Development and initial testing of a scalable GME curriculum to teach core communication skills for surgeons

Abstract Purpose To develop and test the feasibility and acceptability of a curriculum teaching core communication skills to surgical trainees. Methods In this multi-site study, we applied Kern’s 6 step framework for curriculum development and determined three core teachable skills to support surgeon communication practices. We then created a five-year skills-based curriculum, the Fundamentals of Communication in Surgery (FCS), and developed a Train-the-Trainer (TTT) program to teach on-site volunteer trainers to teach the content. We pilot tested the feasibility and acceptability of our approach during the academic year 2024–2025 at five general surgery residency programs across the country collecting observational and interview data from residents, trainers, and key personnel. Results A total of 15 trainers completed the TTT program and taught FCS to 130 surgery residents across the five sites. The sessions were delivered with high-fidelity and respondents had enthusiastic review of core content, the pedagogical approach, and recognized that FCS fills a critical need for surgical trainees. Conclusions Our communication curriculum focuses on core skills for surgeons to use in conversations with patients and families, is feasible, and well received by trainees, surgical educators, and key personnel.