Professional profile of the surgical trainer: Train-the-Trainer curricula Erasmus Project

Project Title

Professional profile of the surgical trainer: Train-the-Trainer curricula

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2014

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Pedagogy and didactics; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Open and distance learning

Project Summary

While medical studies are clearly structured through guidelines and regulations, specialty training lacks standardisation and is very weak structured. The last evaluation on specialty training in Germany in 2011, done by the Bundesärztekammer (German Medical Association) showed that 42% of the residents were not fitted with a structured training plan and 25% received only oral information about the specialty training process. Preliminary projects of the University of Applied Sciences (HTWK) in Leipzig, as well as literature research has showed considerably that there is a need to improve the training of specialists, especially in surgery, and not only in Germany but throughout Europe. In addition, surgical specialist training in Europe is few standardized. It was evident in the preliminary projects that it is first necessary to improve the pedagogical abilities of the experienced surgeons (in particular those responsible for training) in order to meet these needs. This motivated the development of a training program for trainers (TTT = train-the-trainer). There exist no consistent, transnational education program focused on the acquisition of pedagogical competences for physicians. Surgeons who are directly involved in specialty training are not requested to have been enrolled in any formative program for teaching skills. This has given rise to requests for the development of a transnational training program for surgical trainers. The aim of this program is to improve the pedagogical skills of the consultants responsible for the specialty training of residents. We developed a professional profile for the surgical trainer and a corresponding curriculum. We defined learning goals, contents and methods, rules for supervising and assessing the learning progress and rules for giving feedback. The open multilingual online learning platform allows consultants and physicians responsible for the specialty training of residents all over Europe to study and use the developed learning material and curriculum. That is unique throughout Europe.

An interdisciplinary approach was important for the development of such a training program. That means, besides medical experts, pedagogical experts and experts for the development and implementation of training courses were involved in the project. All project partners played an important role due to their commitment to surgical training and previous projects in this area, and have made an important contribution to the success of the project. Besides the University of Applied Sciences (HTWK) Leipzig as a scientific institution in the field of education, three other international/European institutions participated in the development of the trainer profile: the Jesús Usón Minimally Invasive Surgery Centre (CCMIJU) Cáceres, the department for Surgical Research and Technology of the renowned Semmelweis University Budapest in Hungary, and Medis Foundation, a Romanian surgeon’s association/society for surgery.

The project started with an international study about the basic conditions for the surgical training of specialists. Based on these results, the demanded profile “Surgical Trainer” was developed, as well as the curriculum and the teaching materials for the “Surgical Train-the-Trainer program”. In 3 countries (Spain, Hungary, Romania), test course events were carried out according to the curriculum of the previously developed surgTTT program. These events were jointly evaluated. Finally, the SurgTTT Learning Platform was created and equipped with the course materials.

The platform is available in the web with free access for everybody.

Thanks to the project, we awakened awareness among the responsibles for surgery training, about the special challenges that this training demands, as well as the needs of their residents. The results-analysis after the test course events showed that the participants were able to assess and develop their own pedagogical behaviors and didactic skills. In this way, they would be able not only to better structure the trainings with their assistants, but also to provide more optimal support in the learning process. Thus, the trainers will be able to evaluate the performance of their assistants, by using the appropriate assessment instruments.

The priorities given in the project application for the development of continuing education programs in accordance with the European quality framework as well as their preparation in different European languages ​​(Hungarian, Spanish, Romanian, English and German) could be fulfilled. However, it has been found that short 2-day programs on weekends are more suited to physicians responsible for continuing education, since the clinic day often does not allow for a longer doctor’s absence. It is therefore planned to offer additional 2-day SurgTTT courses after the end of the project.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 282446 Eur

Project Coordinator

HOCHSCHULE FUR TECHNIK WIRTSCHAFT UND KULTUR LEIPZIG & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Fundatia Medis
• FUNDACION CENTRO DE CIRUGIA DE MINIMA INVASION JESUS USON
• SEMMELWEIS EGYETEM