Implementing a “Surgery Olympics” in Ophthalmology Residency: A Pilot Study

Background/Purpose: Surgical residency programs seek innovative ways to teach and assess resident surgical skills. Significant barriers include motivating residents to practice given the time commitment of residency and limited availability of attending faculty outside of clinic time to lead teaching sessions. A Surgery Olympics program was implemented within the Northwestern Ophthalmology Residency program to promote mentorship between the senior and junior classes, resident camaraderie, and excitement for surgical training. This program was modeled after a similar program for medical students at the University of Michigan’s general surgery department. Methods: We divided residents into four families, with each family having one resident per post-graduate year (PGY) class. Two Surgery Olympics events were held, one in the summer and one in winter in which residents were given 10 minutes to complete surgical tasks specific to their PGY class. The resident’s performance was graded by an attending ophthalmologist based on various parameters, including the time taken to complete the task. Residents were surveyed prior to and after the Surgery Olympics program's initiation to gauge the effect on surgical training and motivation to practice in the microsurgical laboratory. Results: Questionnaires prior to the Olympics indicated that 4 in 10 residents practiced < 2 hours a month with an average practice time of 4.65 hours per month. Questionnaires following the Olympics indicated an increase in practice to 8.80 hours per month, with only 1/11 residents practicing less than 2 hours a month. Before the Olympics, residents cited confidence in the OR and having attendings turn over more surgical cases as motivating factors to practice. They cited a lack of a defined surgical curriculum, mentorship, and protected time outside their busy residency schedules as barriers to practicing. Following the Olympics, residents felt improved motivation, quality, and efficiency in performing surgical training skills and felt the Olympics program increased class camaraderie. Conclusion: Adoption of a surgical Olympics program may help increase microsurgical practice time, identify residents with potential issues through a formal grading process, excite residents about surgical training, improve camaraderie, and create strong mentorship bonds between classes.