GS38PTHE SAT-SET COURSE #1: DEVELOPING A TOOL FOR WORKPLACE-BASED ASSESSMENT OF SURGICAL TRAINEES

The SAT SET course is an innovative course designed by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in response to a need to meet the challenges posed by the new SET training program. The course aims to teach current Fellows of the College a number of skills and evaluation methods required of surgical supervisors in assessment and performance management. Specifically, the course demonstrates effective use of the Mini-CEX and DOPS (Direct Observation of Procedural Skills) for initial and mid-term assessment of trainees; discusses the College's training policies and relevant legal issues such as the appeals process, as well as explaining expectations of their roles as supervisors and trainers. The course is a forerunner in Australia in active teaching of modern competency-based assessment tools implemented across a number of disciplines and workplace environments. From its commencement in May 2007 until September 2008, 555 Fellows have participated in SAT SET courses convened in Australia and New Zealand (229 in 2007, 326 in 2008). In addition, 185 SET Supervisor Fellows have attended the course, approximately 40% of all Surgical Supervisors in Australasia. Our survey aims to test the outcomes of the SAT SET course by the cumulative feedback from Supervisors who have attended the course and follow-up. Future iterations to improve the course, such as video demonstration of mid-term assessment, co-badging of SAT SET courses with hospitals and expansion of resources for facilitators will also be discussed. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]