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A LOOK AT THE JOINT COMMISSION FROM RESIDENCY TO RETIREMENT
from an average of 72 to 62 attendees; as a result, the
overall attendance only increased by 24 percent, from
an average of 116 to 144 participants. Costs and location
of the meeting remained unchanged; however, industry
interest in supporting the annual meeting increased.
Most residency programs in the state were enthusiastic
participants, with some teams traveling nearly 100 miles
to the event. Review of the attendance records showed
that the introduction of the surgical skills competition
increased resident attendance at the Massachusetts Chapter
annual meeting nearly twofold, and this increase was
maintained over a three-year period, during which the
regular member attendance decreased modestly. This
finding suggests that the increase in resident attendance
likely was correlated to the competition, as no other major
programmatic changes were made to the meeting and cost
and location were consistent throughout these years.
A model for other chapters
Incorporation of such competitions into ACS chapter
meetings can increase resident involvement at the local
level. The authors of this column acknowledge that
having 10 training programs in relative geographical
proximity puts Massachusetts in a unique position,
and factors such as distance and limited number of
residency programs may create hurdles in some states.
Furthermore, the authors believe that these competitions
can be useful in surgical training at the institutional level.
Many programs reported significant internal competition
among residents who were determined to make their
institution’s team, with members spending a significant
amount of time practicing simulated surgical tasks for the
competition, which they may not have done otherwise. ♦
FIGURE 1.
ATTENDANCE AT THE
MASSACHUSETTS
CHAPTER MEETING
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