title: Assessment of technical and nontechnical skills in surgical residents.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Surgical competence encompasses both technical and nontechnical skills. This study seeks to evaluate the validity evidence for a comprehensive surgical skills examination and to examine the relationship between technical and nontechnical skills.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six examination stations assessing both technical and nontechnical skills, conducted yearly for surgical trainees (n = 120) between 2010 and 2014 are included.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The assessment tools demonstrated acceptable internal consistency. Interstation reliability for technical skills was low (alpha = .39). Interstation reliability for the nontechnical skills was lower (alpha range -.05 to .31). Nontechnical skills domains were strongly correlated, ranging from r = .65, P < .001 to .86, P < .001. The associations between nontechnical and technical skills were inconsistent, ranging from poor (r = -.06; P = .54) to moderate (r = .45; P < .001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Multiple samplings of integrated technical and nontechnical skills are necessary to assess overall surgical competency.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Alicia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ponton-Carss
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: John B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Kortbeek
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Dr NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N1, Canada; W21C, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Electronic address: ima@ucalgary.ca.
authors.forename: Irene W Y
authors.initials: IW
authors.lastname: Ma
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000379:methods*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D055317:Evidence-Based Practice; D005260:Female; D013502:General Surgery / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000379:methods*; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
keywords: Assessment; Collaboration; Communication; Graduate medical education; Professional; Surgical skills