Endoscopic Ear Surgery Skills Training Improves Medical Student Performance

Objective: Analyze medical student performance using an endoscopic ear surgery (EES) skills trainer over time.

Design: Simulation experience.

Setting: Surgical skills lab.

Participants: Five medical students and 1 expert surgeon completed 3 training sessions using an EES trainer to practice specific tasks designed to improve instrument control. During each session, participants performed 3 tasks, such as placing beads onto wires, 5 times per session for a total of 15 trials per task. Exercises were scored based on completion time. Results were compared before and after training. Pre- and post-task surveys were administered.

Results: Prior to skills training, 0% of medical students reported feeling comfortable holding an endoscope or ear instruments. For students, overall mean completion times decreased significantly for each exercise by the conclusion of the training experience: placing beads on wires improved from 152 to 44 seconds (p < 0.001), placing simulated prostheses from 264 to 93 seconds (p < 0.001), and navigating a pattern from 193 to 66 seconds (p = 0.002). Individual analysis showed varying learning curves among participants and between exercises, with some students exhibiting rapid improvement. At the conclusion of training, 80% of students felt comfortable holding the endoscope and using otologic instruments, and 100% were satisfied with the experience.

Conclusions: Novice surgeons can exhibit significant skill improvement with repetitive practice on an EES trainer. Variable baseline skill and improvement rates highlight the individual characteristics of skill acquisition, which may be important factors during otolaryngology and endoscopic ear surgery training.