The Effects of Skill Lab Programs in Training of Neurosurgery Residents (In press)

Nowadays, surgical educations face new problems. Legal issues and patients' rights are a matter of concern in educational hospitals. On the other hand, the high cost of modern technology-based surgical education has made it more difficult for residents to train. Therefore, it seems that new approaches in the training of surgeons are necessary. One of the strategies is considered for this purpose is the establishment of clinical skill labs.

In this study, 4 clinical skill labs were designed that could increase the resident's clinical skills in a very low-cost setting. For this purpose, 13 residents registered in this study. The workshops subgroups were categorized as craniotomy, working with the microscope, tissue resection, and microsurgical dissection. After the workshop, residents and their attending physicians were surveyed by filling the questionnaires about the benefits of the workshop.

After the end of skill labs, residents and professors were asked about the enhancement of their skills and the efficacy of these skill labs. Both residents and their attending physicians believe that this enhancement of skills was significant.

It seems that adding clinical skill labs into the residency curriculum can improve the quality of their training and avoid the stressful environment of the real operating room and the legal problems that may be involved. Also, residents can learn more in a limited time and have better self-esteem for training in neurosurgery.