Prioritizing resident and patient safety while maintaining educational value: emergency restructuring of a Canadian surgical residency program during COVID-19

Can J Surg. 2020 May 25;63(3):E302-E305. doi: 10.1503/cjs.006120.

Abstract

Surgical programs are facing major and fluctuating changes to the resident workforce because of decreased elective volumes and high exposure risk during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Rapid restructuring of a residency program to protect its workforce while maintaining educational value is imperative. We describe the experience of the Division of General Surgery at the University of Ottawa in Ontario, Canada. The residency program was restructured to feature alternating "on" and "off" weeks, maintaining a healthy resident cohort in case of exposure. Teams were restructured and subdivided to maximize physical distancing and minimize resident exposure to pathogens. Educational initiatives doubled, with virtual sessions targeting every resident year and incorporating intraoperative teaching. The divisional research day and oral exams proceeded uninterrupted, virtually. A small leadership team enabled fast and flexible restructuring of a system for patient care while prioritizing resident safety and maintaining a commitment to resident education in a pandemic.

MeSH terms

  • Betacoronavirus / pathogenicity*
  • COVID-19
  • Coronavirus Infections / prevention & control*
  • Coronavirus Infections / transmission
  • Coronavirus Infections / virology
  • Educational Measurement
  • General Surgery / education*
  • General Surgery / organization & administration
  • General Surgery / statistics & numerical data
  • Health Workforce / organization & administration
  • Health Workforce / statistics & numerical data
  • Humans
  • Infection Control / organization & administration*
  • Infection Control / statistics & numerical data
  • Internship and Residency / organization & administration*
  • Internship and Residency / statistics & numerical data
  • Medical Oncology / education
  • Medical Oncology / organization & administration
  • Medical Oncology / statistics & numerical data
  • Ontario / epidemiology
  • Pandemics / prevention & control*
  • Patient Safety
  • Personnel Staffing and Scheduling / organization & administration
  • Personnel Staffing and Scheduling / statistics & numerical data
  • Pneumonia, Viral / prevention & control*
  • Pneumonia, Viral / transmission
  • Pneumonia, Viral / virology
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Universities / organization & administration
  • Universities / statistics & numerical data