocation
• A clear definition and delineation of advanced practitioners on the surgical services (NP/PA’s)

Work groups were formed and the surgical education office, with the aid of faculty and residents, has been charged with moving these efforts forward during the upcoming academic year.