Trainee Professional Development
General Surgery Residency Educational Opportunities
Medical education is central to the mission of the medical center. At BIDMC, trainees interact with faculty members who are passionate about teaching and the teaching environment and have access to innovative educational tools and the most up-to-date medical technologies.
The Department of Surgery at BIDMC offers a series of interactive seminars and educational opportunities for our residents, fellows, and medical students developed with the goal of improving our residents' ability treat patients with the most innovative and effective techniques. To get in touch, please call the number below or email the office of Surgical Education & Training.
Harvard Surgical Program in Innovation (SPIN)
To foster an innovative environment in the department of surgery that promotes clinically-oriented problem solving, develops surgeon-innovators and forges collaborations.
The Harvard Surgical Program in Innovation (SPIN) provides the opportunity to develop the skills required to become a surgeon-innovator. Through a series of workshops, the Harvard SPIN program exposes participants to the innovative process and teaches enabling technologies that facilitate innovation. Throughout the program, we aim to promote collaboration by creating a local community that brings clinicians, engineers, and scientists together to work towards the common mission of improving patient care.
- Gain an understanding of the innovation process, with a focus on solving clinically-relevant challenges
- Develop a framework for innovative problem solving
- Learn the fundamentals of rapid prototyping (computer-aided design and 3-D printing) and electrical systems (circuits, sensors, and microprocessors) through hands-on workshops
- Understand the elements of creating a business plan and gain experience in pitching ideas to expert judges
- Develop techniques for identifying and forging meaningful collaboration
Harvard SPIN is open to all surgical residents within the BIDMC Department of Surgery regardless of expertise, clinical interest, or prior exposure to the innovation process.
With regards to commitment, prior to each workshop there will be video-based tutorials and reading distributed in order to maximize allotted time for hands-on learning. All participants will be expected to engage in scheduled events and compete in a team-based Pitch Finale.
The Resident as Educator Program, directed by Dr. Tara Kent, has been developed with the goal of producing outstanding surgeon-educators. The curriculum includes three components:
Seminars
Interactive, team-based learning seminars are held using a “flipped classroom” approach. The goal of these sessions are to introduce the theory and practice of adult teaching and learning, including bedside and intraoperative teaching that promote the transmission of clinical and technical knowledge, behavior, and skills. These sessions are supplemented by departmental journal clubs focused on research in medical education.
Self-study
A multidisciplinary curriculum has been developed that includes a series of 5 videos and accompanying facilitator guide that reviews effective adult learning principles with the following goals: (1) review knowledge, skills, and methods associated with best clinical teaching practices, (2) encourage application of adult learning principles in any clinical setting, and (3) develop experience serving in supervisory roles, providing effective feedback, leading small-group discussions, and teaching procedural skills to medical students and resident colleagues.
Module 1: Clinical teaching
Module 2: Providing effective clinical supervision
Module 3: Effective feedback
Module 4: Leading small-group discussions
Module 5: Teaching procedural skills
Teaching tips
Weekly teaching tips and related references will be distributed via the resident list-serve.
Research & Innovation in Surgical Education (RISE)
A regular seminar series focused on updates of active departmental research projects in Surgical Education.
Academy of Medical Educators
The BIDMC Academy of Medical Educators is another important forum for surgical residents interested in medical education.
Academy membership is open to senior residents at or above the PGY 3 level to participate in professional development seminars, engage in collaborative projects, and to take advantage of the educational services for the larger purpose of advancing innovation and science of medical education.
Academy offerings include workshops on the flipped classroom, navigating educational change, and providing feedback to the difficult learner. Membership is open to trainees at or above postgraduate year three (PGY3) of residency.
