Available online 1 November 2022

The abrupt cessation of in-person education due to the COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult for preclerkship students to explore a career in surgery. To supplement the lack of exposure, the Surgical Exploration and Discovery (SEAD) program was transitioned to an entirely virtual format. This study aims to describe the virtual SEAD program and evaluate its effectiveness as a career decision-making (CDM) intervention.

The week-long program was delivered on Microsoft Teams, featured 11 surgical specialties, and comprised four activities: live demonstrations, virtual operating room observerships, career talks, and technical skills workshops. The program was evaluated using the four levels of the Kirkpatrick model: (1) reactions, (2) knowledge, (3) CDM behaviors – assessed using the Career Decision-making Difficulties Questionnaire (CDDQ) – and (4) results. The latter was indirectly assessed using CDDQ scores from an in-person SEAD program, where lower CDDQ scores indicate less difficulty with CDM.

Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa in Ontario, Canada.

Forty pre-clerkship students (27 first and 13 second year students) at the University of Ottawa

Level 1: 97.5% of participants rated the program as good or very good. Live demonstration and technical skills workshops were the highest rated activities. Level 2: participants’ scores on knowledge-based questions about a surgical career significantly increased following the program (pre: 9/25 vs post: 15/25, p = 0.008). Level 3: overall mean CDDQ scores (±SD) decreased difficulties with significantly following the program (pre: 45.6 ± 10.5 vs post: 38.8 ± 10.9, p < 0.001), which indicates decreased CDM difficulties. Level 4: Except for one sub-category, the difference in mean CDDQ scores between the virtual and in-person programs were not significantly different.

The program received the positive reactions and significantly increased participants’ knowledge. The change in CDDQ scores following the virtual program suggests it may reduce career decision-making difficulties in the short-term. In-person surgical exposure remains important; however, a hybrid model may be valuable in resource limited settings.

WC: 300

Acquiring exposure to surgical specialties is challenging for pre clerkship medical students1 but can be obtained through operating room (OR) observerships, technical skills workshops, and live simulations.2,3 These in-person extracurricular activities provide students with opportunities to practice relevant technical skills, such as suturing or maneuvering the laparoscopic camera for example, which can lead to interest in a surgical career.2,4 However, the abrupt cessation of in-person

Ethics approval was granted by Ottawa Health Science Network Research Ethics Board (20210513-01H).

Forty-three pre-clerkship medical students attended the virtual SEAD program. Two students declined participation in the study and one student was ineligible as they did not complete the exit survey. Therefore, a total of 40 participants were enrolled in the study. The majority of participants were first year medical students (67.5%) and approximately half had never been in the OR (47.5%). Participant demographics are summarized in Table 1.

The present study evaluated the first virtual SEAD program by gathering evidence for the 4 levels of the Kirkpatrick model. Overall, participants gave the program a high global rating and reported high levels of satisfaction with the virtual content (level 1). The intervention increased participants’ knowledge regarding a career in surgery (level 2). The virtual program appeared to decrease CDM indecision as exemplified by a significant decrease in the overall CDDQ scores and in the scores of 5

This was the first study to describe an entirely virtual SEAD program and evaluate its effectiveness as a CDM intervention. Overall, the program was well received by participants, and significantly increased their knowledge about a career in surgery. Analysis of CDDQ scores suggests the virtual program addressed the lack of information dimension within the CDM process as effectively as the in-person program and may facilitate career-related decisions in the short term. Considering the strengths

The work was supported by the Department of Surgery's Office of Education at the University of Ottawa who paid in-kind for the cost of the virtual SEAD program and additional costs accrued for research purposes.

None to declare.

The authors would like to first acknowledge Dr. Nada Gawad, without whom the SEAD program would not exist. We would also like to acknowledge Drs. Linden Head and Brittany Greene for pioneering the SEAD program at the University of Ottawa and Dr. James Watterson who was a vital contributor to the development, execution, and success of the virtual SEAD program. Finally, we would like to thank the University of Ottawa, Department of Surgery and the University of Ottawa Skills and Simulation Centre

© 2022 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.