Development of a comprehensive vascular skills assessment for surgical trainees

Abstract 

Background

Although vascular skills are important to general surgeons, vascular surgery has become a separate specialty, and therefore, there may be an erosion of vascular skills acquired by general surgical trainees. The purpose of this study was to develop a reliable and valid comprehensive vascular skills assessment (CVSA) of both knowledge and technical skills.

Methods

Twenty-four of 38 general surgical residents at the University of British Columbia completed a two-part CVSA consisting of a written examination and a series of 4 technical stations in a skills laboratory. Technical performance was rated using validated scales.

Results

The mean overall CVSA score was 50%. The CVSA demonstrated construct validity, with improvement in scores with increasing postgraduate year level (P = .01). The overall reliability (Cronbach's α) was .90.

Conclusions

The CVSA developed in this study is a comprehensive assessment of vascular skills that is both valid and reliable. It offers an objective and feasible assessment of general surgical trainees' vascular skills.

Keywords: Vascular surgery education, General surgery residency, Postgraduate assessment, Skills laboratory assessment, Clinical competence, Surgical training