title: Effect of January vacations and prior night call status on resident ABSITE performance.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine if vacations in January or on-call status have an effect on American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination (ABSITE) scores.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective review of the performance of general surgery residents on ABSITE. Data collected included ABSITE scores, United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 2 scores, January vacation schedules, and call schedules. ABSITE performance was examined for correlation with vacation or call schedules. Student t test was used for statistical analysis, with a p value of less than 0.05 considered significant.
  
  
  METHODS
  General surgery residency program at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport, a university hospital-based program with 5 categorical residents per year.
  
  
  METHODS
  Postgraduate year (PGY) 1 through 5 general surgery categorical residents from 2006 to 2012.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 170 ABSITE scores from 55 residents were reviewed. The mean score when vacation was taken was 48.6 as compared with 36.3 when no vacation was taken (p = 0.02). Residents who took a January vacation at least once in their residency had a mean score of 42.8 as compared with 37.7 of those who did not (p = 0.43). The mean United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 2 score of residents who took a January vacation at least once in their residency was 218 as compared with 217 for their peers (p = 0.78). Among residents who took January vacations, the mean score in the years they took vacation was 49.4 as compared with 35.4 in the years they did not (p = 0.02). Prior night call status had no effect on the examination scores (44.2 vs 38.6, p = 0.30).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mean ABSITE scores were higher for residents who took a January vacation before the examination, despite no apparent difference in baseline test-taking ability. Among residents who took January vacations, mean scores were higher in the years they took vacation than in other years. On-call status did not have an effect on ABSITE performance. Vacation schedules in January can have a significant effect on ABSITE scores.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport and the Feist-Weiller Cancer Center, Shreveport, Louisiana.
authors.forename: Jane G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Sugar
authors.forename: Quyen D
authors.initials: QD
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Philip A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Cole
authors.forename: Benjamin D L
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Roger H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D000068:Accreditation; D000328:Adult; D039602:After-Hours Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000458:organization & administration; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D013502:General Surgery / Q000193:education*; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007899:Leisure Activities; D008145:Louisiana; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012621:Seasons; D058013:Test Taking Skills
keywords: ABSITE; Medical Knowledge; Patient Care; Professionalism; call schedule; graduate medical education; residency; surgery; vacation