Current teaching methods for training surgical residents in the operating room: A narrative review

Structured surgical training is vital to ensure that the next generation of surgeons is equipped with the skills necessary to guarantee safe patient care, as well as the skills required to ensure effective ongoing professional development. Numerous instructional strategies and educational approaches, which are commonly used in the operating room, have recently been described in the literature. The aim of this review article is to highlight current teaching methods for training surgical residents in the operating theatre. A literature search on the current teaching methods for training surgical residents in the operating room was carried out using PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and ERIC databases between the years 1990 and 2018, and selected articles were retrieved. This review demonstrates that most surgical training programs make use of a variety of teaching methods and models for training surgical residents in the operating room, including the apprenticeship model, the BID model, the Zwisch model, the one-minute preceptor, Koens et al.’s model, and Morbidity and Mortality Meetings. Effective use of these novel educational tools by surgical educators may serve to improve the quality and efficiency of intraoperative resident education.