Abstract
The program summary of the American Board of Surgery In-Service Training Exam (ABSITE) can be used to quantitate cognitive learning during a surgical residency and to identify areas of curricular weakness in a residency program. Knowledge on each question is categorized as high (known) or low (unknown) depending on the percentage of residents who answered correctly. Knowledge of Level 1 (entry) residents is then compared with Level 5 (exit) residents. Each ABSITE question can thus be categorized on entry versus exit as known-known, unknown-unknown, unknown-known, and known-unknown. Only about half of unknown knowledge on entry appears to become known on exit. Very little knowledge known on entry becomes unknown on exit. Weaknesses in specific subject areas can be readily identified by ranking questions according to the number of exiting residents who answer incorrectly. Use of this technique to quantitate cognitive learning in a residency program may allow objective assessment of changes in curriculum.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Dean R. E., Hanni C. L., Pyle M. J., Nicholas W. R. Influence of programmed textbook review on American Board of Surgery In-service Examination scores. Am Surg. 1984 Jul;50(7):345–349. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Erlandson E. E., Calhoun J. G., Barrack F. M., Hull A. L., Youmans L. C., Davis W. K., Bartlett R. H. Resident selection: applicant selection criteria compared with performance. Surgery. 1982 Aug;92(2):270–275. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Garvin P. J., Kaminski D. L. Significance of the in-training examination in a surgical residency program. Surgery. 1984 Jul;96(1):109–113. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Lazar H. L., DeLand E. C., Tompkins R. K. Clinical performance versus in-training examinations as measures of surgical competence. Surgery. 1980 Apr;87(4):357–362. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Schueneman A. L., Pickleman J., Hesslein R., Freeark R. J. Neuropsychologic predictors of operative skill among general surgery residents. Surgery. 1984 Aug;96(2):288–295. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Shetler P. L. Observations on the American Board of Surgery In-Training examination, board results, and conference attendance. Am J Surg. 1982 Sep;144(3):292–294. doi: 10.1016/0002-9610(82)90002-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]