title: Residents as Educators: A Modern Model.
abstract: Education during surgical residency has changed significantly. As part of the shifting landscape, the importance of an organized and structured curriculum has increased. However, establishing this is often difficult secondary to clinical demands and pressure both on faculty and residents. We present a peer-assisted learning model for academic institutions without professional non-clinical educations. The "resident as educator" (RAE) model empowers residents to be the organizers of the education curriculum. RAE is built on a culture of commitment to education, skill development and team building, allowing the upper level residents to develop and execute the curriculum. Several modules designed to address junior level residents and medical students' educational needs have been implemented, including (1) intern boot camp, (2) summer school, (3) technical skill sessions, (4) trauma orientation, (5) weekly teaching conferences, and (4) a fourth year medical student surgical preparation course. Promoting residents as educators leads to an overall benefit for the program by being cost-effective and time-efficient, while simultaneously promoting professional development of residents and a culture of education.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee. Electronic address: clark.d.kensinger@vanderbilt.edu.
authors.forename: Clark D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Kensinger
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee.
authors.forename: William G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: McMaster
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee.
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Vella
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee.
authors.forename: Kevin W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Sexton
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee.
authors.forename: Rebecca A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Snyder
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee.
authors.forename: Kyla P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Terhune
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D003479:Curriculum; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000379:methods*; D013502:General Surgery / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D017145:Models, Educational; D010379:Peer Group
keywords: Interpersonal and Communication Skills; Medical Knowledge; Practice-Based Learning and Improvement; peer-assisted learning; resident educators; surgical education; surgical education curriculum