Educational Needs of Pediatric Surgery Residents

Objective: Surgical education and training play a critical role for surgeons to develop their professional skills and provide the best care to their patients. A survey was conducted to determine the education needs of surgery residents, especially in specialized fields such as pediatric surgery. The aim of this study was to determine the educational needs of pediatric surgery residents and to contribute to the development of educational programs for these needs. Material and Methods: The study was conducted with a questionnaire designed to determine the demographic data and educational needs of pediatric surgery residents working in city hospitals in Ankara. The questionnaire questions covered topics such as surgical decision making, communication, leadership, professionalism, surgical ethics, surgical simulation, scientific research and patient management. Results: Residents were 39% female who participated in the questionnaire and their graduation included Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir. The most needed areas of education among residents were identified as scientific research (87%), surgical simulation (74%) and leadership (43%). Other important needs included surgical decision making, communication, professionalism and surgical ethics. Conclusion: Increasing surgical simulation and scientific research training in surgical training programs will play an important role in improving the professional competencies of research assistants and the quality of patient care. Future studies may evaluate the generalizability of these findings with larger samples. In conclusion, more targeted and comprehensive approaches should be adopted in pediatric surgery education