title: Determinants of performance on the Transfer Task of the Basic Laparoscopic Urologic Surgery (BLUS(©)) curriculum administered at objective structured clinical examinations.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess determinants of performance on the Transfer Task of the Basic Laparoscopic Urologic Surgery (BLUS(©)) skills curriculum administered at Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs).
  
  
  METHODS
  After obtaining Institutional Review Board approval and informed consent, urology trainees (Postgraduate Year [PGY]-3 to PGY-5) from four different training programs (A, B, C, D) were recruited for the study. Transfer Task Times (TTTs) were compared and correlated with previous laparoscopic experience, amount of endotrainer practice and scores obtained at practice sessions and other OSCE stations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 37 trainees were evaluated on three successive semiannual OSCEs from May 2011 to May 2012, including 16 (43.2%) trainees from program A with a dedicated laparoscopic skills training program. Compared with trainees from programs B, C, and D, trainees from program A had significantly more practice per week (0 v 45 minutes, p=0.001) and significantly lower median TTTs at OSCEs (114 [68-209] v 74 [52-189] seconds, p=0.001) despite significantly lower number of laparoscopic cases assisted within the previous 6 months (13 [0-57] v 2 [0-35], p=0.001). For program A trainees, TTTs moderately correlated with median TTTs at practice sessions (r=0.57, p=0.001) and negatively correlated with amount of practice per week (r=-0.41, p=0.003). Thus, more training resulted in faster times at OSCEs. On multivariate analysis, amount of practice per week was the only significant predictor of TTTs at OSCEs (p=0.028).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Performance on the transfer task of BLUS during OSCEs significantly correlated with the amount of practice rather than the number of laparoscopic cases assisted.
authors.affiliation: Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, McGill University Health Center, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: Mohamed A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Elkoushy
authors.forename: Murilo A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Luz
authors.forename: Josée
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Delisle
authors.forename: Maurice
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Anidjar
authors.forename: Sero
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Andonian
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003479:Curriculum; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000193:education*; D059032:Learning Curve; D009048:Motor Skills; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013520:Urologic Surgical Procedures / Q000193:education*; D014572:Urology / Q000193:education*